We’re asking you to give the gift that keeps on living - David McColgan

It was an absolute pleasure to join the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scotland retail team and our supporters in Edinburgh for the opening of our new shop in Morningside. It’s our first new store in the capital since 2019 and it is looking fantastic.

With just a few days left until Christmas, if you still have some shopping to do, it’s the perfect time to come and see us.

This festive season, we’re asking you to give the gift that keeps on living – by funding lifesaving research into heart and circulatory diseases. Every pound raised in our 75 shops across Scotland and our online ebay and Depop stores helps support the 700,000 people living with heart and circulatory conditions in Scotland.

Research has turned ideas that once seemed like “science fiction” into treatments and cures that save lives every day. But despite all our progress, many families across Scotland are still waiting for the scientific breakthroughs of tomorrow. Donations to the BHF fund vital research to drive progress and give people the gift of more time with the people they love.

Pictured at the new BHF store in Morningside are, left to right, Charlotte Palmer, Morningside Shop Manager; Professor David Newby, BHF Duke of Edinburgh Chair of Cardiology; Tony Clark, BHF supporter and heart patient and David McColgan, Head of BHF Scotland

We also know this festive season is going to be tough for many families across the country, and that the rising cost of living means we are looking for ways to make our money go further.

A recent survey for the BHF found that when it comes to Christmas shopping this year, a third of us are adjusting our plans by shopping with charity retailers as a result of the rising cost of living. Our survey also revealed what motivates people to shop with charities this Christmas, with helping to fund a good cause and saving money coming out on top.

Which is why shopping with us makes such a difference. Shopping preloved with the British Heart Foundation isn’t just about saving money. It’s about saving lives by helping to fund research into heart and circulatory diseases and saving unwanted items from landfill.

We know times are tough but if you have an item in good condition and going spare, then please think of the British Heart Foundation. We are always keen to receive good quality stock at all times of the year. We have lots of ways to make it easy to donate – so let us take that item off your hands and give it a new lease of life and in turn help others.

There's plenty on sale at the new BHF store in Morningside

Each year, the BHF has around 17,000 retail volunteers who generously gift their time and our shops are always in need of volunteering support. Nearly a quarter of employed retail positions are filled by those who have previously volunteered for the BHF, so do get in touch with us.

We are the largest independent funder of research into heart and circulatory diseases in Scotland, currently funding more than £50 million in research in ten universities across Scotland, including at our Centres of Research Excellence at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

We simply cannot fund lifesaving research without your generous donations. So please this Christmas, support the BHF and give the gift that keeps on living.

To donate or shop with the British Heart Foundation this festive season and give the gift that keeps on living, visit www.bhf.org.uk/Christmas

David McColgan, Head of BHF Scotland