PQA Windsor run a heart screening day with C-R-Y

For the past three years, my performing arts school, PQA Windsor, has been fundraising for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) with a single, powerful goal: to raise £10,000 to host a free heart screening day for young people in our community. Now, we’re on the final stretch—and for this last big push, I’ve decided to climb Mount Snowdon to help us reach the finish line.

CRY is a charity incredibly close to my heart. They’ve supported many of my closest friends and family—and they were there for us when we needed them most.

Thirteen years ago, we lost our best friend, Matthew Beadle, to an undiagnosed heart condition. It was sudden, shocking, and heartbreaking. Matt was the fittest person we knew—performing eight shows a week, having completed the London Marathon… the last person you’d ever expect to have heart issues.

CRY were a lifeline to Matt’s loved ones in the aftermath. Since then, we’ve all attended their heart screenings, and I made a promise to Matt’s dad, Tony, that I’d do everything I could to make sure no other family had to go through what they did. That means encouraging everyone I know to get screened—and helping make those screenings more accessible.

CRY offers free screenings to those aged 14 to 35 to detect potentially fatal heart conditions that often show no symptoms. Every week, 12 young people lose their lives to hidden heart problems that might have been detected through a simple screening. We’ve all seen the terrifying moments with Fabrice Muamba and Christian Eriksen—events that could’ve been prevented with regular checks like these.

We’re now so close to our £10,000 goal—just a bit more to go. And every single donation brings us closer to making this heart screening day happen in Matt’s honour.

If you can give anything at all, it would mean the world—not just to me, but to every young person who’ll get a chance to have their heart checked thanks to your support.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for helping us make a difference.