British Heart Foundation is Hemel Hempstead shopping centre's charity of the year

The Marlowes Shopping Centre has named the British Heart Foundation as its new charity of the year.

The shopping centre showcases its charitable ethos with yearly collaborations with a selected charity, helping to spread the word about its projects and goals and fundraising for the cause.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) funds life-saving research into all heart and circulatory diseases, including heart disease, stroke, vascular dementia and its risk factors, including high blood pressure and diabetes. It also works to save lives by educating people on how they can make a difference, through CPR training and workplace wellbeing courses.

The year-long partnership will kick off with a Red Week for British Heart Foundation across its social media – which will start on Monday, March 6.

Nicola Reavey, British Heart Foundation’s fundraising manager for Hertfordshire, said: “We are so grateful that The Marlowes in Hemel Hempstead has chosen us as their Charity of the Year. We are looking forward to working with the team and the customers at The Marlowes to raise vital funds for life-saving heart research.

“For more than 60 years, the British Heart Foundation has funded research that has turned ideas that once seemed like 'science fiction' into treatments and cures that save lives every day. But millions of people are still waiting for the next breakthrough. It is only thanks to the generous support of companies like The Marlowes that we can keep the research going and discover the treatments and cures of the future.”

Humphrey Mwanza, centre manager at The Marlowes added: “We are so lucky to have worked with so many fantastic charities over the years here at The Marlowes, and this year we are so excited to share that we will be working with British Heart Foundation. We will be supporting this brilliant charity with their monthly campaigns in the centre and across social media and encourage our shoppers to showcase their generosity for our fundraising events where they can. This research will have a direct impact on our lives and the lives of those in our community, so it seemed a perfect pairing. We look forward to working with their team!”