STAFF at a Renfrewshire building firm are on cloud nine after raising more than £4,000 for the British Heart Foundation.

A team of 21 employees and friends from AFP Construction (Bishopton) Ltd set themselves the challenge of climbing Ben Nevis in memory of two family members who died from heart and circulatory disease.

Company owners Kevin Parker and Fiona Parker-Hedley lost their dad Albert, while manager Kevin McClafferty also lost his dad, Joe, within weeks of each other.

They decided to scale Ben Nevis in aid of the nation’s heart charity and were delighted to raise £4,480.

Mr McClafferty said: “Although everyone found the challenge difficult, the money we raised is going to a really worthwhile cause, helping fund the BHF’s lifesaving research, and we’d like to thank everyone for their generous contributions.”

Laura Stockwell, BHF Scotland’s area fundraising manager, added: “We have made huge advances in the last 60 years but, sadly, more than 17,000 people in Scotland die each year from heart and circulatory diseases. That is why our research is so important.

“We have some fantastic fundraisers, like the amazing AFP team, who are always prepared to go the extra mile for us and we want to thank them for helping us beat heartbreak forever.”

The BHF is the largest independent funder of research into heart and circulatory diseases in Scotland, conditions which claim the lives of almost 3 in 10 people.

The charity is currently investing £66 million in world leading science in Scottish universities, supporting 245 research staff, investigating the prevention and treatment of diseases, like heart failure, stroke and vascular dementia and the risk factors that cause them, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

For more information on the work of BHF Scotland visit here.

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