After 10 years of campaigning, a charity has inspired changes to Government legislation over heart risk among young people, and the achievement has been praised by Congleton MP Ann Winterton. 

Speaking in the House of Commons recently, Lady Winterton praised Cardiac Risk in the Young, which has former England cricket legend Ian Botham as president, for informing people about heart problems suffered by young people. 

She noted that the organisation’s first awareness week would be held from 11^th to 18^th June. 

She said that the organisation had successfully lobbied for the Cardiac Risk in the Young (Screening) Bill, which led to a new chapter on Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death syndrome being added to the national framework document, published on 4^th March by the Department of Health. 

Lady Winterton said the charity had donated more than £400,000 of cardiac equipment to general practitioner surgeries and hospitals and also set up screening clinics at the CRY centre for sports cardiology at the Olympic Medical Institute and at Leeds, Colchester and Northwick Park. 

She supported the development of a national network of 21 trained bereavement supporters to help families cope, and the charity’s surgery supporters club for young people diagnosed with a life-threatening cardiac condition. 

Lady Winterton drew attention to the national postcard campaign, which highlighted the statistic of eight sudden cardiac deaths a week among people aged under 35.