NHS Rotherham and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council have teamed up with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to help put the heart into Rotherham as part of the charity's Mending Broken Hearts Appeal, which launched in 2011 to mark the charity's 50th anniversary.

Heart Towns are a new and exciting scheme from the BHF that brings entire communities together through local fundraising and volunteering to help beat heart disease. As well as raising awareness of heart disease in Rotherham, the BHF will be offering residents a raft of support services including schools initiatives, workplace health and health and lifestyle information resources.

Heart and circulatory disease is the UK's biggest killer. Every day 276 people in Great Britain have a heart attack. Being part of a Heart Town gives Rotherham another tool to fight against this killer and help to turn lives around.

Rotherham's Heart Town communities will learn how to look after their hearts with practical steps on how to improve lifestyle and heart health. It is hoped local people and businesses will support Heart Town through volunteering and fundraising activities.

The Heart Town initiative is part of the biggest ever fundraising appeal ever launched by the BHF, the Mending Broken Hearts Appeal. The goal is simple: to fund the research that could begin to mend broken hearts in as little as 10 years. That's why Rotherham's support is so vital. Every person in Rotherham really can make a difference and help give hope to millions. Whatever you choose to do, whether you join the local fundraising branch or organise your own fundraising activity, there is a way for you to get involved.

Visit the Heart Town website for more information.