CALON HEARTS CHARITY DIRECTOR WINS WELSH WOMEN’S AWARD 2022

Sharon Owen, Calon Hearts Charity Director and Founder, was named as Winner of the Charity Category in last evening’s glittering event, The 2^nd Welsh Women’s Awards 2022, held at Portland House, Cardiff, which was the venue for this major event in Cardiff’s calendar.

Sharon was selected from several worthy contenders in the Charity category, for her huge dedication and contribution to heart health in Wales through her charity, Calon Hearts.

Calon Hearts was founded nearly 10 years ago and to date has installed over 19,000 defibrillators, trained over 78,000 in CPR and Defibrillator use and screened nearly 7,000 for potential life-threatening heart conditions.

Sharon works tirelessly, traveling the length and breadth of Wales, offering CPR and defibrillator training to all sections of the community. 

Sharon is also passionate about the value of Heartscreening and, apart from setting up regular Heartscreening sessions across Wales, also continues to petition the Welsh Government to offer routine Heartscreening to all 11 to 35yr olds who play sport for their school or community, following the lead by Italy and other European counties. 

Only last week, Sharon arranged a Heartscreening session in Aberavon in memory of 42 yr old fundraiser Paul O’Dwyer from Port Talbot, who lost his life along with two others who were drowned in a tragic paddleboarding incident last year.  Due to the paddleboarding team’s ardent fundraising, a Heartscreening session was paid for and arranged in their memory.    

Sharon’s vision for Calon Hearts is to create a future where nobody in Wales dies prematurely from heart disease and Heartscreening can help this.  12 young people die in the UK each week an underlying heart condition.  Furthermore, a significant proportion of these deaths are preventable by an ECG and echocardiogram, of which the UK government will not acknowledge

Sharon’s mission continues.