![Mary Wakeling and her team will be serving up home-baked treats at a fundraising coffee morning at the Monmouth Priory this Saturday [15 February]. Proceeds from the morning will help fund the North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity’s community-based exercise classes.](https://www.abergavennychronicle.com/tindle-static/image/2025/02/10/12/18/Mary-Wakeling.jpeg?width=752&height=500&crop=752:500)
February is National Heart Month, with Cardiac Rehab Awarenesss Week running until February 15 so local heart patient Mary Wakeling is marking the event with a fundraising coffee morning at Monmouth Priory on Saturday from 10am-midday.
The fundraiser is in aid of the North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity, which provides weekly cardiac rehab exercise classes at eight locations across Blaenau Gwent and North Monmouthshire, including Monmouth, Usk, Llanfoist and Blaenavon.
Mary, a retired teacher who lives near Trelleck, says her heart problems started in her late 40s, when she was diagnosed with left bundle branch block, a condition that affects the electrical signals controlling the heartbeat. Her symptoms worsened following a severe virus, and 13 years ago, at the age of 61, her consultant told her she had heart failure and would need to be on life-long medication.
“I started the charity’s classes straight after completing my hospital-based cardiac rehab programme at Nevill Hall Hospital,” says Mary, “and I really think that’s a key reason I am still so fit and active.”
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Now 74, she has become a carer for a friend and says her weekly class in Monmouth not only helps her maintain her stamina, balance and flexibility, but has also helped her come to terms with her diagnosis.
“The classes are much more than just an hour of exercise,” says Mary. “For starters, having the discipline of a regular class makes it much easier to build exercise into your weekly routine and encourages you to achieve more. Having the support and guidance of a specially qualified cardiac rehab exercise instructor is also very important. And you can’t underestimate the value of just being in the company of other people with similar issues: it helps you realise you are not alone, and the emotional support is great!”
Hosting this month’s coffee morning, one of many she’s run for the charity over the years, is her way of giving back. “And it’s not just me: we have a regular team of members helping out, including Louise Cooper, who’s a real stalwart in the kitchen, Margaret Slaughter, Pauline Griffiths and Sue Moss, as well as George Kingsbury and Albert Thomas, who help set up the tables and chairs. Then there’s Ken Haynes, who at 94 is our oldest member and still going strong!
“We’ve all benefited from the charity’s classes. But it gets no funding from the NHS or local authorities, so it depends on fundraising to make the classes affordable. It currently charges just £5 per class for members, which really is very good value considering most exercise classes now cost at least £10 a session. We just want to do our bit to help ensure these classes continue.”
The Monmouth Priory coffee morning will feature home-baked treats and a bric-a- brac stall. Entry is free, and there is on-street parking outside the Priory.
• For more information about the North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity, including a self-referral form to join their classes, please visit their website: https://cardiac-rehab.org.uk