The mother of a young Stratford man who died from sudden death syndrome has started raising money for a charity which raises awareness of the condition.

Tina Wilkins lost her son, Paul Wallis, when he had a sudden heart attack whilst taking part in a dungeons and dragons event in March 2000 when he was just 29.

Tragic end to fantasy fight

Paul collapsed during the game just hours after meeting friends for the weekend of role playing.  Early police reports said that he was hit by a shield during the battle.  His mother, Tina, said she believed Paul died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or hocum as it is commonly known, a condition he inherited from her.

The family is involved in research into the condition, blamed for young deaths and heart attacks during sport or in the playground, which causes a sudden thickening of the arteries.

Tina, who has a letter of support from cricket legend Ian Botham, hopes to raise enough money for Cardiac Risk in the Young CRY so that every young person in the Stratford area aged between 11 and 30 can have an ECG test to find out if they are at risk..