The British Heart Foundation celebrated its eighth annual Heart Hero Awards in a moving ceremony that honoured extraordinary individuals and one very special golden retriever for their lifesaving contributions to fighting cardiovascular disease.
Canine Hero Steals the Show
In one of the most touching moments of the evening, four-year-old golden retriever Polly received the Bark Hero Award for her quick thinking that saved her owner's life. The remarkable dog woke up Hannah Cooke, 33, when her husband Adam suffered a cardiac arrest in his sleep at their home in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
Hannah immediately performed CPR in those vital seconds before emergency services arrived, ultimately saving Adam's life. He was later diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator to manage heart rhythm issues.
Accepting the award on Polly's behalf, Hannah emotionally shared: 'She's the best dog anyone could ask for, but the best part is that we still have Adam here with us today, and our family of four will be growing to a family of five very soon.'
Celebrating Decades of Dedication
The awards ceremony, hosted for the sixth time by broadcaster Vernon Kay at London's Bloomsbury Ballroom, also honoured long-standing contributors to the charity's mission. Shirley West and Maureen Lemin received recognition for their more than 40 years of service with the Guildford Fundraising Group, having raised hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Legendary composer Nitin Sawhney presented their award, praising their 'extraordinary dedication, passion, creativity, and unwavering commitment' to the BHF's cause.
The Frost family were similarly honoured for establishing the Miles Frost Fund after Miles died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at just 31 years old. The fund helps provide access to genetic testing for inherited heart conditions.
Wilf and George Frost accepted the award on their family's behalf, stating: 'When Miles died, we were completely devastated but thought that if we could help to prevent other families going through what we went through then, despite the extraordinary sense of loss, perhaps his death would not have been in vain.'
Corporate Partnerships Saving Lives
Footballer Tom Lockyer announced Sky Bet as the BHF's Corporate Partner of the Year, highlighting that their collaboration has inspired over 350,000 people to learn CPR and raised more than £3 million for lifesaving research.
Tesco received the Outstanding Partner Commitment to Cause Award for installing over 3,000 defibrillators and raising an incredible £26 million for the charity.
BHF Ambassadors including Gemma Atkinson, Ollie Proudlock and Kimberly Hart-Simpson joined the celebrations, with Gemma noting: 'As someone who has seen the impact of heart disease in my own family, I know how vital the British Heart Foundation's work is.'
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, BHF Chief Executive, closed the event by emphasising the critical importance of their mission: 'The incredible and generous contributions of our Heart Heroes are helping us to achieve our vision of a world free from the fear of cardiovascular disease – which claims the life of a loved one in the UK every three minutes.'
With more than 7.6 million people living with cardiovascular disease in the UK and cardiac health issues responsible for a quarter of all deaths, the work celebrated at the Heart Hero Awards has never been more vital to British families.
