A glamorous Red Heart Ball at The Marriott in Preston raised over £7,000 for the British Heart Foundation.

The event was organised by two women each with a special reason to support the charity. Cardiac unit and critical care nurse Donna Peat lost a friend to an undiagnosed heart defect and her co-host and school friend, Amy Smeaton was born with a major heart defect and spent several years on the transplant list.

Fortunately, a talented surgeon in Liverpool treated her problem with surgery and she is now 31 and living a normal life.

‘I recently had the honour of meeting the surgeon after tracking her in America,’ says Amy. ‘I wanted to thank her for giving me such a wonderful gift.’

Photography: Sara Cuff

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