SWINDON youngsters are preparing to take part in two events to raise cash for the British Heart Foundation.

The first takes place at Loughborough University in Leicestershire on Sunday.

Children from Lethbridge Primary School in Old Town will join 500 other youngsters from across the UK to participate in the National Skipping Festival.

Many of the teams, schools and children's groups attending the festival have been introduced to skipping through the British Heart Foundation's Jump Rope For Heart initiative.

The initiative promotes the importance of maintaining a healthy heart through regular exercise while raising vital funds for pioneering research into the causes and treatment of heart disease.

And on July 11 three young golfers from Highworth's Warneford School will compete in the regional final of the British Heart Foundation Junior Golf Championship.

The event will be held at Edgbaston Golf Club in Birmingham. The team comprises of Ben Capon, 16, Adam Brook, 14, and Daniel Lee, also 14.

British Heart Foundation spokeswoman Claire Simmons said: "The BHF spends £95 every minute of every day on life-saving heart research so support is vital to our pioneering work into the causes and treatment of heart disease."