May, 2024: It is estimated that at least 12 young people die each week of sudden cardiac arrest in the UK alone, many from heart conditions they didn’t know they had. Not-for-profit organisation TOBE-Heartsafe (TOBE) tobe-heartsafe.org.uk is on a mission to raise awareness, to provide cardiac screening for 14-35 year olds, as well as providing basic life support training including CPR and AED defibrillators for schools and sports clubs. To mark our first year, we are delighted to announce that recently retired global sports agent Jonathan Barnett has agreed to become Patron of TOBE-Heartsafe.
TOBE-Heartsafe (TOBE) was created out of a tragedy when in July 2019, 22 year old Toby (or Tobe as he was known to friends and family) was found dead on his bedroom floor by his mother – Sam Richards – from an undiagnosed heart condition. His death was registered as SADS – Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. The tragedy brought together a team of people and specialists who decided to form a CIC (Community Interest Company) to raise awareness, and to extend screening and basic life support training services across the UK. Its particular mission is to extend screening and training beyond just the few who can afford to pay for them, offering a “buy one get one free” platform to provide these life-saving services free of charge to less privileged young people in the local community.
Jonathan’s patronage is being announced at a fundraising event Upstairs at Langans in London on Monday 20th May 2024 and says: “I have always been interested and involved in organisations that have young people at their heart, having lost my youngest brother when he was just 18 years old. When I met Sam she told me about TOBE-Heartsafe and I was so sorry about the tragic circumstances that inspired its creation, but also Sam’s incredible drive to turn such a tragedy into a force for good that hopes to prevent the premature and sudden deaths of other young people who should still be alive, like Toby.”
“I couldn’t be more excited that Jonathan has agreed to be our Patron at such an important time for TOBE-Heartsafe,” confirms Sam Richards. “He is such an inspiring figurehead for sports around the world, but also a wonderful family man with children and grandchildren. When we met, we immediately connected and it’s thanks to him that we are now working with Carolyn Harris MP in a quest to persuade political party leaders to make a manifesto commitment to effect the necessary changes around screening, education and treatment in order to save young lives. There is much to do, but with Jonathan joining our team and helping spearhead the TOBE programme, I feel extremely excited about the future of our mission to save young lives.”
In its first year, TOBE Heartsafe has piloted its cardiac screening programme with pupils at Oundle School in Northamptonshire. Through the generosity of their parents and the TOBE like-for-like plan, it secured free cardiac screening places for Hackney-based Mossbourne Rowing Academy programme as part of the collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Grocers and Oundle School. The TOBE team of cardiac nurses have also been running basic life support training programmes both publicly, and with key corporates across London and is planning further school partnerships this summer.
Professor Saidi (Sam) Mohiddin FRCP, FESC, MD (Res), Consultant Cardiologist at Barts Heath Centre and an Honorary Professor of Cardiology at Queen Mary, University of London who leads the TOBE Screening programme confirms: “We need to improve how causes of sudden cardiac death in young people are detected, and how improved emergency measures can save lives. We need better awareness of the public, in institutions such as sports clubs and schools, and medical professionals. We also believe training in basic life support should be mandatory in schools, and facilitating training for every adult. These individuals should also be trained in the use of external defibrillators. They in turn become the generation of trained ‘passers-by’ that make every public space safer.”
The TOBE team has over 40 years of experience within health-care including cardiology specialists, sport & fitness. The consultant cardiologists work across leading hospitals including St Bart’s, Great Ormond Street Hospital and The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. To simply donate to the community programme or find out more go to tobe-heartsafe.org.uk
ENDS
For press enquiries or interviews with Jonathan Barnett, Sam Richards, or our expert cardiologists and cardiac nurses or about our programmes contact: Kerry Milliken Tel: 07799714006 Email: kerry@eyepr.co.uk
TOBE Tel: 07561 611768 Email: info@tobe-heartsafe.org.uk
TOBE-Heartsafe provides cardiac screening, CPR training and defibrillators for schools and sports clubs, and helps fund community plans. Its team of cardiac physiologists, nurses and cardiologists provide an on-site screening service which includes a questionnaire, BP check and resting 12 lead ECG. These results are immediately reviewed by the cardiologists. In around 10% of cases the cardiologist will request an Echocardiogram and this will be done on-site on the same day as the screening. In a very small number of cases, following the Echocardiogram, the cardiologist might suggest further investigations which can be arranged through the cardiologists or with a structured referral to your GP.
Jonathan Barnett is a British football agent, recently retired co-founder of the Stellar Group. He was named as the number-one most powerful sports agent in the world according to Forbes in 2019. He is credited as being the man who brought Lennox Lewis into the boxing world; one of his first clients was cricket player Brian Lara, but made a name for himself since then representing some of the worlds’ best football players: Jack Grealish, Gareth Bale, Saul Niquez, Eduardo Camavinga and Jordan Pickford. He masterminded the £ world record move of Bale to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur. The agency was the fourth-biggest sports management agency in the world, the number one in football.
