RESIDENTS in the South West helped to create the world’s longest chain of paper hearts to mark Valentine’s Day.

The British Heart Foundation asked people to write messages of love and support for their loved ones, people battling heart disease or in memory of those they’ve lost.

With the help of volunteers, the charity created a chain of 17,939 of these hearts, surpassing the previous record of 11,288 hearts by Moët Hennessy UK.

The new record-holding chain measured almost one and a half miles long, the equivalent to 25 football pitches.

Residents from the South West contributed 1,296 hearts to be included in the final chain.

The Guinness World Records title attempt was supported by stars from the world of sport and entertainment, including Ulrika Jonsson, Esther Rantzen and the England Women’s Hockey Team, who all wrote personal messages to be included in the chain.

Simon Gillespie, CEO of the British Heart Foundation, said: “7 million people in the UK suffer from heart and circulatory disease which accounts for 1 in 4 of all deaths. The British Heart Foundation is committed to funding over half a billion pounds of new research before 2020 to help bring an end to this heartbreak.

“Bringing together so many tender yet powerful messages of love, support and hope through this Guinness World Records title attempt shows that we’re standing united against heart and circulatory disease.”

More than seven million people in the UK have heart and circulatory disease, including 638,900 people in the South West.