A CENTRE which looks after post-heart operation patients from Basingstoke has been given a funding boost.

Basingstoke and Alton Cardiac Rehabilitation was awarded a grant of nearly £7,000 by the Postcode Community Trust at the beginning of May, funded entirely by People’s Postcode Lottery players.

The £6,834 grant will fund an expansion to the group’s primary prevention programme Staywell.

Through this funding the charity will be able to help an additional 100 people by adding two classes to the timetable starting in May – one of which will support the frailer clients who attends the programme.

Each client of the programme follows an individually planned and monitored exercise programme for ten weeks and this produces changes in the physical health of participants.

The Staywell programme was created by Cardiac Rehabilitation founder Dr Hugh Bethell MBE in 2009 to meet an need in the community: access to a medically supervised exercise aimed at reducing the risk of developing heart disease.

Basingstoke and Alton Cardiac Rehabilitation chief executive officer Sarah Quarterman said: “This grant from Postcode Community Trust will give a wonderful boost to our Staywell programme which offers those who are considered ‘high risk’ to access the right exercise and nutrition advice before they develop heart disease.

“We particularly target those diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or obesity and so it will enable us to help even more people.”

“I encourage anyone wishing to learn more to speak to their GP.”