On the 12th and 13th July 2025 the girlfriend and family of Liam Dodd held a screening weekend in Carlisle, Cumbria in memory of Liam Dodd who passed away from a sudden cardiac arrest at 20 years old.
Suddenly, on the 29th June 2019 after a day at work and a trip to the cinema with his girlfiend , Liam’s family, girlfriend and many friends had their world changed forever. Tragically, Liam suffered an unexplained cardiac arrest without any signs or symptoms, never returning consciousness. Liam fought in intensive care but sadly passed away on the 4th July 2019. Liam was a perfectly fit and healthy 20 year old young man who had everything to live for with a successful and happy future ahead of him – a plumber who had just completed his qualifications but sadly didnt get to collect his finals certificates. He loved his happy but short life, he was always seen with a cheeky smile , heard by his infectious laugh and known for his kindness and politeness to others. A beautiful soul taken too soon.
Liams heart was submitted for further examination to Professor Mary Sheppard, a cardiac pathologist with a national and international reputation, specialising in cardiac conditions that cause sudden death in young people – No cause was ever found, and his death was registered as SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome).
Later that year, we held a charity night in Liam’s memory to also mark what would have been his 21st birthday. Thanks to incredible support from friends,family and the local community we raised a staggering amount. we decided we wanted to do something proactive to give back to the wider Carlisle community, all in loving memory of Liam.
These funds were raised not only through the charity night, but also through incredible efforts from Liam’s step-sister Charlotte’s skydive, his brother Luke’s CRY virtual walk, and numerous sponsored walks linked with CRY.
After much discussion of what to do with remaining funds
We felt a screening day would be a powerful and lasting way to make a difference. We had already used some of those funds to install three defibrillators in and around Liam’s home village of Thurstonfield. Sadly, there wasn’t one nearby when Liam collapsed—had there been, he might still be with us today.
With the remaining funds, we have held a heart screening weekend in Liam’s memory, in support of C.R.Y. – Cardiac Risk in the Young.
We are absolutely thrilled to share that the event was a huge success! The support from everyone has been overwhelming, and the whole weekend ran smoothly, every bit of hard work was more than worthwhile – all of the emails, planning, designing and tears!
A total of 187 people were screened, and from these, 10 referrals were made for individuals needing further follow-up, including family assessments or more in-depth cardiac testing. This shows just how vital early detection is, and how truly lifesaving these screenings can be. We hope everyone had a positive experience, and we send our very best wishes to all who attended.
A huge thanks to the CRY team who travelled up for our weekend. They were all amazing and we cannot express how thankful we are to them.
We are absolutely blown away – thanks to our raffle and kind donations, we raised a staggering £5,000! 💙 This is far more than we ever expected.
A huge thank you to the generous people and local businesses who donated raffle prizes – we are so grateful. And, of course, an enormous thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who bought tickets or donated.
I also hosted a coffee morning at work, where we raised over £800! A huge thank you to all the children, parents and everyone who came along and supported me – it truly means so much.
We were supported with organising and part funding our screening weekend by Debbie Dixon – a true inspirational lady. Debbie helped us fund part of the weekend so that we were able to hold the screening for two days. We are so thankful to Debbie for her help and support. Debbie tirelessly fundraises for CRY in memory of her son Aaron who she lost in 2011. She turns her heartbreak into hope and makes it her mission to have as many young people screened as possible, she is so dedicated and I am completely in awe of her.
The funds we have raised have been sent to the Aaron Dixon Memorial Fund to help support future screenings organised by Debbie and CRY for Cumbria and Eden in
the North West. We’re very proud that we were able to raise a great amount and contribute towards further screenings.
In Liam’s name, we have already achieved so much – from installing and maintaining three defibrillators to hosting Carlisle’s first ever heart screening weekend. We are incredibly proud of what has been accomplished in his memory, and deeply grateful to everyone who has stood by us, supported our efforts, and attended our events.
If our work has encouraged even one young person to get their heart checked – and that check has saved a life – then every moment has been worth it. For us, this is about turning heartbreak into hope: for other families, for our community, and above all, in honour of Liam.