About Us
How CHUF Started
The charity was founded in 1979 by parent Ann Scott and was originally called the Lesley Ann Scott Memorial Fund. Ann started the charity after the death of her daughter Lesley Ann on the 10th February 1979. Lesley Ann was born with a congenital heart defect as was her sister and Ann’s first daughter Lisa, who sadly also died from the same heart related condition.
It was in February 1983 when the name of the charity was changed to the one we know now, the Children’s Heart Unit Fund. This was at the request of Ann Scott, whose family to this day are still actively support CHUF.
On 27th August 1989 was the date of the worlds biggest children’s party which took place on the Town Moor in collaboration with Kelburn Holdings via PES Associates Charitable Trust. The Director at the time, Brian Burnie organised the event which attracted over 120,000 people and in return raised more than £260,000 for CHUF.
CHUF funds enabled the artificial heart programme to start in the late 1990’s and still makes an important contribution to the programme, having funded specialist monitoring equipment to enable the current devices to be used more safely.
We have also purchased a portable echo machine at a cost of £76,000. This equipment has made the lives of child patients and their families much easier as it enables the cardiologist to go to other hospitals to assess some children, rather than every child having to travel to the Freeman.
