Charity

Andy Burnham Swims for CRY

MP GOES “IN AT THE DEEP END” AS HE SWIMS FOR CRY AS PART OF THE CHARITY’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN

Andy Burnham takes on tough fundraising swim to help raise awareness of silent killer, sudden cardiac death in the young

Labour leadership contender, Andy Burnham MP, will be joining around 6,000 fellow swimmers early next month (Saturday 4 September) as he takes part, for the second year running, in the world famous, Great North Swim - swimming one mile across the impressive Lake Windermere in Cumbria.

Mr Burnham, MP for Leigh has been a loyal supporter of the charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) since 2002, shortly after he became an MP. The former Secretary of State for Health was one of the first members of the Cardiac Risk in the Young All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).

Three years later, when a 16 year old boy (Daniel Young) from Atherton collapsed and died whilst playing football, Mr Burnham was invited by his parents (Dionne and Craig) to attend a CRY cardiac testing event funded by donations from the community. Since then, he has openly pledged to help address the issue of sudden cardiac death in the young, which currently claims the lives of at least 12 apparently fit and healthy people, aged 35 and under, in the UK every week.

Mr Burnham says: "I am all too aware of the terrible impact that sudden cardiac death has on families across the UK, particularly following the death of a talented and popular young footballer in my constituency. Therefore, I am delighted to be helping support CRY’s work by taking part in the Great North Swim next month and through my continued involvement with the charity’s terrific fundraising initiative, CRYSWIM2010.

“CRY has pushed cardiac risk in the young into the consciousness of government and through their screening programme, their centres for Inherited Cardiac Conditions, Sports Cardiology and Pathology which have shown us what can be done to reduce the risk of young sudden cardiac death.

“Everyone that supports this swim will know that they are making an important  contribution to CRY’s work to reduce that statistic and in helping to develop their well established and ground-breaking screening programme and the vital research it yields.”

Father of three Mr Burnham is a keen amateur sportsman and passionately believes in the importance of young people becoming involved in physical activity and team sports.  In April 2009, when Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, Mr Burnham pioneered the nationwide Swim4Life project – which saw over 1,000 local pools offering free swimming to people aged 60 and over and 16 and under and giving 20 million people the chance to take part in an activity that they might otherwise not have had access to.

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