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Health / Heart screening event for young people busy as more than 200 folk attend

Joe Ritch receiving an ECG at the Shetland screening event at the weekend. Photo: Dave Donaldson

THE SECOND free heart screening event for young people in Shetland which took place at the weekend saw more than 200 people attend.

More than ten people have been referred for further checks following the event.

The screenings took place at the Clickimin in Lerwick for people aged 14 to 35.

It was organised by the local group Shetland Heart Screening, which is made up of three committee members Siobhan Pirie, Fern Johnson and Andrea Laurenson.

The group was formed a few years ago when Pirie’s husband John unexpectedly passed away in 2017 at the age of just 29 after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Shetland Heart Screening and Cardiac Risk in the Young staff. Photo: Dave Donaldson

The screenings themselves were facilitated by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young, and a team of seven headed to Shetland from the mainland.

The fundraising campaign for screening events is continuing with the hope of holding more in Shetland in the future.

The first free heart screening event was held at the Clickimin last year.

The screening event was made possible thanks to a fundraising drive in the community, as well as support from some local sponsors.

The group said it was “so incredibly grateful and overwhelmed by the support we have received to date”.

It also wanted to thank NorthLink, Loganair, Bolts Car Hire, the Clickimin and other local businesses for sponsorship and support for the 2023 event.

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