THE families of two Darwen men who died from undetected heart conditions are continuing their fundraising efforts.

The parents of Neil Wickers and David Staff raised £31,000 over four years to stage a free heart screening session for 40 men last week at Darwen Access Point in Duckworth Street.

Now they have started another fundraising mission, and the money is already starting to roll in.

Neil's uncle Brian Taylor has brought in £312 after completing the 10km Blackpool Road Race. A raffle at the Crown Pub, in Redearth Road, Darwen, raised £212, while a bowling match at Two Gates Bowling Club brought in £140.

Neil, who was 31 and of St Alban's Road, Darwen, collapsed at a gym in Blackburn in 1996, and was believed to have had a faulty heart valve.

David, who was 17, of Carus Avenue, Hoddlesden, died after collapsing near the end of a 10k road race in December 1994.

He was later found to have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which a heart muscle thickens.