BRITISH Heart Foundation shops in Greenock took part in the launch of a national campaign to raise money to help pay for research into heart and circulatory problems.

The charity is the single biggest funder of cardiovascular research in the UK, and operates clothing and furniture shops in West Blackhall Street.

Its ‘Wear It, Beat It’ campaign is encouraging everyone to wear the charity’s colour — red — and hold fundraising events.

Fiona Knox, manager of the clothing shop, said she lost both of her parents to heart disease, and all of the 24 volunteers who work in the store have had personal experience of themselves or their families being affected by the illness.

They will be out collecting in the street today, giving away balloons to children and selling cakes in the shop.

The charity’s mascot, Hearty, will also be there to encourage the public to support the shops.

Fiona donned the mascot outfit for the Tele’s visit to her shop, and said she was grateful to everyone who supports the charity.

She said: “Many of the people who come into the shop tell us that they or their families have been affected by heart or circulatory disease. It seems to be affecting more women than men now, possibly because of smoking.”

The charity’s fundraising manager for Scotland, Murray Easton, said heart and circulatory disease kills around 15,500 people in Scotland every year, and currently 670,000 people in the country are suffering from the problems. He said: “The need to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat these terrible conditions is more urgent than ever.

“That’s why I’m calling on everyone to take part in our ‘Wear It, Beat It’ campaign by joining thousands of others across the UK tomorrow in wearing red and holding a fundraising event to help us stop heart disease in its tracks.”