This giant heart at Meadowhall in Sheffield has now raised more than £600,000 for charity

The Heart of Steel, which stands 2.4 metres tall, weighs over a tonne and is hewn entirely from Yorkshire steel, has been setting pulses racing at the shopping centre since it was unveiled there in August last year.

The eye-catching statue will eventually sit within the chest of the planned 32-metre tall Steel Man which is set to tower over the M1, but before then people have been invited to get their names and those of loved ones engraved on it in return for a £20 donation to the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Nearly 28,000 people have now taken up the offer, raising more than £600,000 for the charity to continue its life-saving research – and it’s not too late to get involved, with space for 150,000 names on its 36 curved panels.

BHF fundraising manager Camilla Shelley said: “We’d like to say a huge heartfelt thank you to all of our wonderful supporters and to the people of South Yorkshire who have provided a loving home for the Heart in Meadowhall shopping centre.

“Each new engraving helps us to fund even more vital research to improve the lives of people living with heart and circulatory diseases across the UK, whilst allowing our supporters to celebrate and honour their loved ones.

“With Christmas just around the corner we hope that the Heart will prove the perfect choice for those looking to give a gift that means a little more.”

The latest figures for the Heart of Steel stand at 27,606 engravings made and £602,000 raised.

The statue was designed by former steelworker Steve Mehdi, the same artist behind the Steel Man, and was created with the generous support of numerous Yorkshire businesses.

The Steel Man, which would stand near Meadowhall and has been described as the region’s answer to the Angel of the North in Gateshead, is envisaged as a celebration of Sheffield's proud steel-making history and of South Yorkshire’s modern engineering prowess.

Among the names added to the heart so far are those of Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders’ grandfathers and that of the late Rotherham comedian Barry Chuckle, who was one half of the Chuckle Brothers.

For more about the Heart of Steel Sculpture, and how to get a name engraved, visit bhf.org.uk/heartofsteel.