National charity Heart Research UK is calling on choirs, singers and performers across the country to flex their vocal chords and “Sing for Your Heart” in the run up to Christmas.

The charity wants singers, choirs, music groups and performers to do their own event in December and raise money to help in the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.

Singing is good for your heart and recent studies have shown that the health benefits are both physical and psychological because it is an aerobic activity that increases oxygenation in the blood stream.

This year’s appeal includes a call to local pubs up and down the UK to put on their own fundraising sing-a-long for the local community in the run up to Christmas.

Funding from events like Sing for Your Heart help fund research like this, and taking part in our annual festive fundraiser is easy.  All you need to do is:

  • choose a date in December
  • pick your venue
  • perform to an audience
  • raise money to help hearts near you

BBC Radio Four Today programme presenter, Justin Webb, who had heart surgery in 2012 after suffering chest pains, is now back to full fitness and supports the Sing for Your Heart campaign.  He said: “My heart is still going strong years after I nearly died – this Christmas is the perfect time to remind ourselves that lives can be lived and families kept whole with a little effort and the brilliance of the researchers who have already made such strides.   That’s why I support Heart Research UK.”

Last year Salford-based Ordsall Acapella Singers performed for a Sing for Your Heart event in Manchester’s Trafford Centre.

Carol Steedman, Treasurer of the choir, said:  “Heart Research UK is a wonderful charity that we were proud to support in the lead up to Christmas last year. As a choir, we know that we benefit from singing, and enjoy the creative buzz and feedback we get from performing to people. What a great bonus to know that it is good for our heart health too!”

Barbara Harpham, National Director of Heart Research UK said the charity was calling on people to put on their own performance in the run up to Christmas.   “Everyone can Sing for their Hearts, whether you’re in a band, choir or just partial to a bit of karaoke,” she said.  “It’s the perfect excuse to get together with friends, family and colleagues to have fun and raise money for Heart Research UK particularly in the run up to Christmas when everyone is feeling festive.”

Singing is also shown to be good for your heart. Professor Graham Welch, Chair of Music Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, has studied developmental and medical aspects of singing for 30 years.

He says:  “The health benefits of singing are both physical and psychological. Singing has physical benefits because it is an aerobic activity that increases oxygenation in the blood stream and exercises major muscle groups in the upper body, even when sitting.“

A more recent study was carried out at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden into music and wellbeing which showed how musical structure influenced the heart rate of choir members.  Bjorn Vickhoff, who led a study, said: “Singing is good for your health.  Our research indicates that it may even be good for your heart. Further research in this field is much needed, such as the long term effect of choir singing.”