A DECADE after the death of her son from an undiagnosed heart problem, a mother is urging young people to get screened at a free event.

In August 2008 Long Wittenham resident Guy Evans died from a heart arrhythmia when he was 17 years old.

On the day of his death, the teenager was riding his new motorbike with friends having just received their AS-Level results.

He suffered no injuries but merely drifted to the side of the road, keeled over and ended up in the ditch in Featherbed Lane near Didcot.

After a lengthy investigation a pathologist concluded that Guy’s heart had suddenly stopped for no apparent reason which led to him suffocating.

To mark the anniversary of his sudden death, 100 young people aged between 14 and 35 are being offered free heart screening on Saturday, September, 29 at the Cornerstone in Didcot to check if they are also at risk of heart arrhythmias.

Mum Beth Chesney-Evans said: “We’re pleased to be able to offer the opportunity for heart screening on the tenth anniversary of Guy’s death.

“We still miss him dreadfully and always will but I hope the screening will potentially save a life.

“I am so grateful to all his friends who have made the screening possible through their fund raising efforts and for all their support.”

The event is being carried out by specialists Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) which estimates that at least 12 young people die of undiagnosed heart conditions every week.

It is being paid for by the Heartbeats Charity set up by Guy’s family and friends after his death who also raised funds to install a defibrillator in an old phone box in the village in 2012.

In Guy’s case, a 999 operator did not find out whether he was breathing or not and gave no first aid instructions to his friends which might have kept him alive until the paramedics arrived with a defibrillator.

Family and friends have since been campaigning alongside St John Ambulance and the British Heart Foundation to persuade the Government to make the teaching of first aid compulsory in schools.

Last month the campaign secured a big success when the Department for Education announced it would include CPR training on the curriculum from 2020.

Ms Chesney-Evans added: "Guy’s story has played no small part in achieving this and we are so very proud of him."