North East Hearts With Goals
1277. Kelly Best
1278. Christine Stephenson
Kelly Best and Christine Stephenson, from Newcastle, are sisters-in-law who have distributed over 460 defibrillators across the North East in memory of Neil Best, Kelly’s husband and Christine’s brother, who died in 2003 from an undiagnosed heart defect.
They also operate a mobile van with ECG equipment that provides heart screenings for local schools and community groups, and raise awareness of ARVD (Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia), a rare heart condition which is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of approximately 12-15 young people across the UK every week.
In a personal letter to Kelly, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“I know you do this with no thought of praise or reward, but allow me to offer my own recognition of how you are saving lives across the North East, in memory of your husband Neil, by distributing defibrillators and providing people with access to heart screening equipment.”
In a personal letter to Christine, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“I know you do this with no thought of praise or reward, but allow me to offer my own recognition of how you are raising awareness of cardiac arrest in memory of your brother Neil and ensuring people across the North East have better access to lifesaving defibrillators.”
Kelly and Christine said:
“We are overwhelmed at receiving the Points of Light Award, we work with some incredible people to make North East Hearts with Goals a charity that makes a big difference to North East communities.”