Parents hit by tragedy to stage heart screening days
Four health screening days, which campaigners say are vital in picking up undiagnosed heart conditions, will be held thanks to the hard work of a Shropshire couple who lost their son.
St Martins couple Sue and Chris Dewhirst say the health events will be a fitting legacy to their 17-year-old son Matthew who died in 2012 from an undiagnosed heart condition.
The couple launched the CRY for Matthew campaign and started fundraising to pay for the costs of staging the heart screening days after their rugby-mad son died during a fitness training session with friends.
The screening days are hosted by the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) charity. The charity works to encourage all sports clubs, groups and schools to screen people for undiagnosed heart conditions before they take part in physical exercise.
The screening will be held at Ellesmere College, the school Matthew attended, and the home of Crewe Alexandra, his favourite football team.
The couple said they were delighted to have raised enough money through fundraising initiatives and from support from friends and relatives, to meet the cost of the screening events.
Mrs Dewhirst said: "We have managed to raise sufficient funds to pay for next year's screening in Ellesmere and Crewe and are part way there for the same again in 2015.
"The Oswestry Lions have offered to fund a day of screening to be held at Ellesmere College next May and the CRY for Matthew screening dates have come online for booking so people need to go to www.c-r-y.org.uk to book a place.
"Gaining the support of Oswestry Lions has helped us tremendously and means that we are well on the way of repeating the screening again for 2015. Our aim is for this to be Matthew's legacy to the counties of Shropshire and Cheshire."
