A vital charity marked Valentine's Day by joining thousands of messages of support in a Guinness World Record attempt - and they did it.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) marked joined messages of 17,939 supporters in a attempt for longest chain of paper hearts.

Through its network of more than 720 charity shops and thousands of supporters, the BHF asked people to write messages of love and support for their loved ones, people battling heart disease or in memory of those they have lost.

It’s with the help and support of people in the South West that the charity was able to break this record as a mark of solidarity for the seven million people in the UK fighting a daily battle with heart and circulatory disease, which includes 638,900 people in the South West, and to raise funds for the BHF’s life-saving research.

With the help of volunteers, the charity created a chain of 17,939 of these hearts, surpassing the previous Guinness World Records title holder for longest chain of paper hearts of 11,288 by Moët Hennessy UK. The new record-holding chain measured almost one and a half miles long, the equivalent to 25 football pitches.

Residents from the South West contributed approximately 1,296 hearts to be included in the final chain.

The Guinness World Records title attempt was supported by stars from the world of sport and entertainment, including Ulrika Jonsson, Esther Rantzen and the England Women’s Hockey Team, who all wrote personal messages to be included in the chain.

Simon Gillespie, CEO of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Seven million people in the UK suffer from heart and circulatory disease which accounts for one in four of all deaths. The British Heart Foundation is committed to funding over half a billion pounds of new research before 2020 to help bring an end to this heartbreak.

“Bringing together so many tender yet powerful messages of love, support and hope through this Guinness World Records title attempt shows that we’re standing united against heart and circulatory disease.”