In memory of lives lost and as a tribute to the people of Rotherham. Anne and Brian Pearce live in Rotherham where too many people have lost their lives to heart disease over the years, tearing families apart. Now the devoted couple have shown they’re all heart by setting up a £30,000 charitable fund to support the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) lifesaving research, as a lasting legacy to help fight heart disease in Rotherham. Nearly 41,000 people are living with heart and circulatory disease in Rotherham. Each year, these devastating conditions claim the lives of almost 700 people in the town alone. Rotherham became a Heart Town in 2012 to bring the entire community together through local fundraising and volunteering to help beat heart disease. Now, dedicated fundraisers Anne and Brian have set up a new Gift of Hope fund as a tribute to the people of Rotherham, to fund ground-breaking research that could help stop more lives being cut short by heart disease. The selfless couple, who will have been married for 30 years in March, have experienced the devastating effects of heart disease first-hand, as over the years they have lost family members to different heart conditions. Brian, 79, also suffers from angina, and Anne, 73, suffers from the heart rhythm disorder Atrial Fibrillation. Their new Gift of Hope fund, totalling an incredible £30,000, will help fund vital research by the BHF to identify new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease, and keep more hearts beating in Rotherham. Anne and Brian launched their fund in January 2017, in the company of the Mayor of Rotherham, Cllr Lyndsay Pitchley, who praised the couple for their enormous generosity. Mrs Pearce said: “So many people lose their lives to heart disease in Rotherham, but often it’s not until you lose someone you love that you realise just how urgent this problem is. We just wanted to do absolutely everything we could to help stop this happening, by funding research that will help generations to come. “Hopefully our donation will help save lives, and make a real difference to the people of Rotherham.” Lauren Mallinson, BHF Fundraising Manager in South Yorkshire, said: “Research is the best weapon we have to help fight heart disease, and the enormous generosity shown by Anne and Brian to give a Gift of Hope to the people of Rotherham will help bring us a step closer to achieving that incredible goal and stop more families going through the pain of losing someone.” To support The Anne and Brian Pearce Fund you can make a donation online here or send a cheque payable to the British Heart Foundation c/o Lawrence Clarke, Treasurer at British Heart Foundation Rotherham Branch, 39 Cherry Tree Crescent, Wickersley, Rotherham S66 2LS. Thank you for your kind support.