About Cardiac Risk in the Young

Accurate statistics are not available but experts believe at least four apparently fit and healthy young (under 35) people die each week in the UK from undetected cardiac abnormalities.

CRY raises awareness of Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in local communities and provides comprehensive medical information on request.

It offers support to those who have suffered a loss through a network of affected families and counselling. CRY operates mobile cardiac screening and ECG testing programmes and is working with several local authorities with the aim of running ECG testing pilot studies in schools.

CRY significantly contributes to medical research in Sudden Death Syndrome in the general population and among top national and international athletes.

Charity Achievements

• Funding of the CRY echocardiogram machine used by Professor McKenna's team at St. George's Hospital, Tooting which has so far screened over 12,500 people
• The formation of a CRY Mobile Screening Team, which will go out to any national venue to screen 'fit & healthy' individuals on request
• Mobile Screening at venues including Bath, Welwyn Garden City, Nottingham, Bisham, Birmingham, Everton, Finchley, Norwich, London, Bournemouth, Manchester, Tenby, Worksop, Brighouse, Ponteland, Frinton, Newcastle, Darwen, Redcar and Ashington
• The purchase/donation of 26 ECG machines for use in our ECG Testing Programme. The development of ECG Community Testing Programmes
• A training programme for volunteers supporting our ECG Testing Programme, to ensure the implications are fully understood
• The donation of a fully equipped CRY liveried Mobile Screening Van, which will be used to transport machinery for our mobile screenings and adapted to carry individuals, including those using wheelchairs
• The design and development of a CRY Counselling Skills Course specifically adapted for our families to enable us to develop an appropriate support network
• The development of a Sports Cardiology Unit
• The funding of a CRY Administrator for this Unit to dovetail with the organisation and the development of our national ECG community Testing Programme and our Mobile Screening Programme

Our history

CRY was founded in 1995 by Alison Cox. Her son Steven had been living in the US and studying on a tennis scholarship when he had an ECG test. The test detected an abnormality and after further tests Steven was told never to play tennis again. He went from doing four to six hours of sport a day to being at risk of sudden death.

After his return to England, Alison decided to start fundraising to buy an echo machine for St George's hospital in Tooting, London.

Once the echo machine had been bought Alison wanted to get back to her studies to become a counsellor, but her friends thought otherwise. She was asked to get involved in a TV programme about sudden death and said that if she was to found a charity it had to happen before the programme was aired in order to be worthwhile.

The whole charity was founded in 10 days for just thirty pounds. It originally operated from Cox's spare bedroom, but as it grew it migrated to larger rooms in the house until four years later when it moved into a warehouse unit on a small industrial estate. With that move, came all the costs associated with running an office.

It also needed more staff, presentation materials, printing equipment and storage facilities as well as space in which to counsel families and meet people who could help promote and support its work.

It was decided to concentrate the charity's work on four key areas: Research, counselling, raising awareness and screening people.

CRY has developed very rapidly over the last two years. Its media profile is growing and it is moving into new areas of work. In order to achieve its potential as a national charity, it needs a secure financial platform from which to operate. The nature of its work means its volunteer base continues to expand and generates interest from many walks of life.