The island’s branch of the British Heart Foundation is going it alone - after ending its association with the parent charity.

It has been relaunched as the Manx Heart Foundation after disagreeing with the new direction being adopted by BHF UK.

Last week it held its first fundraiser - the annual golf tournament at Peel Golf Club - under its new name.

The charity was set up more than 10 years ago as a branch of the British Heart Foundation, but recently the BHF has been refocussing its objectives to only raising money for research.

This has placed the island branch in direct conflict with its objectives to support the Noble’s Hospital cardio thoracic and coronary care units along with the cardiac rehabilitation service and ambulance service.

Charity chairman John Bourbon said: ’We fully respect the amazing research work undertaken by the British Heart Foundation, but we recognise the challenges faced by the health service here, and we cannot turn our back on that.

’The Manx Heart Foundation will continue to support all of the above Isle of Man activities, and all money raised by it will stay here for the benefit of patients in the Isle of Man.’

The split came about following the charity’s annual general meeting in September.

Mr Bourbon told the AGM it had been a highly memorable year overshadowed by a visit from a BHF UK representative who explained the charity’s new direction.

He reported: ’The key message was their wish to become the centre of a global hub undertaking research into heart disease on a worldwide scale.

’Central to this was that all fund-raising activity was to be channelled only into research. No funds would in future be allocated to hospitals unless this related directly to BHF research projects.’

Mr Bourbon said this indicated that BHF UK was going into competition for funding with several well recognised existing UK charities.

He said: ’We now realise that the course of BHF UK has diverged to such an extent that the time has come for a parting of the ways.

’We are a Manx-based charity. The health service here provides the very best care it can against a background of stretched budgets and ever-increasing demands. The committee is unanimous in its belief that we must hold true to the core objects agreed when the charity was set up.’

An application to change the charity’s name to the Manx Heart Foundation and end its role as the island branch of the UK charity has been approved by Charity Commissioners.

Anyone wishing to contribute to heart research should contact the BHF in the UK.