THIS September is “Women and Heart Disease Awareness Month” at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), a cause I feel extremely passionate about.

On September 20, I was officially announced as a BHF Ambassador, marking the occasion by spending the morning at The William Harvey Heart Centre, Queen Mary University of London, where the BHF funds life saving heart research.

I spoke with BHF researchers at the university about research they are doing into pre-eclampsia, the leading cause of death worldwide for women during pregnancy and heart transplant rejection.

This research is of particular interest me as my mother was previously diagnosed with pre-eclampsia.

It is estimated that globally around 76,000 pregnant women die each year from pre-eclampsia and related hypertensive disorders.

While at Queen Mary’s I also met various women who are fighting a daily battle with heart disease.

It’s a very sad reality that coronary heart disease remains the UK’s single biggest killer.

It kills twice as many women as breast cancer.

In the North West there are 840,000 people alone living a daily battle with cardiovascular disease.

18,000 lives are lost every year in the North West because of these devastating conditions.

But there is hope.

The BHF currently funds 69 research projects at Institutions across North West to help fight this heartless disease.

I’d like to encourage all North West readers to help fund the BHF’s life saving research this September by donating any unwanted items to your local BHF shop.

I have already donated a bag of my unwanted items to the BHF’s Bag It Beat It (BIBI) campaign, their annual stock donation campaign this September.

For more information on the BHF and their Bag It Beat It campaign visit bhf.org.uk/bagit. To book a free collection call 0808 250 0024.

The Duchess of York, Ambassador for the British Heart Foundation.