23.10.2026 12:05

Keep us beating - stories from the red bench

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Veľká Británia British Heart Foundation Autor neuvedený
The Devolved Nations’ “Keep us beating” campaign has released its third set of stories about people living with heart conditions, with Manufacturing NI Chief Executive Stephen Kelly and former Tourism NI Chief Executive John McGrillen sharing their experiences at Titanic Belfast. In the campaign’s final wave, the British Heart Foundation’s red bench featured stories from across three nations, including Welsh farmer Hugh Thomas, who won Britain’s Got Talent after triple bypass surgery, and Scottish comedian Rosco McClelland, who lives with long QT syndrome. Thomas and McClelland are using their experiences to encourage others to learn about heart conditions and seek checks.
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The Devolved Nations’ ‘Keep us beating’ campaign has has released a third set of stories about people living with heart conditions. Manufacturing NI Chief Executive Stephen Kelly and former Tourism NI Chief Executive John McGrillen sat on the bench at Titanic Belfast to share their individual experiences.

In the final wave of the campaign – shared last month – our BHF red bench went on the road to highlight impactful stories across the 3 nations.

A singing farmer, a comedian and business leaders took centre stage on this occasion.

Farmer and Britain’s Got Talent winner shares his story

Hugh Thomas, 75, lives on a farm on the border of Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, Wales, and shares the message that there is life after major heart surgery. Three years after a triple heart bypass, he joined the Hawkstone Farmers Choir and went on to win Britain’s Got Talent in May. He’s using his voice to encourage others, especially the farming community, to get checked.

“It would be great if they found a cure for this, if not for me then for others.”

In Scotland, popular stand-up comic Rosco McClelland, who has just finished performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, speaks candidly on our red bench about long QT syndrome, a heart condition diagnosed when he was a child.
Long QT syndrome is an inherited condition which affects the way your heart beats and the way the electricity travels through the heart.
Rosco has learned to manage his condition and has modified his life, for example avoiding over exertion, which could cause him to collapse.


“It would be great if they found a cure for this, if not for me then for others,” said Rosco.

“I thought I was indestructible"



https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2026/october/keep-us-beating-stories-from-the-red-bench-dn
Autor
Kontaktná osoba
Kieran McKavanagh
Spoločnosť / Organizácia
British Heart Foundation
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