UPDATED 1st July 2008

 

providing

Cardiac Rehabilitation, Education and Research in the North West
Pond House, Harris Park, 253 Garstang Road
Fulwood, Preston, PR2 9XB

Registered Charity Number 511786

The charity was initially founded in 1978 by Keith and Rose Redman who wanted the memory of their daughter to live on after she died from coronary illness while still in her early teens. They soon recognized a requirement in the Preston area for a charity to help support the Cardiac Rehabilitation programmes at Preston Polytechnic which is now the University of Central Lancashire (UCL). Fund raising began which resulted in the founding of Heartbeat North West Cardiac Centre.

Pond House, Fulwood, Preston.  Many people helped the founders by organizing fund raising activities such as half marathons, in fact, anything to raise money so that the charity could continue to grow. It soon became necessary to employ staff to put the charity on a professional basis. Two people in a small office on Friargate in Preston became the centre of the operation. 

Eventually larger premises were needed.  In 1986 Pond House was obtained on lease from the University of Central Lancashire and opened in 1988.  Pond House is situated in the Harris Park formerly known as the Harris Orphanage amid peaceful and lovely surroundings.  The building required £150,000 to overcome its dilapidated state.  Local people rallied around to raise the required amount which enabled the renovations to be officially started by Russ Abbot.

Today Heartbeat is a thriving and vibrant organisation providing what has been described as a Rolls Royce facility catering for over 500 people every week providing 37 programmes of medically supervised and non medically supervised programmes at Pond House and in outlying areas.