A WHARFEDALE MP is backing calls for action to tackle sudden cardiac deaths among the young.

Greg Mulholland (Lib Dem, Leeds North West) has signed a pledge to show his support for the work of the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) charity.

Mr Mulholland was joined by constituent Julie Badon when he attended the CRY Parliamentary Reception in November, as part of the group's awareness-raising week.

Julie lost her youngest child, Adrian, to Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) in June, 2014.

Mr Mulholland said: "I was pleased to attend the reception with Julie, who tragically lost her son when he was only 27.

"Since then she has been making a positive difference by working with CRY to raise awareness about the condition and calling for more proactive screening, which has been shown to significantly reduce incidences of sudden cardiac death.

"Sudden cardiac death in young people causes a huge amount of grief – not only do you mourn for the individual but also for the future they could, and should, have had.

"The current guidelines to prevent cardiac death in the young are inconsistent and we also need access to reliable data. That’s why I’m backing calls for a national strategy."

Julie added: "To lose a child is unbearable and we now have a big hole in the family where my son used to be.

"We can never get over this, but if by campaigning for screening for all we can save one life that means another family will not have to go through what we have."

Every week in the UK twelve fit and healthy young people die unexpectedly of undiagnosed cardiac conditions.