Record number of charity walkers take part in annual event

More than 50 people walked across seven London bridges on Sunday in memory of Ealing schoolboy Tom Clabburn and to raise awareness of the cardiac risk faced by young people.

Family and friends of Tom Clabburn, of Elers Road, Ealing, including his mum, Claire Prosser, dad Paul Clabburn and sister Ellen Clabburn, formed "Team Tom" to take part in the seventh Heart of London Bridges Walk organised by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). Overall there were at least 1,100 walkers, a record for the event.

Tom, a pupil at Little Ealing Primary School and Drayton Manor High School, died aged 14 in October 2007 from an undiagnosed heart problem. CRY say that 12 young people a week aged between 14 and 35 die from such conditions.

Paul Clabburn said: "It's the sixth year that 'Team Tom' has taken part in the event and we really appreciate that after such a length of time people are still turning out in support. Some of those taking part have been on every walk and that's an enormous commitment and a tribute to Tom. It's important to keep on raising awareness of the issues around the cardiac risk facing young people and this event is a very good way of doing that."

The family set up The Tom Clabburn Memorial Fund, administered by CRY, in 2008 to raise money to enable free heart screenings to be held for young people in Ealing. Screenings have been held every year since 2009 and more are planned for the autumn.

10th July 2013