This year’s Cardiac Risk in the Young Heart of London Bridges Walk takes place on Sunday, 23rd June, 2024.
The event starts in Southwark Park and passes twelve London landmarks along its route, highlighting the twelve young people who die every week from Sudden Cardiac Death.
It’ll be the seventeenth year Team Tom has walked and we would love to see you there. You don’t have to raise money to take part, raising awareness is just as important!
Two sides of CRY featured over a couple of days in late April – the London Marathon and the “One Voice, Many Hearts” round table at Westminster.
Firstly, huge thanks to Jane Kinghorn for having the motivation and resilience to complete the marathon in memory of Claire. Jane teamed up with Stephanie Marshall and, at time of writing, the pair had raised more than £6,700 for CRY funds, more than double the amount they aimed for. Thanks to everyone who supported them.
Secondly, Hilary Nicholls found strength of a different kind to set up a round table in parliament less than a year after losing her 20-year-old daughter, Clarissa, to an undiagnosed cardiac condition.
The event, hosted by Carolyn Harris MP, who lost a child of her own in a road accident, brought together those interested in trying to reduce the incidence of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in Britain. As Ms Harris pointed out, parliamentarians were more likely to listen if those arguing the case spoke with one voice on the issue. There’s not a competition between more screening or extra defibrillators or increased CPR training. All are needed to save the maximum number of lives.
The event concluded with open questions to a panel including CRY’s Chief Executive, Dr Steve Cox. Many CRY families were at the event and their stories were harrowing. It was good to see a large number of MPs dropping by to listen to the discussion, including mine, Ruth Cadbury.
It is appalling that, so many years after Tom’s death, young lives, like Clarissa’s, are still being lost. I can only hope that events such as this will help to bring closer a day when losing more than six hundred young people a year to cardiac conditions that are largely treatable is no longer acceptable.
Jane Kinghorn will be putting the slogan to the test at this year’s London Marathon – albeit she does have a very good reason for taking part.
Here, in Jane’s own words, is why she will be attempting her first marathon and raising money for CRY’s general funds:
“I’m sure I’m just one of many to say I feel lucky to have been able to call Claire a friend. I met her at the BBC just after Tom had died. We moved from colleagues to chums – and what a friend she was. Her energy and her wit unmatched. Looking out for me – when her plate was already full. That’s why I ran the Great North Run for Tom and why I’m attempting London for them both. A good friend said Claire would be laughing out loud at the thought of me running London and with good reason. 61 is an odd age to attempt your first and last marathon, especially when you haven’t run for a decade. She’s worth every step. We won’t be breaking any records – we’re just hoping to cross the line before everyone packs up for home – then we can toast a glorious friend.”
Jane and her pal, Stephanie, are both running for CRY. You can read the full story about why – and sponsor them – here.
Some of CRY’s screening team at Trailfinders Sports Club.
One hundred young people aged between 14-35 had their hearts screened for free by Cardiac Risk in the Young in Ealing on Sunday, 4th February. Seven people were referred for further tests.
The event, hosted for the third year in a row by Trailfinders Sports Club in Vallis Way, was sponsored by Tom and Claire’s Fund.
“We’re very grateful to all those who have donated and enabled the screenings to take place,” said Paul Clabburn. “As ever, we are also indebted to Trailfinders for their support and to the CRY team who do such an amazing job.”
Further screenings in Ealing are planned for 2025.
UPDATE: As of this evening, Tuesday December 19, the screenings are fully booked
Our free CRY heart screenings for young people aged between 14 and 35 will be held at Trailfinders Sports Club in Ealing on Sunday, 4th February, 2024.
Booking opens on CRY’s site here tomorrow, Tuesday 19th December, from 3pm. Please note that in recent years the event, sponsored by Tom and Claire’s Fund, has been fully booked within 24 hours.
We are very grateful to Trailfinders for once more hosting the screenings.
If you have any queries, please contact CRY here rather than us or Trailfinders.
Ealing Half Marathon are holding this year’s Andrew Carter Memorial Mile at 11am tomorrow, Saturday 2nd September. It’ll take place in Lammas Park, Ealing.
The event is free to enter but Andrew’s family kindly allow all donations to go to CRY or to Tom and Claire’s Fund so that more free heart screenings for young people can be held in Ealing.
Andrew Carter, 33, took part in the Ealing Half Marathon on Sunday 28th September 2014. He collapsed shortly before the end of the race following a cardiac arrest and passed away on Wednesday 1st October 2014.
A Red Admiral hitches a lift. Picture by Helen Lewis.
Around 800 people took part in this year’s annual Cardiac Risk in the Young Heart of London Bridges Walk on Sunday, 25 July.
Team Tom 16 walked again in memory of Tom and Claire, setting off from Southwark Park on a six mile route that crossed several of the capital’s iconic bridges.
“We’re extremely grateful to all those who walked, especially on such a hot day,” said Paul Clabburn. “It was a tremendous effort and we really appreciate people choosing to spend their time supporting CRY.
“It’s the first Bridges walk since the recent death of Tom’s Grandpa, Gordon Prosser. Gordon was a great supporter of CRY and already 76 when Team Tom first walked in 2008. He completed the course for the last time in 2019 when 87 and, but for lockdown, he’d probably have managed one or two more. It felt right to walk in his memory too.
Picture by Morna Hinton.
“Thank you as well to all those who kindly donated to Tom and Claire’s Fund to mark the occasion of the walk.”
While it took place, Tom’s sister, Ellen, and her friends promoted CRY at Glastonbury festival, sporting Heart of London Bridges T-shirts.
Tributes were paid before the start of the walk to the late Kathryn Harries, opera singer and CRY patron, who came up with the idea of the CRY Bridges Walk. I well remember Kathryn always taking the time to talk and listen to those taking part in the event. Our condolences to her family.
Kathryn chatting to members of the first ever Team Tom in 2008.
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