IF YOU want to stand out from the fashion crowd, improve your sewing skills, or just want a fun way to raise money for charity, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has the perfect solution.

I’m calling on all keen and novice sewers to take part in The Big Stitch this July by heading to your nearest British Heart Foundation shop, buying an item and injecting your own fashion flair into it by practicing sewing and dressmaking skills.

Every year, heart and circulatory disease kills around 15,000 in the South West and currently, 639,000 people in the region are living with its burden, so the need to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat these terrible conditions is more urgent than ever. Every item bought and re-vamped throughout July will bring us one step closer to ending the devastation caused by heart disease. 

What’s more, if you post your ‘before’ and ‘after’ picture on social media throughout July, tagging the BHF on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, and using the hashtag #TheBigStitch, you will be in with a chance of winning a special night out at a London West End show with YouTube sensation, Just Jodes for you and a friend.

With around 750 BHF shops nationwide, join thousands of style seekers across the UK, all while learning invaluable skills and helping the BHF fund life saving research into heart disease.

For more information on The Big Stitch and to find your nearest BHF shop visit bhf.org.uk/TheBigStitch  

DEBBIE CHEESEMAN
British Heart Foundation