THE British Heart Foundation (BHF) has reached a landmark £100 million in donations via online fundraising site JustGiving.
The heart health charity said over the last 17 years over 460,000 pages have been set up to support it on the site accumulating an astonishing 4,397,061 individual donations for the charity’s groundbreaking research into heart and circulatory diseases.
Now, 6,085 days after receiving their first ever JustGiving donation of £10 on 7 June 2007, the charity reached the £100 million milestone through an unsuspecting £80 donation last month.
Most of the 460,000 pages have been created by those taking part in cycling and running events for the BHF. Around 170,000 cyclists have raised a total of just under £36 million for the BHF’s lifesaving research, with runners finishing a close second with £30 million. The charity’s fundraising initiative, ‘Do Your Own Thing’ has also encouraged JustGiving pages that have amounted to millions of pounds over the years.
Since 2007, the BHF has been able to fund around 4,000 individual research projects which have changed the landscape of heart treatment and cures. These breakthroughs would not have been possible without the charity’s fundraisers.
The charity’s flagship event, the BHF London to Brighton Bike Ride, accounts for the majority of JustGiving pages.
One such cyclist fundraising for the London to Brighton Bike Ride through JustGiving is Brian Williams who tragically lost his son Darren to a heart condition when he was 31 years old.
Talking about his fundraising, Brian Williams said:
“I have raised thousands of pounds for the BHF through my JustGiving pages. Being able to write Darren’s story down on my fundraising page and have so many people donate has been a real driving factor for me and my cycling. I love taking part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride and have been doing it annually for ten years. I know I am not only doing something in Darren’s memory but helping to fund medical breakthroughs pioneered by the BHF.”
Leah Mates, Marketing & Fundraising Director at the BHF said:
“It’s quite staggering to think from that first £10 donation just how many people have donated to our BHF fundraisers to together raise £100 million. We’re so incredibly grateful to all our inspiring fundraisers who have not only taken on a challenge for us but also taken the time to set up a JustGiving page. Sharing their stories has helped to raise vital funds for those affected by heart and circulatory disease.
“Over the 17 years, JustGiving donations have helped fund extraordinary breakthroughs in heart research. We now have AI technology that can identify the risk of a heart attack years before it strikes and have discovered a new technique doubling the number of children able to receive a heart transplant. Our dedicated fundraisers and their donations have made this all possible, and to them, we say a heartfelt thank you.”
Pascale Harvie, President and General Manager of JustGiving, said:
“We’re immensely proud of our partnership with the British Heart Foundation, together we’ve achieved a remarkable milestone of £100 million.
“For almost two decades, hundreds of thousands of people have taken on fundraising challenges to raise this extraordinary amount of money, which is making a huge difference to countless lives. It’s moments like this that showcase the boundless generosity of people worldwide and highlight how JustGiving can effectively amplify this generosity for impactful causes.”
You can sign up for a BHF event and fundraise through JustGiving here: bhf.org.uk/events.
