The Sussex Heart Charity

20/10/2026

❤️ One week to go! ❤️

Our next Heart to Heart meeting is next Tuesday – and we’d love to see you there!

Whether you’re adjusting to a new diagnosis, living with a heart condition, or missing the connections you made during cardiac rehab classes, our peer support group, Heart to Heart is here for you! 😊

You might be looking for a little reassurance, hoping to share experiences with people in a similar situation, or simply fancying a cuppa and a friendly chat - whatever brings you along, you’ll be very welcome.

📅 Join us on Tuesday 27th October - and hear from our first guest speaker!

We’re excited to welcome Laura from the Brighton & Hove Wellbeing Service, who’ll be sharing advice and practical tips on looking after your mental health and wellbeing when living with a heart condition.

A heart condition or sudden cardiac event can bring unexpected changes, worries and uncertainty. Laura will explore ways to manage stress, practise self-care and support your emotional wellbeing as you navigate life with a heart condition.

☕ After the talk, there’ll be plenty of time to relax with a cuppa and chat with our Heart to Heart volunteers and other members of the group.

Come along and give Heart to Heart a try!
There’s no pressure to speak or share your story — just a relaxed space, friendly faces and the chance to be part of the HTH community.

Whether you come on your own or bring someone along for support, everyone is welcome. ❤️

👉 Want to join us?
Sign up to our Heart to Heart mailing list for all the details about next week’s meeting, plus updates on future HTH events:
https://www.sussexheartcharity.org/hth/

19/10/2026

You're invited to the races! 🐴

Why not gather some friends, book a table and enjoy a fun-filled evening while supporting the SHC at the same time! ❤️

Thank you Telscombe Town Council for your support.

Tickets are now on sale for the Mayor's Charity Race Night, with all proceeds going to The Sussex Heart Charity

Tickets £3 per person, available from the Civic Centre
Bring your own refreshments

Friday 6th November, doors open at 7pm, first race at 7:30pm

16/10/2026

❤️ Today is Restart a Heart Day! ❤️

A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. And when it does, every second matters.

Early CPR and defibrillation can dramatically improve someone’s chances of survival. Knowing what to do when every second counts could help save a life.

This Restart a Heart Day, we’re encouraging you to BE READY.

So, how can you get involved?

🙌 LEARN CPR
Our free Rescue Ready awareness sessions give people the skills to recognise a cardiac arrest, perform CPR and understand how to use a defibrillator – empowering local communities to act with confidence when it matters most.

Find out more: https://www.sussexheartcharity.org/rescueready/

🔎 KNOW WHERE YOUR NEAREST DEFIBRILLATOR IS
Have you spotted a defibrillator (AED) in your local area? Take a moment to find out where your nearest AEDs are and when they can be accessed.

Use DefibFinder to locate publicly accessible AEDs near you: https://www.defibfinder.uk/

In an emergency, always call 999. The call handler can help you locate the nearest available defibrillator.

✅ HELP KEEP YOUR COMMUNITY DEFIBRILLATOR EMERGENCY READY
Are you responsible for an AED in your local community? Regular checks are essential to make sure it’s ready to use in an emergency.

Make sure your AED is registered with The Circuit, the national defibrillator network. Only registered AEDs can be located by emergency services and listed on DefibFinder.

Registration is simple, quick and free to do and could make a lifesaving difference.
Register your AED today: https://www.thecircuit.uk/

🏠 HELP BRING LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT TO YOUR COMMUNITY
Every community should have access to a defibrillator 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Could your community benefit from a defibrillator? Find out how an SHC grant could help you bring a life-saving AED to your local area:
https://www.sussexheartcharity.org/aeds-in-the-community/

❤️ SUPPORT OUR WORK
Your support helps us bring life-saving skills and equipment to communities across Sussex.
Every donation makes a difference.

Donate today: https://www.sussexheartcharity.org/donate/

This Restart a Heart Day, be ready.
You could make all the difference. ❤️

09/10/2026

❤️ Join us at Heart to Heart! ❤️

Our new peer support group, Heart to Heart, is for anyone who has been affected by a heart condition – whether you’re newly diagnosed, living with a long-term heart condition, or simply looking to connect with people who understand.

