OVER 150 people attended a special cardiac screening event at the Parkhouse Centre, Bude, over the weekend.

The event, in its second year, is funded through the Martyn Luckett Memorial Fund.

This fund was set up in memory of Martyn, from Hartland, who died of Myocarditis in 2005, aged 19.

Martyn was a fit and healthy young man and was a keen motorcycle trials rider, representing the South West Centre on many occasions.

His death came as a great shock to Martyn's family and they have, in the last six years, raised in the region of £28,000.

There were photos of Martyn at the recent screening and many of his friends signed up and were tested themselves.

The screenings are held in conjunction with the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) and a team of specially trained doctors and nurses travelled to Bude for the event.

According to the charity, a simple and quick ECG test could save the lives of 12 healthy young people that die each week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions.

CRY urges young people between the ages of 14 and 35 to be screened, particularly if they play sport.

Dr Abbas Zaidi, Cardiology Specialist Registrar and Clinical Research Fellow in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at St George's, University of London, said: "The screening event this weekend in Bude has been a real success. We have seen over 150 people and have been able to reassure the vast majority that they have nothing to be concerned about.

"A handful of those we have screened may require further investigations, after which we will hopefully be able to reassure them too. It is important that screening events like this continue to take place, as we do diagnose inherited heart conditions in a small proportion of people. We can then make sure that those people receive the best possible attention at an early stage, with the ultimate objective of saving young lives."

See this week's 'Post' for a full report.