ALYN and Deeside MP Mark Tami showed his support to a cardiac charity.

Mr Tami attended the event organised by Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) to lend his support to the ongoing campaign for a national strategy for the prevention of young sudden cardiac death (YSCD).

50 MPs attended the charity’s first ever ‘drop in’ session, held at Portcullis House, hosted by long term supporter of CRY and chair of its all-party Parliamentary group (APPG), Kevan Jones MP.

Every week, 12 apparently fit and healthy young (aged 35 and under) people in the UK die suddenly from an undiagnosed heart defect. In 80 per cent of these cases, there will have been no signs or symptoms until it is too late, which is why CRY believes screening is so vitally important.

Any person aged 14 to 35 can go to www.testmyheart.org.uk to book an appointment for a free heart screening which includes an ECG.

CRY also provides the follow up ultrasound test on the same day.

The charity now tests around 30,000 young people each year and well over 190,000 since the screening programme was launched in 1995.

Mark Tami MP said: “It really does despair that so many young, supposedly fit people suddenly die from an undiagnosed heart defect.

“I was one of the first MPs to sign a pledge to support a National Strategy for the Prevention of Young Sudden Cardiac Death to help save young lives and it is disappointing that this has still not happened.

“It was good to welcome CRY to Parliament, I only hope that now we can begin to make serious progress on this.”

The number of MPs who have now signed a pledge to support a national strategy to prevent sudden cardiac death (#MPSupport4CRY) stands at 171

Chief Executive of CRY, Dr Steven Cox, said: “It was very encouraging to welcome so many MPs to our event at Portcullis House and to update them on our campaign.

"Many of the MPs talked about the impact young sudden cardiac deaths have had on their constituents and the communities they represent. Some had very personal stories of the devastating impact of these tragedies.

“We are continuing to urge all MPs to help establish a national strategy for the prevention of young sudden cardiac death to ensure the government acts to prevent the hundreds of deaths of young people each year from these undiagnosed cardiac conditions."