You might be:
💬 Missing the friends you made during your cardiac rehab classes
❤️ Newly diagnosed and looking for support and reassurance
🤝 Living with a heart condition and wanting to share your experiences
☕ Or simply fancy a cuppa and a friendly chat

Heart to Heart is here for you – and anyone you’d like by your side ❤️

📅Our next meeting is on Tuesday 27th October – when we’re delighted to welcome our first guest speaker. Laura from the Brighton & Hove Wellbeing Service will be talking about looking after your mental health and wellbeing when living with a heart condition.

Adjusting to life with a heart condition or after a sudden cardiac event can bring lots of change and uncertainty - and it’s completely understandable for it to affect how you feel. Laura will share practical tips and strategies to help with managing stress, practising self-care and supporting your wellbeing.

☕After the talk, they’ll be plenty of time for a cuppa and a chat, meet our HTH volunteers and get to know others in the group.

Come along, meet some new people and find out what Heart to Heart is all about. There’s no pressure to talk or share — just a friendly space and friendly faces.

Everyone is very welcome. ❤️

👉 Join our HTH mailing list to get all the details for our October meeting and future Heart to Heart events and updates:
https://www.sussexheartcharity.org/hth/

We’d love to see you there ❤️ ❤️

07/10/2026

You’re invited to a Charity Race Night! 🐎

We're delighted to have been chosen as the charity to benefit from the Mayor's fundraiser. If you'd like to attend the event - all details are on the poster below - it promises to be a very fun evening!

A huge thank you to the Mayor and Telscombe Town Council for choosing the SHC and for supporting us in such a wonderful way. ❤️

Tickets are now on sale for the Mayor's Charity Race Night, with all proceeds going to The Sussex Heart Charity

Tickets £3 per person, available from the Civic Centre
Bring your own refreshments

Friday 6th November, doors open at 7pm, first race at 7:30pm

06/10/2026

The Brighton cardiac rehab team has recently restarted their education talks, offering valuable support and information to patients alongside their exercise classes.

We’re delighted that our Rescue Ready sessions are now a regular part of the education programme, giving patients and their partners the opportunity to learn life-saving CPR and defibrillator (AED) skills.

The sessions are delivered by expert trainers from our partners at Pulse South Coast Ltd - Training & Medical Services. Yesterday’s session was run by Sally, who was fantastic!

The session covered:
🚨 Recognising the signs and symptoms of a cardiac arrest - and the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack
📞 What to do when someone has a cardiac arrest - how to respond while waiting for help to arrive
⏱️ Why the first four minutes are so important – early CPR and defibrillation can greatly increase the chances of survival
🙌 Practical CPR – giving everyone the opportunity to learn and practise this vital skill
⚡ How an AED works – with a demonstration to help everyone understand how a defibrillator can be used during a cardiac arrest

For many people living with a heart condition or recovering from a cardiac event, it’s natural to feel apprehensive about what the future might hold - and to want to feel prepared. That’s why these sessions are particularly valuable for cardiac rehab patients and their partners - helping to provide reassurance, confidence and peace of mind, so they know how to respond if they ever need to. ❤️

A huge thank you to Sally for delivering such a valuable and empowering session, and to Pulse for their continued support.

We’re proud to fund Rescue Ready and support the rehab team and their patients, and we’re really pleased it’s now part of the rehabilitation programme. ❤️

Want to be Rescue Ready?
Our Rescue Ready sessions are available to local communities across Sussex – and they’re completely free! Find out more via our website:
https://www.sussexheartcharity.org/rescueready/

02/10/2026

A huge thank you to the Brighton cardiac rehab team and patients, who held an SHC fundraiser this week to celebrate World Heart Day. ❤️

The team got into the World Heart Day spirit by wearing red, while patients had the chance to take part in a fun raffle and win some SHC goodies, including t-shirts, wristbands and tote bags!

Thank you to everyone who donated and supported the fundraiser. Every donation, big or small, will make a real difference and is hugely appreciated.

And a special thank you to the team for organising it – we are very grateful for your continued support. ❤️

01/10/2026

One more defibrillator, one safer community! ❤️

We’re thrilled to announce the installation of a new defibrillator (AED) at Old Plaw Hatch Farm. 🚜

Located on the edge of Ashdown Forest near Sharpthorne, Plaw Hatch is a busy working farm with a farm shop and café that welcomes visitors from the local area and beyond.

