A golfing tournament will be held on Friday to raise funds for a charity which aims to increase awareness of the risks of cardiac arrest in the young.

The event – the Aaron Lundy Memorial Trophy – will be played on the Championship Links course at Portstewart Golf Club.

The organisers, Mr John Lundy and Mr Michael Moss, Manager of Portstewart Golf Club, hope the event will raise substantial funds for CRY UK (Cardiac Risk in the Young).

Mr Lundy, whose 19-year-old son Aaron died suddenly from cardiac arrest, has vowed to do all he can for the charity in a bid to prevent other families suffering to the devastating loss which the Lundy’s have suffered.

He hopes to raise the profile of CRY UK in the Province after receiving support form the charity as a bereaved parent.  CRY UK aims to actively save the lives of young people who may be at risk of Sudden Death Syndrome – a term widely used for the many causes of cardiac arrest in the young.

Leaflets produced by the charity state: “Sporty youngsters stress their heart the most.  If they have an underlying cardiac abnormality they are most likely to be at risk.

“Sport itself does not lead to cardiac arrest but it can act as a trigger for a young person to die suddenly by exacerbating an undetected condition.

“Every week four to eight apparently fit and healthy young people die of undiagnosed heart conditions in the UK.

Mr Lundy hopes the golfing tournament will act as a springboard to raise the profile of the charity locally.

CRY UK provides ECG screening tests for up to 35 young people each day, using mobile cardiac units and John hopes to secure the services of one of these for Northern Ireland within the next year.

Last year, a local golf tournament raised around £6,000 for CRY and already this year further funds have been raised for the charity after friends and family of Aaron ran in the Belfast Marathon.

A total of 50 golf clubs from both sides of the border have been invited to send two representatives to compete in Friday’s event, which boasts a £600 prize fund.