Heartlands go Red in more ways than one!

February is National Heart Month and staff at Heartlands Ford in Erdington have been going ‘Red’ in more ways than one over the last week – through taking part in a series of active challenges in order to raise awareness of heart and circulatory disease.

In a specially organised ‘healthy heart week’ at the Kingsbury Road dealership, employees worked up a sweat during a ‘sit up and push up’ contest, followed by a hula hoop competition in the showroom, where they competed against each other throughout the day to see who could keep the hoop spinning the longest.

During the week they also hosted a charity quiz and a game of bingo, as well as displaying posters and leaflets to inform staff and customers of the many ways they can stay active throughout their day to protect themselves against heart and circulatory disease - the UK’s biggest killer.

Viv Duffy, Heartlands Ford’s ‘healthy heart week’ organiser, said: ““We wanted to promote healthy living amongst our staff and customers in a fun and interactive way. Our health can impact on every aspect of our lives therefore it’s important for people to realise that keeping active can be easily fitted into their daily lives”.

She continued: “We have all enjoyed talking part in National Heart Month, which is organised by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and hope that we have gone some way to help raise awareness of the great work that they do across the UK”.

For more information about the BHF and National Heart Month, or to take part in a fundraising activity of your own, visit www.bhf.org.uk.

You can visit www.heartlands-ford.co.uk to find out more about the dealership which is based in Erdington, Perry Barr and Tamworth.

Heartlands Ford goes Red during National Heart Month

February is National Heart Month and local dealership Heartlands Ford is planning a special ‘Healthy Heart Week’ in support of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to promote the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle.

The dealership will be raising money through the BHF’s ‘Red for Heart’ campaign where staff must donate money in return for wearing bright red clothing to work. They also have a series of fun and interactive activities planned over the course of a week, including a “sit up and push up” contest, a charity quiz, Valentine’s raffle, bingo and a hula hoop contest in the main showroom.

Dealership staff will also be displaying posters and leaflets throughout the showroom to encourage and inform staff and customers of the many ways they can stay active throughout their working day – protecting themselves against heart and circulatory disease, the UK’s biggest killer.

Visitors to Heartlands Ford in Kingsbury Road, Erdington between the 12^th and 19^th of February can also donate money to the BHF through filling out the donation forms available on reception or dropping their spare change into the collection box.

Jackie Skeel, Head of National Campaigns at the British Heart Foundation, said: “The money raised by Heartlands Ford will go towards helping to save lives and fight the UK’s biggest killer. Everyone can get involved with ‘Red for Heart’ so please encourage your colleagues or friends to take part too and help the BHF make a real difference.”

Heartlands Ford’s general manager, Nigel Vollrath said: “Supporting the health and welfare of our staff is important to us, as is helping excellent causes such as the BHF so our Healthy Heart Week should be very worthwhile.”

The national ‘Wear Red Day’ for the rest of the UK is on Friday 26^th February and if you would like to find out how you can get involved or would like some inspiration on how to fundraise, please visit www.bhf.org.uk/red, call 0845 2410976 or email red@bhf.org.uk.

For more information on Heartlands Ford visit www.heartlandsford.co.uk.

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Show your car some love this Valentine's Day

This Valentine’s Day, while you’re showering your loved ones with gifts and treats, take some time out to demonstrate your affection for the other love in your life – your car.

Our cars have very much become a part of our extended family; they go with us everywhere, we thank them after long journeys, we even name them! So to show them how much we appreciate them, why not invest in a little bit of TLC?

Booking your car in for a service is the perfect way to ensure that it runs well, feels good and continues to ‘purr’ with happiness. To make it easy for you to treat your car, Heartlands Ford is offering a great ‘Value Service’ to owners of Ford vehicles aged three years old or more.

Available at any dealership or Rapid Fit centre, the £99 Ford Value Service includes an oil change, new oil filter and new air filter as well as a comprehensive Visual Health Check covering more than 25 vital maintenance and safety assessments.

Among the items examined are the brakes, clutch, seat belts, tyres, steering, suspension links, drive shafts, wheel bearings, transmission, wheel nuts and several major engine components, including the cooling system.

Included with the Value Service is 24/7 Europe-wide roadside assistance for 12 months (or until the car reaches it’s next scheduled service interval, whichever comes up sooner).  So, if your car loves nothing better than to go for a nice long drive, why not treat it to a weekend away in Europe, safe in the knowledge that if the worst happens, help is always close at hand.

