A HEALTH campaigner who stepped down after suffering a heart attack is fundraising again.

Irene Wickers, had been a campaigner for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), since her son Neil died aged 31, from an undiagnosed cardiac infection in 1996.

After her son’s death, Mrs Wickers saw a piece in the Lancashire Telegraph about Grenville Staff, from Hoddlesden, who was running the London Marathon in memory of his son David, who had also suddenly died from a heart defect.

The two formed a joint memorial fund and raised £10,000 yearly to pay for screenings.

Mrs Wickers said up to 56 lives had been saved since screenings began in 1997, paid by the Neil Wickers and David Staff Memorial Fund.

The charity carry out ECG and echograph screenings for people aged between 13 and 35 at a cost of £5,000 per session.

Mrs Wickers, of Cyprus Street, Darwen, said: “It’s so important that young people have access to these screenings.

They are the age group that just brush illness and pain off and ignore it.

“If the screenings had been available 15 years ago then Neil might not have died."

Mrs Wickers stopped campaigning in 2011 after suffering a heart attack, but was coaxed out of retirement this year after she was contacted by the Somerfield family, who wanted to make a donation of £3,585 to the fund.

Dawn Somerfield said: "We host a charity fundraiser every year and give the money to different charities.

“It was my son’s choice to donate the money to CRY. He had some trouble with his heart and he’s only 21 so it’s something he could relate to.

“My husband’s mum knows Irene and that she used to be involved with the charity so we got in contact and offered her the money. She has done really great work, so it was a pleasure to help.”

The screening is scheduled for November 2018, however it will not go ahead until the full £5000 is paid.

She has applied to the Lloyd Trust, a Darwen based charity, to cover the deficit, but will have to raise the funds herself if unsuccessful.

To donate contact cry@c-r-y.org.uk and all donations must go to the Neil Wickers fund.