Heart of West London Partnership Launched at Brentford's Stadium

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Aims to raise awareness of heart disease and resuscitation techniques

Representatives of the partners in the initiative at the launch

A new initiative in which Brentford FC has partnered with several hospitals and health charities has been launched this week (3 October) at the GTech Community Stadium.

The ‘Heart of West London Group’ has been formed to raise awareness of heart disease and to teach skills such as CPR. The group is made up of Brentford FC, Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young, Resuscitation Council UK, Pablo London and A-K-A Day.

Brentford FC has chosen to support this cause following the death aged 28 of the club’s technical director Rob Rowan who had an undiagnosed heart condition.

It is claimed that the London Borough of Hounslow, there are around 21,000 people living with heart and circulatory diseases which cause 35 deaths each month. Heart and circulatory diseases cause around a quarter of all deaths in the UK.

The aim of the initiative is to ensure that everyone has the skills to save a life and to raise awareness of heart disease and the lifestyle changes necessary to live healthier lives. It will also be raising money for funding innovative treatment, equipment and research into cardiac health.

In addition it will deliver education and training within local communities around screenings for under-35s. The intention is to get CPR and defibrillator training to as many people as possible so everyone can learn the skills to save a life.

Nity Raj, General Counsel at Brentford FC and Trustee of Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, said, “At Brentford, to achieve success we have always tried to focus on the things that make the most difference, following the science and striving to make a positive impact in our community.

“This season we are applying that approach to cardiac health by bringing an alliance of organisations together in an initiative we call The Heart of West London. The Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, Cardiac Risk in the Young, the Resuscitation Council, Pablo London, A-K-A Day and Brentford FC Community Sports Trust are all working with Brentford FC to use our collective power to save thousands of lives.

“We believe we will be successful in bringing about more scientific research, more cardiac screenings, encouraging more people to make positive changes in their lives and more CPR training, and as a result, we will have a massive impact on fighting the world’s leading cause of death. We started on a journey of supporting cardiac health following the tragic death of Technical Director, Rob Rowan in 2018. This alliance and the initiatives that are to come will serve as a lasting legacy to our friend.”

Dr Steven Cox, CEO at Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), said: “The launch of the Heart of West London partnership coincides with an important milestone for CRY – the announcement that we have now tested over 250,000 young people in the UK through our screening programme. As a result, more than 800 young people will have been identified with potentially life-threatening cardiac conditions and will have received treatment, lifestyle advice or corrective surgery which will have dramatically reduced their chance of suffering a cardiac arrest. This vital partnership will help to raise awareness of the importance of screening and young lives will be saved.”

Brentford and Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury said, ‘‘I was pleased to be able to attend the launch of the Heart of West London and to hear about the amazing work being done by so many different organisations to promote heart health locally. With over 20,000 people in Hounslow borough living with heart or circulatory diseases it’s so important that we work to raise awareness, promote screening and exercise, widen training in CPR for cardiac arrest, and provide support around heart health.

“I had the chance to learn and practice CPR on a test dummy - performing CPR can more than double the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest and it’s such an important skill to learn.”

She added that her son lost a school friend who had a similar heart condition to Rob Rowan and that she would continue to work with organisations locally to raise awareness and ensure progress in improving cardiac health.

Further information about the Heart of West London Partnership can be found on this link.

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October 5, 2022