Adair – proud to support CRY in its mission to prevent young sudden cardiac death (YSCD)

Leading heart charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) is set to benefit from an exciting new collaboration with Chartered Surveyors and Construction Consultancy, Adair,  who wish to help raise funds for the organisation over the next year. The Headquarters and ‘National Cardiac Screening Centre’ for CRY (a charity which serves young people and families right across the UK) is based in Leatherhead, Surrey – close to one of the main offices of Adair, in neighbouring Epsom – and, as such, CRY is looking forward to welcoming staff and fundraisers from Adair who would like to visit the charity’s ‘HQ’ and see the team in action!

Every week, 12 young people (aged 35 and under) in the UK die suddenly from a ‘hidden’ heart defect. In 80% of these cases, there will have been no warning signs or symptoms until it is too late, which is why CRY believes screening is so vitally important (particularly for those involved in sport and regular, physical activity, which can increase a young person’s risk if they have an underlying condition).

CRY now tests almost 30,000 young people each year, aged between 14 and 35 (and has screened more than 305,000 since the nationwide programme was launched in 1995). The majority of CRY’s screenings are funded by families who have been affected by a young sudden cardiac death so there is no charge to the individual when CRY’s mobile cardiac screening service comes to a local venue (community settings such as schools, colleges, church halls and sports clubs). And, on two Saturdays in every month, around 100 young people can also be screened for free at CRY’s National Screening Centre in Surrey (also, often funded in memory of a young person.)

This month (October 2024) Adair’s CEO and Founder, Justin Sullivan, was proud to announce the exciting new collaboration, which will see staff and colleagues being encouraged to ‘get involved’ with fundraising. He comments;  “We’re excited to be announcing our partnership with CRY not only because this year marks Adair’s 30 years in business and we wanted to do something special, all of us at Adair really believe in this cause – every week in the UK, 12 young people aged 35 and under will die suddenly, often without warning, from a ‘hidden’ heart defect, but if they were screened, from the age of 14, this could be prevented. I’m impressed by CRY’s operation in Leatherhead and its mission to increase testing in young people.”

Mr Sullivan adds; “I’m extremely keen to do all we can to help this charity – it’s a cause that is especially close to my heart as I lost someone very special to me in exactly these circumstances.”

CRY’s screening programme uses a simple, non-invasive and cost-effective way of diagnosing most cardiac abnormalities – a procedure called an electrocardiogram (ECG), which is reviewed by a specially trained medic. If a young person is found to have an abnormal reading, CRY will swiftly refer them for an Echocardiogram (ultrasound screening) and ongoing, in-depth investigations.

Many of the young people who are identified through community screenings with potential abnormalities will be referred to CRY’s Consultant Cardiologist, Professor Sanjay Sharma and his expert team at St George’s Hospital, SW London for further investigations – or to a specialist centre for Inherited Cardiac Conditions (ICC) in their local areas.

Dr Steven Cox, CRY’s Chief Executive, adds; “On behalf of CRY, I’d like to say a huge “thank you” to Justin and all the team at Adair.  Our services receive no government support and therefore it’s only thanks to the incredible fundraising efforts of families, communities and businesses that we’re able to deliver screening to young people across the UK at no cost to any individual who wishes to have their heart tested.

“We also know that research saves lives too, so it’s vital to maintain our internationally acclaimed research programme and continue training a new generation of cardiologists, specialising in the detection and treatment of the conditions that can cause a sudden cardiac arrest in a young person.

“Fundraising and corporate donations also mean we can support families affected by young sudden cardiac death through our specialist bereavement support network. So, thank you again for thinking of CRY. We really do appreciate it.”