Jeremy Cole was just 14 when he died from a sudden cardiac arrest. 

Now three Sussex MPs are supporting a nationwide campaign to prevent sudden cardiac death in young people. 

Nigel Waterson, Charles Hendry and Greg Barker met at the home of Nigel and Jenny Cole, whose son Jeremy suddenly collapsed and died in 1995 of a cardiac arrhythmia. 

It is estimated that at least eight young people a week die of unexpected heart conditions in the UK, many of which could have been prevented if the conditions had been discovered in time. 

A campaign for a national programme of screening amongst young people has been launched by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). 

Nigel and Jenny, from Victoria Drive, have worked tirelessly with CRY to raise awareness of the condition amongst both the public and the medical profession. 

Potential symptoms include unexplained rapid or irregular heartbeats, blackouts, chest pains or dizzy spells. 

CRY has also launched a hard-hitting nationwide postcard campaign with each card showing a picture of eight young people in different areas of the country who all died suddenly. 

The aim is to get as many MPs as possible to join an all-party parliamentary group to support the ongoing screening campaign. 

In March the group helped establish a National Service Framework chapter on arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. 

But Jenny Cole believes much more still needs to be done and a nationwide comprehensive screening is absolutely essential. 

She said, “This condition can’t be cured but it can be treated and sudden death can be avoided, which is why it’s so important to have a national screening programme. 

“It’s hereditary and once there is a death in the family the rest of the family can be screened and treated if necessary. 

“We need to make every parent more aware of this condition because if people know about the condition we can look for it and treat it.”