A NATIONAL waste company based in Romsey is planning a year of fundraising activities for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in memory of a much loved family member and colleague.

GRG Waste UK are aiming to raise £10,000 for the heart charity’s life-saving research by organising a series of events including a golf day, skydives and an end-of-year charity ball.

The company, which employs more than 100 staff across seven UK sites, decided to support the BHF in memory of Brian Collis, a much-loved family member and colleague, who died of a heart attack in 2016 at the age of 72.

Brian worked alongside his son Dave Collis and granddaughter, Francine Collis, who is the Marketing Manager for GRG Waste UK.

She said: “Anyone who knew Grandad Bri would tell you he was the kindest man you ever could meet. He was known for his storytelling, sweet tooth, and his willingness to help anyone out, no matter how inconvenient it might be to himself.

“Even though it has been four years, the sadness of his passing is still very much with us, and he is dearly missed by everyone.

“This is the first time that we have chosen a charity of the year, so it seemed very fitting that we would support BHF and their heart research.

“The last year has been incredibly tough for everyone, so we hope that the fundraising and the fun activities that we have planned will give our staff a morale boost.”

In the UK, heart and circulatory diseases cause more than 160,000 deaths each year. The BHF funds life-saving research into all heart and circulatory diseases, including heart disease, stroke, vascular dementia and their risk factors, including high blood pressure and diabetes.