Official launch of Circulate: Barts Charity heart health network

On 25 November, Barts Charity welcomed over 120 guests from neighbouring businesses located in the City of London, to the historic Great Hall at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, for the launch of Circulate, the Barts Charity heart health network.

Leading consultants from Barts Heart Centre were joined by representatives from over 35 organisations including magic circle law firms, leading financial institutions and top four accountancy firms.

After a warm welcome from Barts Charity Chairman, Michael Smith, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester gave an overview of the impressive history of Barts and the Great Hall. Steeped in tradition, Barts is famous for innovations in healthcare over the centuries, including the discovery of the circulation of blood by William Harvey in 1628. His Royal Highness also made reference to the hundreds of benefactors listed on the walls of the Great Hall, which date as far back as the fifteenth century.

The Circulate promotional video was then shown, explaining the overall aims of the new network. Experts from the Barts Heart Centre spoke about their aspirations to engage with the local business community, maximising opportunities for longer term awareness and prevention of cardiovascular disease, and attracting investment towards the most innovative advances in cardiac medicine for local, national and international impact.

We were privileged to be joined by Tottenham Hotspur Ambassador Ossie Ardiles who talked about his career as a former top flight footballer, and his thoughts on unseen health issues in professional sport. In a live Q&A led by Channel 4’s sports correspondent Keme Nzerem, Ossie highlighted the contrast between training techniques and awareness of cardiac health today, compared to 30 years ago, mentioning fellow ex-professional footballer Fabrice Muamba who experienced a sudden and dramatic cardiac incident on the pitch, which he referred to as ‘a game changer for health in sport’. Questions were then opened to the floor, with Keme fielding questions to Ossie from several enthusiastic guests.

The remainder of the evening was spent ‘Circulating’ – making connections and interacting with cardiac specialists and experts, including those who were manning display tables in the Great Hall and demonstrating some of the most technologically advanced simulators and pieces of equipment used in diagnosis and treatment of cardiac conditions. These demonstrations gave a fascinating insight into the world of cardiac medicine at Barts Heart Centre, showing examples of the incredible research and equipment projects that will be funded through the Circulate network.

The event closed with a free prize draw, thanks to Circulate’s generous partner and supporter The Groucho Club, and Essentially Group. Congratulations to our guests who won a dinner and stay at The Groucho Club, a case of ‘Club Red Merlot’ from The Groucho Club with artwork courtesy of Rob and Nick Carter, and a cricket bat signed by Sir Ian Botham.

Belinda Dee, Director of Development at Barts Charity said: ‘The Circulate launch event was a major milestone for Barts Charity, signifying the launch of a modern network that will support the City of London and its workers. Our vision is for Circulate to become an essential element of responsible business practise in all of our of neighbouring organisations, benefiting their employees directly and each of the 40,000 new patients who will be treated at the Barts Heart Centre every year. We are extremely grateful to everyone who attended, and to all those who contributed to the success of the evening.’

Special thanks to Circulate’s founding partner Linklaters LLP, The Groucho Club, Ossie Ardiles, Keme Nzerem, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, Mr Michael Smith and the team at the Great Hall.

To find out how you and your organisation can become part of the Circulate network and tackle the United Kingdom’s biggest killer, cardiovascular disease, then please visit www.bartscharitycirculate.org.uk.

Our next event will be hosted by AVEQIA in March when many of our New Year’s resolutions may have fallen by the wayside. This event is to help you get back on track.

We welcome Business Healthy members to join us for a fun and guilt-free cooking experience, led by a celebrity chef, in conjunction with a Barts Heart Centre cardiologist, who will give you a fresh take on healthy eating and encourage you to implement small sustainable changes in your lifestyle to keep your heart healthy, and that are easy to stick to all year round.  To find our more information please click here.