When sports mad Lewis Marsh was dropped off at his tennis club, he seemed to be the picture of health. 

However, just over an  hour later, the 13-year-old schoolboy lay dead on the court after mysteriously collapsing. 

An autopsy later revealed the teenager had died of sudden cardiac death - a condition that claims the lives of 12 young people every week across the nation. 

Now Lewis' mum, Gill Weston, 61, from Rooksdown, Basingstoke, is backing an awareness campaign by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), which believes many young people, like Lewis, are dying needlessly. 

The charity believes that widespread screening of young people is crucial. 

Mrs Weston, whose son died in 1998, said: "I don't want another mother going through what I went through."

CRY campaigns for more research into sudden cardiac deaths and for better screening to catch potentially life-threatening conditions early. 

As part of the campaign, bereaved families are distributing hundreds of postcards, bearing the photographs of young victims of sudden cardiac death. 

People are urged to send them back to their MP, to encourage them to join the Cardiac Risk in the Young All Party Parliamentary Group, which aims to stop the condition cutting short the lives of outwardly healthy young people.   

Since her son's death, Mrs Weston has received help and support from CRY, and has become involved with the charity to urge other parents and guardians to screen their children. 

If you have been affected by sudden cardiac death, or want more information about screening, call CRY on 01737 363 222 or email cry@c-r-y.org.uk