Two-fifths of office workers in the West Midlands have admitted to finding their work away days boring, with over a quarter confessing they actually dread them, according to new statistics released by the British Heart Foundation. Worryingly, over 7% of employees in the West Midlands have even said that they find their away days stressful because it’s a day out of the office.

The poll of 2,000 UK office workers found more than two-fifths (44%) of employees said they thought doing something more unusual would make a good company away day, and over one in three (34%) added they would like to do something exciting.

The BHF offers many fundraising opportunities suitable for work away days, but perhaps none so memorable and exciting as become a Heart Flyer and taking on a tandem skydive. The training and skydive is completed on the same day and is available at 20 drop locations throughout England, Scotland and Wales – and if you and your colleagues raise over £400 each in fundraising, you can all jump for free.

You jump harnessed to a professional British Parachute Association Instructor and leave the plane at over 10,000ft and free fall at around 120mph for 45-50 seconds. To find out more and to sign up visit www.bhf.org.uk/heartflyers

Events Project Manager at the BHF, Beck Bayram, said: “Skydiving is a fantastic way to do something unforgettable to raise essential funds to help BHF continue its vital research, which could create a better life for so many. Not only will it be the thrill of a lifetime, but you will be helping to save lives too.

“Last year Heart Flyers raised over £150,000 towards research and this year we are challenging the Nation to beat this target.”

Two-fifths (40%) of all office workers in the West Midlands said they would actually consider skydiving as an alternative to a traditional office away day.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes over 14,000 deaths in the West Midlands each year, that’s nearly 40 people every single day. There are an estimated 7 million people living with CVD in the UK.

So why not support a fellow co-worker and sign up as a group or individual Heart Flyer to bring back some excitement to your away days, and at the same time raise money for life saving research in the fight for every heartbeat.