SPENDING quality time with loved ones is being eroded due to the stresses of modern life, according to the latest survey from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The heart charity says it is more than two months since the average family in the West Midlands spent quality time with their loved ones. While the survey revealed one in six people in the region said it was more than a year since they spent quality time with their family.

Alarmingly 33 per cent of parents in the West Midlands said they leaving the house at least once a week without seeing their children and 40 per cent of them said they are so busy they don’t spend any time with their children – many even miss an important occasion because they are so busy.

While work can be a major factor obstructing family time, 18 per cent of parents said they worried that social media is distracting their children from quality family time when they are at home.

The BHF is encouraging families to get together on Friday June 9 for the charity’s annual wear red day know as Wear it. Beat it.

Donna Spriggs Elliott, head of community fundraising at the British Heart Foundation, said: “It’s clear that our busy modern day lifestyles, and the stresses of the daily grind, are keeping us from spending time with our families.

“Heart disease devastates the lives of millions of people across the UK, often without warning, so finding a way to break away from our normal routines to spend time together is important and our Wear it. Beat it. day is the perfect opportunity.

“By taking part in Wear it. Beat it. and raising money for our research, you can help us beat heart disease for good.”

Last year more than 15,000 people took part in Wear it. Beat it. raising over £750,000. The BHF is calling for even more people to get involved this year and help raise in excess of £1million for the charity’s heart research.

The charity says it is an ideal opportunity for family members to break with their busy life routines and get together while raising money for a good cause. For more information visit https://www.bhf.org.uk/

• For over 50 years the BHF has pioneered research that’s transformed the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions. Its work has been central to the discoveries of vital treatments that are changing the fight against heart disease. But many people still need its help - from babies born with life-threatening heart problems to the many mums, dads and grandparents who survive a heart attack and endure the daily battles of heart failure.