HEARTBEAT would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped make this year's Annual Charity Raffle our best-ever. A record amount of more than £12,500 has been raised!

After our weekly charity lottery, Heartbeat's Annual Charity Christmas Raffle is our single biggest and most important fundraiser of the year.

Because of such huge local support and generosity, we in turn are able to help more local people than ever -- as your local heart charity. As a direct result, we are currently helping nearly 600 local people two or three times every week to recover from their heart problems.

Because Heartbeat does not receive any money from central or local government, the NHS or the National Lottery fund and is not part of any other heart organisation, we are totally dependent upon your local support to help us in our constant fight against heart disease in our region -- which is the second worst in the UK.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed this year, whether it be by donating the prizes or selling and buying tickets. (A full list of winners is available from Pond House).

In this our 22nd official year as a registered charity, you have all helped us to make this our most successful Annual Charity Raffle ever.

DAVID KEYLOCK, Heartbeat, North West Cardiac Centre, Garstang Road, Fulwood, Preston.