This April sees the launch of British Heart Foundation (BHF) Northern Ireland’s ‘Be Heart Healthy and Volunteer’ campaign.

Volunteers play a vital role in the work of your heart charity and their dedication helps save and improve the lives of those affected by heart disease locally.

Volunteering can do wonders for a sense of wellbeing. People who volunteer report an experience known as the ‘helpers high’. This is a rush of euphoria, similar to the one experienced after physical activity and, once the initial rush is over, people are left with a lasting sense of calm. This feeling can return hours or even days later when volunteers think about what they have done.

For anyone recovering from a heart attack or heart surgery, volunteering is a good way of slowly getting back into activity before returning to work and BHF Northern Ireland will have a role to suit everyone.

In Northern Ireland there are many local volunteer opportunities available. Your heart charity has lots of different roles to suit the time people can give, from a few hours in a local BHF Northern Ireland Shop to putting on a fundraising event to raise some money for the charity. But don’t take our word for it; meet Heather Patterson, our Comms and Fundraising office volunteer from Donaghadee, Co. Down.

BHF Northern Ireland’s Fundraising Volunteer Manager, Gary Wilson says: “Our volunteers give a contribution of time that accounts for £40m of our overall income every year. But their impact goes far beyond money. Without their support we simply wouldn’t be able to do the life-saving work that helps thousands of people living with heart and circulatory disease each year.”

To find out more about volunteering with BHF Northern Ireland contact Gary Wilson, Fundraising Volunteer Manager on 028 6863 3113 or email wilsong@bhf.org.uk or visit bhf.org.uk/volunteer or pop into your local BHF Northern Ireland Shop.