A FUN day in memory of two young men who died suddenly from previously undiagnosed heart conditions raised £1,500.

Now the families of Neil Wickers and David Staff have almost achieved their aim of buying equipment capable of detecting similar problems in others.

Hundreds descended on Darwen Football Club's Anchor Ground for the event in aid of the Cardiac Risk In The Young Group.

Neil's mother Irene said: "We are not too far away from raising the £6,000 we need now.

"If we achieve that figure we will be the first people in the country to have bought the equipment.

"I would like to thank everyone who helped."

Neil, 31, a financial adviser of St Alban's Road, Darwen, collapsed at the Albion Mill gym, Ewood, Blackburn. His heart had been weakened by a virus he was unaware of.

David Staff, of Carus Avenue, Hoddlesden, died after collapsing near the end of the 10k Darwen Dashers Road Race in December, 1994.

It was found he had suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition which occurs as a result of a thickening of the heart muscles.

Since the tragedies, David and Neil's parents have joined forces to buy a mobile ECG machine which could be used to screen for 90 per cent of the heart conditions that kill young people.

Mrs Wickers added: "The machine would be based at the Darwen and Lark Hill health centres but could be used by any oganisation that asks.

"Several people included the two sets of parents will be trained to use it."

There were raffle prizes for white tickets 70, 89 and 154, yellow tickets 242 and 50 and pink ticket 53 with bottle prizes for tickets 886, 937, 970 and 775.

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