Charity Champions Didn’t Let The Heat Hold Them Back As 100s Took Part In 10k Walk Around London!

Team Trinity has attended the annual CRY Heart of London Bridges Walk since its launch in 2007  – and this year was no exception!

On Sunday June 25, members  of our team who manage the busy press office of the charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) had the privilege of meeting, mingling and hearing stories from many CRY families who have been affected by young sudden cardiac death (YSCD)

Around 900 people congregated in a very sunny Southwark Park, ready to walk ‘shoulder to shoulder’ in memory of loved ones. And, whether taking on the course alone, as a couple or a large group (walking across some of London’s most iconic bridges and along its pretty cobbled streets) all participants were bound together by a shared acknowledgement of the 12 apparently “fit and healthy” young people (aged 35 & under) who die every week in the UK from a previously undiagnosed heart condition.

Chief Executive of the charity, Dr  Steven Cox  commented; “CRY’s Heart of London Bridges Walk is one of the most important events in our year, bringing families and friends together from all over the UK to remember the person who meant so much to them and who tragically, died so suddenly. And despite the high temperatures last Sunday, it was so wonderful to see so many families and friends of CRY coming together again on this special day, helping to support each other whilst also helping to raising awareness of young sudden cardiac death.

 In 80% of cases of young sudden cardiac death there will have been no signs or symptoms, which is why CRY believes proactive cardiac screening is so vitally important. As such, CRY tests around 25,000 young people each year aged between 14 and 35 – and over 275,000 since the screening programme was launched in 1995. One in every 300 young people tested by CRY will be identified with a potentially life-threatening condition.

Dr Cox added; “There are so few occasions for families to participate in an event on this scale, this really is a day just for them. We are so pleased to be able to hold this event for CRY families and this year, our post-walk picnic in Southwark Park once again provided a unique opportunity to meet up with others who have been through similar experiences and to ‘connect and remember’. From the photos on social media, the messages on our Memory Wall. the encouragement we received from the general public along the route and the follow-up coverage in local media around the UK, we know that so many people were supporting our walkers every step of the way.”

CRY wants every young person to have the opportunity to have their heart tested. Any person age 14-35 can go to www.testmyheart.org.uk  to book a free heart screening.