Over £700 has been raised for charity during a special fundraising event held by a Burnham-On-Sea group on Friday (April 30th) in memory of a popular resident.
Burnham Bootcamp organised a day-long Aortic Day Charity Fundraiser, raising funds for the Aortic Centre Trust.
The group’s Victoria Taylor said the annual event was held in memory of her brother James Griffiths, who died in 2017 after suffering complications following a heart operation.
A day of socially distanced fitness sessions was held by Victoria featuring boxercise, piloga, spin, as well as private virtual sessions and kettlebells. Kim Knight, who also teaches fitness, also led several sessions during the day.
Victoria says: “A huge thank you goes to everyone that donated to a charity so very close to our hearts.”
“It was a very emotional day again, but we are surrounded by such love and support – James was such a popular character.”
“The money raised is so much more than I had dreamt of raising – we also hope to be back next year even bigger and better without restrictions!”
“We have continued to do this in my brother’s memory every year since we sadly lost him after heart surgery in 2017.”
“This year we will be doing some great sessions throughout the day and every penny donated will be given to charity!”
Diseases of the aorta cause 5,000 deaths per year in the UK. That compares with 11,000 deaths from prostate cancer and a similar number of deaths from breast cancer.
Aortic diseases are rarer than these common cancers but whereas everyone has heard about prostate and breast cancer, many people are blissfully unaware of the existence of their aorta.
Elective (planned) surgery for aortic aneurysms carries a low risk with a very high success rate. By the time an aorta ruptures, the risk of death rises to greater than 50%.
ACT wants to change, by raising awareness among people who are at risk; ensuring those who have aortic problems can get the treatment that they need before it becomes an emergency; helping with research into better treatment and prevention.
