As Wessex Heartbeat has grown from just an idea to one of the largest charities in the UK it is embarking on another landmark extension...

EVERYTHING has to start somewhere. Only 12 years ago Wessex Heartbeat was little more than the aspiration of a group of doctors and consultants working at Southampton General Hospital's cardiac ward, who had a burning desire to improve heart care.

When the charity's first and, up until recently, only chief executive Alan Blair was appointed in 1992 on a three-year contract, he was, quite literally, given a blank sheet and politely asked to get on with it.

That was exactly what he did.

Twelve years later and Heartbeat is now widely regarded as one of the largest regional charities in the south, if not the UK.

In that short space of time it has raised more than £9m, established the renowned respite centre Rotary House - an accommodation unit for the families of heart patients, completely refurbished the General's paediatric cardiac unit and provided mountains of state-of-the-art equipment.

That equipment now enables more than 1,500 open-heart surgeries and 1,000 heart operations on children to be carried out each year at the General, compared with just about 400 in 1994.

The old adage, from little acorns big oak trees grow, could not be more appropriate.

But Heartbeat is still merely a well-established sapling by its seven-strong team's aspirations.

Work has now begun to grow that sapling into an imposing, blossoming and fully-fledged tree.

Last week Charity trustee and former England cricketer David Gower launched the wrecking ball at numbers 148 and 150 Tremona Road as contractors moved in for a £500,000 project to expand Rotary House and, at last, lay down some permanent roots for the charity.

Rotary Heartbeat House was opened in 1995, funded largely by the Rotary club of Southampton, to provide free accommodation to people whose loved ones are patients in the Wessex Regional Cardiac Centre. Since it was opened it has been home to more than 6,500 guests, but it can no longer cope with the demand upon its services.

Mr Blair, who has recently become the charity's director of major appeals, said: "The biggest challenge was taking on the job in the first place. When I started I had no idea. When I stepped in the hospital on the first day we had nothing. That was a huge challenge.

"Looking back, if I'd have known what was involved I would not have believed we could have done it."

Big talk and for good reason.

Rotary House will fall in the shadow of a far more imposing and arguably significant building.

As a sign of how much the charity has grown, it recently embarked on a two-year plan to raise £3m to pay for the Heartbeat Centre - a massive unit sitting four storeys up and dedicated to the training and development of 800 staff and patient care at the Wessex Cardiac Unit.

Work has already begun on the building that will significantly increase the size of the General and, among other things, turn the cardiac unit into one of the leading heart treatment centres in Europe.

This development led the charismatic Mr Blair to become director of major appeals, over looking the two-year project. Meanwhile the charity also appointed a new chief executive, the former managing director of Southampton Airport Paul Barlow.

As the charity's aspirations head skywards there must be something to tie all the elements together and keep it routed to the ground - Rotary House will do just that.

Construction specialists Rok will be the driving force behind its redevelopment after agreeing to provide their services free of charge.

Rok became involved in the project after two members of its staff underwent treatment at the General's cardiac unit and heart of the charity's plans.

Rok manager Jim Finch, from Winchester, was treated for unstable angina.

He said: "I was rushed to the General in 2001 to receive heart surgery following an attack of unstable angina.

"The turmoil this puts into family lives is tremendous, and when my wife was offered accommodation at Heartbeat House with all the care and support made available, it was heaven sent.

"I am thrilled to be involved and relish the opportunity to put something back into the pot that my wife and I benefited from in 2001."

Meanwhile, Rokeagle - a branch of the company - director Tim Titheridge recently endured a quintuple bypass.

Mr Titheridge, 55, from Southampton, said: "The motivation is knowing what people go through. It does make you reassess your whole life. You realise how important your family and friends are. I try to live to seize the moment now.

"It's the best thing that has ever happened to me. One week later I was out.

"Rotary House is a wonderful facility and we want to make it better."

The new Rotary House, to be completed late summer 2005, will provide:

A self-contained wing with dedicated accommodation for the parents of the babies and children who are patients in the Wessex Cardiac Centre.

Twelve additional beds totalling 37 for the partners of adults who are patients, in mainly single rooms.

A dedicated room to provide a welcome retreat for relatives.

An office to provide a permanent base for the charity Wessex Heartbeat.

From 21 beds to 37 beds, separating out paediatric and adult.

Fundraising for the combined £3.5m projects has already started in earnest with more than £66,000 being raised at last month's Heartbeat Ball at the De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel.

Senior cardiac consultant James Monro, who retired last month after more than 30 years at Southampton's cardiac unit, was one of those behind the establishment of Wessex Heartbeat.

On his retirement he paid tribute to Mr Blair's work.

He said: "We appointed Alan Blair, who has quite simply done a fantastic job. With Heartbeat we have bought equipment we would just not have got from the health service. We've bought Rotary Heartbeat House and they re-did the children's ward here. I only hope the charity continues to grow."

Surely there can be little doubt about that.