Local charity Heart Heroes held a family fun day recently where its ‘Heart Families’ came together to share similar experiences of living with heart conditions.

The charity, set up by local woman Kelly Cornish, supports children aged 0-16 with heart disease and helps affected families meet others in similar situations.

The event was held at Bristol Memorial Woodlands, near Alveston, where guests enjoyed arts and crafts, refreshments and games all in the grounds of the 100-acre woodlands and reception rooms.

Kelly Cornish said: “We were delighted with the outcome of our latest Heart Families fun day which was attended by lots of local children and their families.

“The whole aim of our charity is to create links between people going through the same experiences. Dealing with a child with a serious illness can be very lonely, isolating and daunting so sharing thoughts and feelings with others in the same position is incredibly helpful for many.

“We provide services and socialising opportunities to facilitate these relationships and it also gives the children some fantastic experiences to enjoy with their peers.

“We’d like to extend a big thank you to the team at Bristol Memorial Woodlands for providing the use of their beautiful grounds, it was a very special location to hold this event and our families enjoyed exploring the ancient dew pond, woodlands and vast outdoor space to run around in.”

One family said: “Lovely event! It was our first one with Heart Heroes and our little ones loved it. Nice to meet local families that get it.”

Heart Heroes was founded by Kelly in 2018 after she lost a family member to congenital heart disease at the age of 10 months. The charity works closely with Bristol Children’s Hospital with the lead ward sister for the cardiac Dolphin ward acting as Patron.

Bristol Memorial Woodlands is a 100-acre woodland site primarily offering environmentally-friendly woodland burials where trees and wild flowers are planted around plots to create a nature reserve for future generations.

Also encompassing a chapel and reception rooms, the site, the land and grounds are all managed by a charitable trust and it provides families with a location for unhurried, bespoke funerals for loved ones.

If you would like to hold a charity event at the venue please get in touch by calling the office on 01454 414999 or emailing admin@memorialwoodlands.com

For more information about the charity visit www.heartheroes.co.uk