TOBE-Heartsafe partners with Mossbourne Rowing Academy as part of its Cardiac Screening Programme aimed at local communities

March 9, 2024:  Every day, strong and healthy young people die suddenly from heart conditions they didn’t know they had.  Not-for-profit organisation TOBE-Heartsafe tobe-heartsafe.org.uk is on a mission to provide cardiac screening, CPR training and defibrillators for schools and sports clubs, and is pleased to offer free cardiac screening to 70 students in the Mossbourne Rowing Academy programme, as part of its collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Grocers and Oundle School.

It was thanks to the generosity of parents at Oundle School, who paid for their own child to take part in a TOBE heart screening programme, as well as donating to a community place.  TOBE’s team of expert cardiologists from St Barts Hospital and The John Radcliffe Hospital are leading the community screening alongside specialist cardiac physiologists and nurses. The on-site screening of a BP check and 12 lead ECG aims to detect any underlying cardiac condition and the cardiologist’s expertise is essential to reduce incidence and differentiate between pathological and physiological cardiac changes – particularly for those involved in sport.  

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.   At the time of death he was fitter and healthier than he’d ever been.  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 extend screen and training services beyond just the few who can afford to pay for them, building in a like-for-like plan to offer services free of charge to those in the local community. 

Sam Richards, co-founder of TOBE-Heartsafe says:  “Over the past four years since Toby’s death I have been keen to tell his story and help to raise awareness and encourage people to get screened.  Every week in the UK, around 12 young people (under the age of 35) die suddenly from a previously undiagnosed heart condition and 80% of these deaths will occur with no prior symptoms.   We’ve seen in Italy, where screening is mandatory for all young people engaged in organised sport, a reduction in the incidence of young sudden cardiac death by 90%.”

“We want to expand screening across the UK, and thanks to the generosity of Oundle School and its relationship with the Worshipful Company of Grocers we were able to offer these community places to the Mossbourne Rowing Academy programme.  We know that early diagnosis is key and healthy young people undertaking extreme training are at extra risk. Early detection can avoid tragedy but can also extend careers.” Confirms Sam.

The TOBE team have over 40 years of experience within healthcare 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.   The team also offer Basic Life Support (BLS) training including Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).  The training gives the learner the skills, knowledge, understanding and confidence in CPR and the safe use of an AED, enabling them to provide effective emergency lifesaving first aid – another vital element to helping save lives.

Rebecca Thomas, Mossbourne Federation’s Philanthropy and Sponsorship Manager, commented:  “We’re delighted that thanks to our collaboration with The Worshipful Company of Grocers and Oundle School, our rowers are part of TOBE’s community cardiac screening programme and that we will have experts on-site to analyse everyone’s results, and be on-hand to answer questions from students and parents alike.  We hope to roll out Basic Life Support Training and further cardiac screening places later this year, alongside our own fundraising to ensure we can offer all students these vital programmes.”

To simply donate to the community programme or find out more go to tobe-heartsafe.org.uk

For press enquiries or interviews with our expert cardiologists and cardiac nurses or about the scheme at Mossbourne Academy or Oundle School contact:  Kerry Milliken Tel:  07799714006 Email: kerry@eyepr.co.uk  For booking and programme enquiries speak to Clare or Lucia at TOBE Tel:  07561 611768 
Email: info@tobe-heartsafe.org.uk