 A
couple of kind-hearted fundraisers are putting their best foot forward for a Chronicle-backed
campaign.
Husband and wife team Paula and Simon Hughes, of
Maeshafn are preparing for the world’s biggest half-marathon.
The amateur runners are supporting the CRY
(Cardiac Risk in the Young) North Wales Mobile Screening Fund in completing the
famous 13-mile Great North Run which snakes its way from Newcastle city centre
to South Shields.
Experts estimate up to eight young people die
suddenly each week of cardiac abnormalities in the UK.
CRY is a charity offering support and counselling to relatives of
victims.
A screening fund has been launched by Alyn and
Deeside MP Mark Tami to raise £6,666 to test youngsters experiencing problems
for any defects.
Paula, who runs an IT training company from her
Village Road home and Simon, a Hewlett Packard employee, heard about the
campaign at their local.
‘Geoff and Maureen Rutherford who run the
Miners Arms in Maeshafn lost their son Jonathan to Sudden Death Syndrome,’
said Paula. ‘That’s how we
first heard about CRY.’
The Rutherford’s have joined forces with
Connah’s Quay CRY campaigner Doreen Harley, who lost her 27-year-old daughter
Lisa to Long QT Syndrome, one of the 11 major causes of sudden death syndrome,
in 1997.
The courageous parents are determined to raise
the cash to prevent any more young lives being needlessly lost.
The licensees recently held a jazz festival at
their pub raising more than £4000 to be shared between CRY and Guide Dogs for
the Deaf.
‘We’re hoping to raise a lot of money by
doing the run,’ said Paula. ‘We’re
asking friends and family to sponsor us and would also like to hear from any
business.’
Every year the run attracts thousands of entrants
from all over the country and Paula says she can’t wait to be part of the
action.
‘It’s a huge event and we’re both really
looking forward to it. We’ve
never done anything like this before. Running
has always been just a hobby until now.’
Training has had to take a back seat for the past
few weeks after a sprained ankle put her out of action.
But a determined Paula is back on her feet and ready to raise cash for
CRY.
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