A Triathlon competitor hopes to raise £1,000 to help prevent young people dying of heart defects.

Phil Aiken, of Hubbards Chase, Walton, will compete in the London Triathlon in August, in memory of family friend Andy Gard, who died just before his 18th birthday in 1997 from an u undiagnosed heart condition. 

The gruelling course consists of a 1,500m swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run.  It will be the first time the sports enthusiast has taken part in the event. 

Phil is already training hard to raise money for CRY - Cardiac Risk in the Young. 

The dad-of-two said: "What I particularly like about CRY is that, as an organisation, it is working to minimise the likelihood of harm to young people by campaigning for them to have a simple heart check. 

They are trying to prevent tragedies from occurring but if there is a death, they have a well developed infrastructure to support people who have experienced this unique kind of loss." 

Phil will have his own heart scanned before the Triathlon at Colchester General Hospital on May 16, to help raise awareness of checks offered by CRY. 

Tests are offered free to young people, but Phil, 40, will pay for the electrocardiogram (ECG) to show his support for the charity. 

Scanning clinics, aimed at people aged 14 to 35, have been running at the hospital for the past five years. 

CRY is campaigning for all children at the age of 14 to have an ECG, which takes only a few minutes. 

The pain-free procedure involves taping electrical leads from a machine to the chest, legs and arms, and making a record of the heart's activity. 

For more information about heart screening, or if you are aged 14 to 35 and want to book an appointment for a free check, go to c-r-y.org.uk or call 01737 363222.