With the nearest defibrillators several miles away, the farm team and local residents recognised the need for an AED on site.

🌳 AEDs can be particularly important in rural communities, where there may be fewer defibrillators and longer emergency response times. When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every minute matters, and early CPR and defibrillation can significantly improve the chances of survival. In remote settings such as farms, having lifesaving equipment close at hand can make a vital difference.

The Plaw Hatch Farm team and the local community came together to raise funds for the AED, and we were delighted to support their efforts with an AED grant towards the cost of this lifesaving device.

The new AED has been installed outside the farm shop, where it is accessible 24/7 to employees, visitors and the wider local community.

The AED is also now registered on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network. This means its location is visible to emergency services, so 999 call handlers can direct people to it in an emergency.

It’s fantastic to see the new defib now in place, and we’re delighted to have played a part in making it possible through our AED grant.

A huge thank you to Clare, her colleagues at the farm and everyone in the local community - together, they’ve helped make the farm and the local area a safer place. ❤️

29/09/2026

Happy World Heart Day!

Our hearts work hard for us every single day - World Heart Day is a chance to give them some love in return. ❤️

💕 There are lots of ways we can take care of our hearts, from staying active and eating well to getting enough sleep, managing stress, not smoking, and limiting alcohol.

🩺 It’s also important to know your numbers - regular health checks can help you keep an eye on things like your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, helping you stay on top of your heart health.

Making big changes can seem overwhelming - but looking after your heart can start with small, everyday changes.

Here are a few things to try:

🍎 Switch your afternoon snack from biscuits to a piece of fruit
🐟 Make a healthier choice when eating out - pick fish over red meat, or swap chips for a side salad
🧂 When cooking, use herbs and spices instead of adding extra salt
💧 Swap sugary drinks for water
🚶Take the stairs rather than the lift
🚌 Get off the bus a few stops earlier and walk the rest of your journey
⏰ Take a walk during your lunch break
🧘 Try meditation or breathing exercises to help you pause, breathe and unwind
📱 Limit screen time before bed to help you sleep better
❤️ If you’re due a health check, why not give your GP a call?

Small changes can make a big difference. ❤️

For more top tips for a healthy heart, check out our ‘Give Your Heart Some Love’ advice:
https://www.sussexheartcharity.org/give-your-heart-some-love-top-tips-for-a-healthy-heart/

For NHS support to help you make healthy changes visit:
https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/

25/09/2026

Welcome to Heart to Heart! ❤️ ❤️

When you’re living with a heart condition, connecting with people who understand what you’re going through can make a big difference.

That’s why we’re so pleased to introduce Heart to Heart - our new peer support group for anyone affected by heart conditions.

Whether you’re newly diagnosed, recovering from a cardiac event, or have been living with a long-term heart condition for a while, you don’t have to face it alone - Heart to Heart is here for you. ❤️

Our regular meetings will offer a welcoming, relaxed space where you can:
❤️ Meet others with shared experiences
☕Have a chat over a cuppa
😊Talk to our friendly volunteers
🎤 Hear from guest speakers

It’s completely free to join Heart to Heart and there’s no commitment to come every time - just join us whenever you can. And if you’d like to, you’re very welcome to bring along a family member, friend or supporter. ❤️

Come along to our next Heart to Heart meeting!
📅 Tuesday 27th October
🎤 Guest speaker: NHS Wellbeing Practitioner

For our October meeting, we’re delighted to welcome Laura from the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service.

Laura will be talking about the impact that living with a heart condition can have on our mental health and wellbeing and sharing practical ideas for looking after yourself - including recognising and managing stress and finding coping strategies that work for you.

Want to find out more?

Head to our website and join the Heart to Heart mailing list - this is where you’ll receive all the details about our October meeting, upcoming meetings and all HTH updates:

https://www.sussexheartcharity.org/hth/

We’d love to see you at a meeting soon and hope Heart to Heart can become a place where you feel connected and supported. Because having the chance to talk, listen and share with others can mean so much. ❤️