Heart Health Grant from The Green Quarter Berkeley
A big thank you to The Green Quarter Berkeley for supporting us through their Community Chest Programme with a generous grant of £3,000! ❤️
The grant was presented by Jags Sanghera, Head of Business & Community Engagement, and we are truly grateful for their support. The photo above shows some Heartlink Committee Members receiving the cheque from Jags Sanghera (centre) at our meeting at Ealing Hospital on 5th November.
We will be using this funding to support our health awareness and testing work, helping us reach more people, raise awareness and make a positive difference in our community.
Thank you to The Green Quarter Berkeley for believing in what we do and helping us continue this important work. Your support really does mean a lot to us!
Small Changes, Healthier Hearts – talk by Dr Shalini Jain
50 Heartlink members attended our November Educational Seminar at Ealing Hospital, where we were delighted to welcome Dr Shalini Jain, a former NHS doctor and qualified health coach, who delivered an interesting and informative presentation on “Lifestyle Changes for Heart Health.”
Dr Jain explained how relatively small, practical changes to our everyday habits can make a significant difference to our cardiovascular health, helping both to prevent heart disease and to manage existing heart conditions.
Her presentation focused on three important areas:
Keeping Active: Regular physical activity can help improve heart health, lower blood pressure and manage cholesterol and blood sugar. Dr Jain emphasised that even modest amounts of movement are beneficial, including walking, gentle strengthening exercises and simply reducing the time spent sitting.
Eating for a Healthier Heart: A balanced diet rich in fibre, fruit, vegetables and wholegrains can help protect our hearts. She highlighted the importance of reducing salt, replacing saturated fats with healthier alternatives and making sensible food choices without following restrictive diets.
Managing Sleep and Stress: Good-quality sleep and managing everyday stress are also important for cardiovascular health. Dr Jain shared practical suggestions for improving sleep routines and reducing stress through relaxation, breathing exercises and spending time outdoors.
The evening generated a lively and engaging discussion, with members taking the opportunity to ask questions and explore how these recommendations could be incorporated into their daily lives.
The key message was encouraging: it is never too late to make positive changes, and even small steps can make a real difference.
Heartlink extends its warm thanks to Dr Shalini Jain for an excellent and thought-provoking presentation, and to all our members who contributed to such an enjoyable and informative evening.
Charanjit Kaler 1948 - 2026
It was with great sorrow that we heard of the recent passing of long time Heartlink member Charanjit Kaler. He was known to many of us as Ken.
After having treatment for his own heart health problems, he joined Heartlink in July 2005 and became an active member. He worked regularly as a Heartlink volunteer, particularly on the reception desk for patients which Heartlink used to run in the entrance to the Level 2 Cardiac Clinic at Ealing Hospital. He often worked alongside one of our other long-standing members, Bachitar, giving helpful advice and support to patients attending the clinic for cardiac tests and checkups. He eagerly took on responsibility for ordering the British Heart Foundation booklets for patients, which continues to be a major part of our work at the Hospital and elsewhere.
Charanjit was born in Kenya but came to the UK at a young age and was educated here, before marrying and raising a family. He held several responsible jobs, including as a shop manager and in a senior position on London Underground.
Many of us were very pleased to meet up with him again only a few weeks ago at the Barsi Smagam at Northolt at the end of August. Above you can see a photo of him helping us on our stall there (He is seated in the centre of the picture).
Our thoughts and condolences go to his wife Tarlochan, and his children and grandchildren.
We were extremely touched and hugely appreciative of the gesture they made, together with many of his friends, in raising over £2,000 for Heartlink at his funeral.
He will be greatly missed by us all at Heartlink.
Great to see you Eric!
We were all very pleased to recently meet up again with our long time Heartlink member Eric. He came along to our October Community Hub session where he had both his COVID and flu vaccinations given by our friends from Chana Chemist, after meeting up with a lot of old friends and sharing a snack and a cuppa.
A few days later at our information desk at Ealing Hospital he bumped into us again whilst coming to a regular hospital appointment. This time he had travelled on his new mobility scooter, which he now uses to get around the local area.
Eric was a very active Heartlink Committee Member for many years, helping at the Hospital and attending many events in the community, until becoming limited by his health and mobility.
Walking in the rain!
A torrential downpour was not enough to deter a small group of our wonderful Wednesday walkers in mid-October. You can see from the photo above that despite the conditions they all enjoyed a local walk, And a good chat on the way, finishing with a warming drink in a café.
Huge differences in healthy life expectancy across Ealing
New Office for National Statistics figures show that how long people can expect to remain healthy in Ealing can vary by as much as 15 years, depending on where they live.
The latest estimates, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), provide an area-by-area picture of healthy life expectancy across Ealing, highlighting significant differences between communities throughout the borough.
