Cardiovascular disease causes nearly 40% of all deaths annually in the UK. This sadly means that at some time, most of us will be affected by this disease whether it is ourselves, our loved ones or our colleagues. Established in 1992, Wessex Heartbeat is one of the region's major charities and exists to support the work of the Wessex Cardiac Centre (WCC), one of the UK's leading heart treatment centres. Since 1992, the generosity of our supporters at all levels has enabled Wessex Heartbeat to raise over £13m which we have used to help ensure that the best possible care is provided to more than 20,000 patients treated at the centre each year.