As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we’ve been reflecting on the causes and charities that mean the most to us. And for our Managing Director, Chris Morris, one charity stands out above the rest, the British Heart Foundation.
A personal reason
Over the years, Chris has lost two close friends to heart problems, one aged just 44, the other 52. Losing anyone close to you is hard. Losing them that young, to something as sudden as a heart condition, is harder still. It’s the kind of loss that stays with you and it’s given Chris a very personal reason to want to do something in their memory.
That’s why the British Heart Foundation has become NGI Finance’s favourite charity to support and why Chris has taken on some serious challenges over the years to raise money and awareness for their work.
Why the British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation funds research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart and circulatory diseases and it’s fair to say their work has changed the landscape of cardiac care in this country. Heart and circulatory diseases still cause over a quarter of all deaths in the UK, around 170,000 a year, or one every three minutes and an estimated 7.6 million people in the UK are currently living with a cardiovascular condition. It’s a charity whose work touches an enormous number of families, often without them realising it, whether that’s through better diagnostic tools, improved treatments, or the ongoing research that’s slowly rewriting what’s possible in heart health.
For a charity that funds research most of us will never see directly, it’s easy to underestimate just how much of modern cardiac medicine exists because someone, somewhere, was willing to fund the science behind it.
Chris on the road (and the run)
Chris has already completed the Madrid Half Marathon twice in aid of the British Heart Foundation and he’s now setting his sights on the Great North Run, one of the biggest half marathons in the world, taking on the 13.1 miles from Newcastle to South Shields.
This isn’t Chris’s first time on that route, he ran his very first Great North Run 30 years ago, the same year his niece Evie was born. Three decades on, he’s lacing up again, this time joined by his daughter Grace (G from NGI), his sister Anna, and Evie herself, making it a real family affair.
It’s no small undertaking. But for Chris, every mile is a way of turning a personal loss into something positive and of doing his bit to help fund research that might mean fewer families go through what he has.
Why we think giving back matters
We talk a lot at NGI Finance about supporting the causes that matter to us and we think there’s something important in that, not just for the charities themselves, but for businesses generally.
Running a business gives you a platform, whether that’s through the people you employ, the clients you work with, or simply the profile you build over 20 years. We think it’s worth using that platform for something beyond the bottom line. Supporting a charity isn’t just good practice, it’s a genuine way of putting something back into the causes and communities that matter to the people behind the business.
It also tends to bring people together. Chris’s fundraising has given the whole NGI team something to get behind, whether that’s sponsoring him, cheering him on, or simply asking how training’s going. Giving back, done well, is rarely a solo effort and that’s part of what makes it worthwhile.
Get behind Chris
As Chris prepares for the Great North Run, we’d love for as many people as possible to get behind him and the British Heart Foundation. Every pound raised goes towards research that’s helping to beat heartbreak for good, and towards a future where fewer people lose someone before their time.
If you’d like to sponsor Chris or find out more about the work of the British Heart Foundation, get in touch with us or visit bhf.org.uk directly.
