ON FRIDAY, March 20, London cabbie Brian Nayar spent more than 15 hours collecting money for the British Heart Foundation's Saving Lives in London appeal.

Brian based himself at Heathrow's main taxi terminal from 4am, collecting money from generous taxi drivers until 7pm.

I would like to thank all the volunteers who helped Brian and his fiancée Debbie collect an incredible £1,217.50 for the appeal. A massive thank you also goes out to the taxi drivers who donated money on the day.The Saving Lives in London Appeal, co-ordinated by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), aims to raise £100,000 towards the cost of placing life-saving defibrillators at some of the most busy and densely

populated public areas across London - the Tube stations. These are areas of greatest need for defibrillators, where it may be difficult for an ambulance to gain access quickly in an emergency because of traffic congestion and the sheer volume of people.

A defibrillator is a portable machine that can restart the heart in some cases of cardiac arrest by giving an electric shock. When someone has a heart attack, defibrillation needs to be prompt.

In addition to helping purchase defibrillators, the appeal will also help the BHF, in partnership with the London Ambulance Service, to train teams to use the equipment in emergency situations, saving critical minutes before an ambulance can arrive.

The BHF urgently needs people across London to get involved and support the Saving Lives in London Appeal by offering to give donations of time or money, to help us save more lives. For further information about the appeal and how you can get involved in different ways, please call me on on 01628 673 390 or e-mail harriesj@bhf.org.uk.

JANE HARRIES BHF fundraising volunteer manager for London