If you decide to take out the Ford Service Payment Plan – a tailored regular payment plan that enables drivers to smooth out the cost of servicing on a monthly basis – you can also treat your car to a pampering session as the Plan entitles you to a free Wash and Vac with every service!

So, to find out more about the many ways you can treat your car this Valentine’s Day, contact your nearest Heartlands Ford dealership today:

Heartlands Ford, 971 Kingsbury Road, Erdington, Birmingham. Tel: 0121 377 3000

Heartlands Ford, Aldridge Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham. Tel: 0121 344 5252

Heartlands Ford, Saxon Drive, Tamworth, Staffordshire. Tel: 01827 306700

Alternatively, visit Heartlands Ford at www.heartlands-ford.co.uk

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TOP SELLING FIESTA HAS A HEART OF STEEL

While most buyers of the UK's best selling car are swayed by its stylish looks and technology-laden interior, the Ford Fiesta hides an important secret under the skin.

At the heart of the Fiesta’s appeal is an advanced steel bodyshell which combines light weight with outstanding strength and durability.

Light weight means better fuel economy and performance, while the strength of the structure is reflected in the Fiesta’s five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

To achieve this impressive combination, Ford engineers turned to new metals for the body.  Over 55 per cent of the structure is made from ultra high strength steel – helping to make the Ford Fiesta 40kg lighter than the model it replaced.

Bernd Liesenfelder, Ford body engineering manager, said:  “Small cars like the Fiesta need to be as light as possible without sacrificing any strength in a crash.  By using these advanced new steels, we have been able to give Fiesta owners the protection of a robust safety cell, combined with excellent fuel economy from a lightweight body.”

The Fiesta bodyshell features a range of different high-strength metals, including boron steel – one of the strongest weldable materials available.

Sophisticated computerised design tools allow Ford engineers to locate the high-strength steels exactly where they are required to provide maximum protection in a crash.

High-strength steels can be used more efficiently than normal steels without reducing strength, allowing components to be lighter.

This light weight helps to reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions across the Fiesta range, including for the exceptionally frugal ECOnetic model, which achieves combined fuel economy of 76.3mpg* and 98g CO₂/km emissions for road tax-exempt motoring.

HIGH-STRENGTH LIGHTWEIGHT STEEL BODYSHELL
What is it?	Advanced bodyshell design which uses special steels to combine maximum strength with minimum weight.
How to get it	All new Ford Fiestas have a bodyshell which uses over 55 percent of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels.
What's the cost?	No additional cost.

* Note: Fuel economy figures quoted are based on the European Fuel Economy Directive EU 80/1268/EEC and will differ from fuel economy drive cycle results in other regions of the world.

Heartlands Ford: TOP SELLING FIESTA HAS A HEART OF STEEL

Heartlands Ford: TOP SELLING FIESTA HAS A HEART OF STEEL

FORD S-MAX AND GALAXY DO THE DOUBLE AT THE BUSINESSCAR AWARDS

Just announced by Ford!

BRENTWOOD, Essex, 01 February, 2010 – Ford's S-MAX and Galaxy models have been confirmed as favourites for business customers following two wins at the 2010 BusinessCar magazine awards.

The Ford S-MAX was voted Best Mini-MPV while the Ford Galaxy was awarded the top slot in its class with Best MPV for the fourth consecutive year. The BusinessCar Awards are nominated by readers of the magazine, who are key participants in the business car industry.

Commenting on the Ford awards, BusinessCar Editor @paul_barker said: "The S-MAX and Galaxy have proved their worth to the business car market, with the people that experience and rely on the products every day – the readers of BusinessCar - voting in their droves for the two models in their respective categories"

He continued: "Both models have a market-leading combination of practicality, great running costs and an excellent driving experience, and these awards are well-deserved."

Commenting on Ford's success, Nigel Sharp, Managing Director, Ford of Britain said: "The Mini-MPV and MPV markets are very competitive and we are delighted that BusinessCar readers have elected these two models best-in- class. "We are confident that the new Ford S-MAX and new Ford Galaxy launched later this year will continue to lead the market, especially with enhanced exterior and interior styling and the introduction of our fantastic new Ford EcoBoost engine and latest Ford Powershift twin clutch automatic transmission into the range" he added.

The new Ford S-MAX and Galaxy debuted at the 2010 Brussels Motor Show earlier this month, boasting a fresh new Kinetic design, innovative safety technology including the Blind Spot Information System and exciting new high-efficiency EcoBoost four cylinder, advanced turbocharged, petrol direct injection engines.