People living in parts of Southall, as well as Northolt and the Cuckoo Estate, have healthy life expectancies that are up to 15 years shorter than those living in parts of Ealing and Chiswick. The figures reflect, in part, the larger number of people in Southall and other areas experiencing health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Across Ealing as a whole, healthy life expectancy is estimated at 65.7 years for men and 66.7 years for women. These are broadly similar to the overall average figures for neighbouring boroughs.
Healthy life expectancy is different from overall life expectancy. It estimates the number of years people can expect to live in good health over their lifetime. These years do not necessarily occur continuously and may be interspersed with periods of poorer health. Overall life expectancy in Ealing is around 79.5 years for men and 84.3 years for women.
The ONS says the figures demonstrate how the number of years someone can expect to live in good health can vary even between neighbouring communities. By using Census data, estimates can be produced for smaller local areas, providing a more detailed picture of health within local communities.
The estimates indicate how long a baby born today could expect to live in good health if current patterns of health in each Ealing neighbourhood remained unchanged throughout their lifetime.
For MEN, the five lowest estimates were:
Northolt South: 60.9 years
Norwood Green North and Windmill Park – Southall: 61.1 years
Southall Green West: 61.8 years
Norwood Green South – Southall: 62.1 years
Cuckoo Park – Hanwell: 62.1 years
The highest estimates for men were recorded in Northfields – Ealing (71.9 years), Bedford Park – Chiswick (70.7), Horsenden – Ealing (70.4), Pitshanger – Ealing (70.4) and North Ealing (70.3).
For WOMEN, the five lowest estimates were:
Norwood Green North and Windmill Park – Southall: 61.2 years
Norwood Green South – Southall: 61.5 years
Northolt South: 61.7 years
Southall West: 61.8 years
Southall North: 62.5 years
The highest estimates for women were led by Bedford Park – Chiswick (76.2 years), followed by Northfields – Ealing (72.5), Elthorne Park – Hanwell (72.2), Pitshanger – Ealing (71.8) and South Ealing (71.6).
NEW: Follow Heartlink on Instagram
Heartlink Goes Digital – providing Heart Health Information
At our Annual General Meeting on 1st October, Heartlink introduced a new way of sharing important heart health information with people in our local community.
Introducing Short Films Bringing Heart Health Information to Life
Under the leadership of our Trustee, Dr Harmandeep Singh, we are producing a series of short, impactful films covering important heart health topics. The films use new technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to help produce high-quality information in a simple and accessible format.
The first film, HEART ATTACKS (see film above), was shown at our AGM and will form part of an initial series of 10 short films. These will be followed by patient stories and information about heart medication.
The films will be shared through digital platforms people use every day, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, as well as the Heartlink website at heartlink.charity.
Our aim is to reach a much wider local audience and provide clear, reliable information that can help people recognise heart health problems, understand their risks and know when they should seek help.
The films support our Heart Health Campaign, which includes an Early Detection Programmeand aims to identify hidden heart health risks in our local community before they develop into serious illness.
The programme brings accessible “spot checks” directly into trusted community settings, combining health screening with education and advice. Checks are carried out by trained medical clinicians and pharmacy professionals from our partners at Chana Chemist, with Heartlink volunteers helping with engagement and follow-up.
Instagram and HARI – Heartlink Advice, Resources and Information
Alongside our new films, Heartlink's new Instagram page at #heartlink.charity went live at our AGM and is now available to the local community.
Our Instagram page ‘heartlink.charity’ provides another way for Heartlink to share information, updates and details of our activities with local people.
As part of our Instagram presence, we have also introduced HARI our new digital assistant.
HARI is designed to make it easier for people to find information about heart health, Heartlink's services, activities and resources. It gives people another simple way to access information when they need it.
You can find us on Instagram by searching for @heartlink.charity
or via the QR code above
These new digital services are an important step forward for Heartlink, helping us reach people in new ways while continuing our long-standing work of providing information, education and support for heart patients, their families and our local community.
Who we are.....
Why we are here
Welcome to Heartlink and our website!
Have a look round the site to get full details of what we do and our many activities
You can find help and advice about heart disease by clicking the link HERE.
We want you to join us, whether you need help yourself, want to help others or just want to get involved.
Heartlink is a local charity led by heart patients, for heart patients and their families. Based in Southall, Greenford, Hanwell, Ealing, and West London, we provide support and advice to those living with heart conditions, especially those undergoing or recovering from hospital treatment.
While clinical staff focus on medical care, Heartlink offers something equally vital, personal understanding and guidance from those who’ve been through the same journey.
We are deeply committed to raising awareness about heart disease risk factors within the community. By hosting educational workshops, health awareness events, and outreach campaigns, we help individuals identify and address common risks such as high blood pressure, poor diet, smoking, and lack of exercise.
Our goal is to empower people with the knowledge they need to make healthier choices and reduce their chances of developing heart-related conditions.
Our website is 'heartlink.charity'.
See the 'About us' section for fuller details of us and what we do.