Southampton cardiac charity, Heartbeat, is honouring the decades of service and wealth of experience that members of its team bring to their roles.
The charity, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, attributes much of its success as the leading cardiac charity in the region to the breadth of expertise contributed by its team.
Cardiac disease can affect anyone, young or old, and Heartbeat’s team reflects the age-span of the wider population.
One of the youngest team members is 23-year-old Events and Corporate Fundraising Co-ordinator, Patrick McCarthy. “I believe being in my twenties and fresh out of university gives me an open mind set and modern thinking towards ideas on events and new leads,” he said.
“Working with people of a wide range of ages helps me personally, as I love learning new tricks of the trade from people who have worked within the industry for such a long time.”
Tanya Harder, Heartbeat’s Community Fundraising and Marketing Manager, is 33 years old. She believes her volunteering experience with a variety of charities, and the knowledge she brings from working in the community, helps her develop her role with Heartbeat.
“It’s vital to have a cross-section of ages among the team,” she said. “Each generation brings its own understanding and their input allows us to spot trends and opportunities.”
Projects spearheaded by the charity include Rotary Heartbeat House, the charity’s 24-bedroom ‘home from home’. The house is designed to support and provide respite to families of cardiac patients undergoing treatment at University Hospital Southampton and is located just a three-minute walk away. The facility’s annual operational costs amount to £87,000, fully reliant on donations.
The house is managed by Alison Scholefield. The 48-year-old has been working with the charity for the past 12 years. Ali said: “I know the inner workings of the house inside out. I believe I have become more empathetic and caring compared to when I was younger.
“Working with different ages bring different skills and opinions especially as residents at the house are of all different ages so I can relate to them.”
CEO of Heartbeat, Mark Ind, is 57. A fundraiser with 20 years’ experience, he is also the parent of a child born with a congenital heart condition. “As well as first-hand knowledge of the problems faced by the people we support, I bring a lot of commercial and operational acumen to Heartbeat from 25 years running hotels in the hospitality industry,” Mark said.
“The span of decades in our team gives us invaluable wisdom and experience from the older generations, plus the energy, vibrancy and technological know-how from younger team members. Having this broad spectrum in the workforce equips us well as a charity – not just now but also for the future.”
Tina Richardson, or ‘Tina 1’ to her colleagues, is Heartbeat’s Head of Operations, is 59 and has worked for Heartbeat for 25 years this coming January. She contributes her extensive understanding of what the charity has achieved in those years. “I also have vast experience in organising events both large and small,” she said.
Meanwhile, Tina Tolley (also known as ‘Tina 2’), who is head of Business and Donor Development, is in her sixties. “Having over 35 years in a senior role in fundraising, my support to those going through a life-changing experience and also those losing loved ones has always been part of what I do,” she said. “No matter how old we are, we learn every day by the experiences we have. Working in the ‘Team of Decades’ brings a mix of experience, new ideas, and camaraderie.”
Jennifer Kenny, Heartbeat’s Fundraising Co-ordinator, is in her seventies. Her career spans a variety of industries, from marine to engineering and mobile technology, and has helped equip her to overcome challenging situations.
“I contribute all my knowledge to what I deliver for the charity,” she said, “at the same time supporting the team around me. Having people of different ages on the team enables a collaboration of varied perspectives and ideas, so we can reach out to everyone within the community.”
