News

The Foundation presented the British Heart Foundation Scotland (BHF), our National Charity Partner for this season, with a cheque for £25,000 at the weekend’s game against Hearts at Ibrox.

The donation will allow BHF to continue its vital work in Scotland, in particular supporting the charity’s aim to make Scotland a nation of lifesavers by providing free CPR training via its on-line tool, RevivR.

RevivR, which can be accessed HERE, makes it quick and easy to learn CPR in just 15 minutes for free and aims to give people the skills and confidence they need to save a life.

The cheque presentation came as part of a special ‘matchday takeover’ for the UK’s leading heart charity during National Heart Month, which included the Rangers First Team wearing BHF t-shirts during the warm-up, BHF videos shown on the Jumbotrons throughout the day, a can collection for the charity pre-match and a special appearance on the pitch from BHF’s mascot, Hearty.

12-year-old Scarlett Dougan, who was born with half a heart, led the teams out as one of the matchday mascots, and supporters were able to have their blood pressure checked for free by a team of junior medical doctors, clinical research fellows, nurses and medical students from Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and University of Glasgow in the Fan Zone ahead of the game.

With an estimated 700,000 people living with heart and circulatory diseases in Scotland, and the conditions being some of Scotland’s biggest killers, the matchday event was an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of heart health and life-saving skills within the Rangers community and beyond.

Over the course of the season so far, the club and Foundation have been spreading important messages about these topics, with former player and Manager Graeme Souness, current Men’s First Team player Connor Goldson and Women’s Team players Victoria Esson, Libby Bance and Sarah Ewens all supporting the campaign and talking about their own experiences.

April Davidson, Regional Fundraising Manager for British Heart Foundation Scotland, received the cheque on the Ibrox pitch from Rabbi Matondo and Kieran Wright and the Rangers Charity Foundation’s Chief Executive Connal Cochrane.

Connal Cochrane commented: “It’s been great to see the Rangers community get behind our partnership with British Heart Foundation Scotland this season.

“Not only have the fans engaged with the cause, but the players and staff have too. Connor Goldson opened up about his own heart condition and some of the women’s team learnt CPR to show just how quick and easy it can be with RevivR.”

“50 people die in Scotland every day from heart and circulatory diseases, so the more we can do to encourage supporters to learn CPR and look after their heart health, the more lives we can save.”

David McColgan, Head of BHF Scotland, said: “We have been so delighted with the support we have received from Rangers Charity Foundation and their fantastic £25K donation will help us continue with our lifesaving research to find a cure for heart and circulatory diseases, which remain some of Scotland’s biggest killers.

“The Foundation has also helped to raise awareness in Scotland’s footballing community about the importance of looking after your heart health, while enabling more people to learn lifesaving CPR skills.

“We would encourage all Rangers football fans to check out the link to our RevivR on-line tool via the Rangers Charity Foundation’s website, so we can create a nation of lifesavers.”

Earlier this month, the Foundation also launched a brand-new campaign to encourage fans to nominate their ‘Rangers Heart Hero,’ with the eventual winner receiving a shirt signed by the First Team squad, which will be presented on the pitch at a game.

A Rangers Heart Hero could be someone, for example, who has saved a life via CPR, has been brave or inspirational facing a heart condition or has been an exceptional fundraiser or volunteer for the British Heart Foundation.

To find out more about Rangers Heart Heroes or nominate your Hero, click HERE.