A mother is urging other parents to learn from her fit and active son's death from a genetic heart condition that it can be triggered by active sports training. 

Nobody knew Colin Blundel, 25, of Upton, had a heart condition before he blacked out while climbing in Snowdonia last November, falling 100ft and later dying of head injuries. 

A post mortem examination revealed he had Hypertgrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrests in under-35's that can be caused by intensive training. 

One in 500 people carry the gene - a similar number to the Cystic Fibrosis gene - although only 1-2% of them will die from it.  The condition is incurable but can be detected with an EGG scan. 

Colin's mother Angela Blundell said: "Colin loved climbing, he thought nothing of biking 20 miles a day and spent his evenings on his rowing machine trying to get to the top of an internet time chart. 

"If we'd known then what we know now, I would have got Colin tested for this. 

"I know that no young man will ever think he might have a heart problem and die, but I want to say to any mother who sees her son doing a lot of sport, please get him checked out." 

Consultant cardiologist at the Countess of Chester Hospital, Dr John Somauroo, specialises in sports medicine. 

He said: "HCM causes the heart muscles to grow much larger than normal and interrupts the electrical wiring of the heart, causing spontaneous cardiac arrests. 

"If you have two people with HCM, one of them a couch potato and the other a super-fit athlete, the couch potato will be at a much lower risk of dying from HCM than the other super-fit athlete. 

"This is because when HCM gene carriers train hard their heart muscle grows very thick and puts them at risk of spontaneous cardiac arrest. 

"It shouldn't stop them being fit, it is just that the unfortunate group of people who are HCM gene carriers and also keen athletes will be told they can't indulge in high intensity or combat sports."

When Colin died his heart was twice the normal weight of a man of his build, with one side of the organ vastly oversized. 

Angela and her husband Brian hoped to use money donated in Colin's memory to establish a screening programme for heart conditions in Chester schoolchildren, but found too many obstacles in their way. 

Brian explained: "We wanted to start by getting every Year 11 pupil at Colin's old school Upton High screened. 

"The screening involves an ECG and an assessment, and mass screening only costs about £20 per person so we thought we could pay for it to be done. 

"But we found there are not enough resources in this country to do it.  Nurses and GPs don't have enough training and experience of reading ECGs to recognise the condition. 

by comparison, in Italy they made it mandatory by law to test everyone from the age of 12 competing in a sport, and they saw fatalities from it drop by up to 70%. 

Dr Somauroo added: "In the UK we don't screen athletes routinely, we have to wait until somebody has had warning signs and then screen them and their family.  However, the first signs may be cardiac arrest and sudden death. 

"I would much rather diagnose through screening than wait until someone has died, but who is going to pick up the bill?  for me, the cost is worth every penny if it saves a child's life, but with the current NHS system it would be impossible to fund. 

"What we need is for GPs to be made aware of the warning signs so they can refer people as soon as possible.  A young person should not be having dizziness or chest pains with exercise and anyone who does experience this should see a doctor.  80% of people with HOCM have some sort of warning before an arrest happens. 

"I would like to see more defibrillators around the community and more people trained to use them, so that if someone does have a cardiac arrest in the street there is more chance their heart will be started again in time." 

Angela and Brian were still reeling from Colin's death when they were told their whole family needed to be tested for the condition, which has a one in two chance of being passed from generation to generation. 

A scan revealed Brian also had HCM and he had to undergo scans and fitness tests as specialists assessed his own risk of cardiac arrest. 

Angela and their eldest son Robert were given the all-clear but their grandchild Ben will have to be tested every two years when he reaches puberty. 

Brian also had to contact his three siblings to tell them to get their families tested. 

He said: "We have read of people who have lost several members of their families before realising that the gene is there. 

"The important thing now is for us to ensure everyone in the family remembers to get each generation tested to stop it happening again." 

FACT FILE - SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH

The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) estimates that eight young people die suddenly every week in the UK of cardiac abnormalities - sudden death syndrome or sudden cardiac death. 

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is know as HCM, pronounced 'hocum.'

Cameroon footballer Marc Vivien-Foe suffered sudden cardiac arrest due to HCM and died on the pitch in 2003.  Daniel Yorath, the 15-year-old brother of TV presenter Gabby Logan, died while playing football with his father, former Wales manager Terry Yorath. 

Countess of Chester Hospital nurse Lisa Browne died aged 27 of sudden cardiac death when an alarm clock triggered Long QT Syndrome, an  hereditary electrical abnormality of the heart. 

The average age of death from HCM is 17. 

HCM causes thickness of heart muscles and interrupts the electrical wiring of the heart, which can cause cardiac arrest.

If a person is found to have HCM they undergo a series of tests to assess their risk of having a cardiac arrest. 

They may then be given medication or often a type of pacemaker called an internal cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)) is surgically implanted to shock the heart back to a normal rhythm if they have a cardiac arrest, and this stops them dying. 

There is a 50-50 chance of the HCM gene being passed from generation to generati8on. 

Anyone who experiences dizziness or chest pains during exercise should see their GP. 

Pilgrimage gives chance to thank rescuers

In May, 30 of Colin Blundell's family and friends took a pilgrimage to the spot on Glyder Fach where the keen climber blacked out and sustained fatal head injuries. 

By chance, as the group descended to visit the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue headquarters, the RAF rescue helicopter landed nearby, allowing them to meet the full team who helped Colin, 25, off the mountain last November. 

Colin's mother Angela, of Upton, said: "A lot of these people had never been on a mountain in their lives, so what they got out of it was knowing what Colin was so passionate about." 

The Ogwen Valley rescue team was one of three charities chosen by the Blundell family to share £1,500 donated in Colin's memory, along with Merseyside Christian Youth Camp, which he attended for many years, and Braemar Mountain Rescue Team in Scotland, who saved his life in a previous climbing fall. 

They have also dedicated a bench to Colin at a family holiday spot in Cornwall and are setting up a physics prize at Upton High School. 

Colin's father Brian said the prize will be awarded to the school's best physician who is also an all-round achiever; to honour chartered accountant Colin's strong belief that not all physics students are 'geeky'. 

Angela says her work at Upton URC Pre-School kept her going through the tough times in the last year, but she is dreading the anniversary of Colin's death on Monday. 

She added: "We miss him so much, he was so much part of our lives." 

Brian added: "I saw a news report about a woman in Pakistan who was grieving at the graveside of her son who died 18 years ago. 

"Before this happened to us I think I would have said it was a nice thing to do, but from an English point of view I wouldn't have understood it. 

"We know now that the grief just doesn't get better - you just busy your days but it doesn't get easier."