Every little helps...and now residents in Weymouth and Portland are being urged to become 'heart stars' to support a charity.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is teaming up with Tesco and looking for volunteers to help beat heartbreak forever.

The UK’s biggest independent funder of research into heart and circulatory diseases is asking the people of Weymouth and Portland to spare two hours of their time on February 7 and 8 at their local Tesco store to help raise money for lifesaving research.

The BHF will be holding a Heart Stars weekend at Tesco stores up and down the country.

In Dorset the BHF estimates around 56,900 people are living with the daily burden of heart and circulatory diseases.

By funding research, the BHF aims to find ways to better prevent, diagnose, treat and cure these conditions, to save and improve lives right now.

To that end, the BHF is looking for cash collecting, bucket-brandishing volunteers to make the weekend a smash hit.

BHF Fundraising Manager for Dorset Vicki Carswell said: “We are asking the people of Weymouth and Portland to become a heart star by sparing just a couple of hours to volunteer at the Portland Tesco superstore or the Weymouth Tesco Metro in St Thomas Street.

"Heart and circulatory diseases are the cause of one in four deaths in the UK, so more research is urgently needed to help us beat heartbreak, forever.”

To find out more about giving your time and joining a Heart Stars event at your local Tesco, sign up online at www.bhf.org.uk/heartstars or contact Fundraising Manager Vicki on 07919 110933 or email carswellv@bhf.org.uk