STUDENTS and staff at Old Swinford Hospital school have taken part in a cardiac screening programme which has been held annually since the untimely death of fitness instructor Zoë Teale.

100 students and staff aged 14 to 35 were tested by Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), a charity raising awareness of undetected cardiac abnormalities in young and seemingly healthy individuals.

Those taking part in the screening, held in Swinford Court on January 11, had an electrocardiogram (ECG) which examines the electrical activity of the heart. The simple, non-invasive and painless test carried out by qualified cardiac physiologists takes just a few minutes to complete.

Anyone whose results were considered abnormal will be invited to have a full cardiac evaluation.

Some of OSH’s eligible candidates were also invited to have an additional voluntary echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) as part of a research project into bicuspid aortic valve – an often-undetected condition where a person is born with two rather than three cusps (flaps of tissue on the heart valve) which can lead to problems.

Old Swinford Hospital has been promoting awareness and fundraising for CRY since the tragic death of 23-year-old Zoë Teale, the daughter of catering manager Pete Teale.

Mr Teale set up a memorial fund in memory of Zoë, who died of an undetected heart condition in 2009, and he has raised almost £100,000 for CRY, which aims to identify young people at risk from sudden cardiac death.

His efforts have also seen more than 1,000 young adults in the West Midlands undergo screening for cardiac abnormalities.

A spokesperson for Old Swinford Hospital said: “It is thanks to Mr Teale’s fundraising that OSH has been able to screen so many students against undetected cardiac abnormalities. We are very grateful to him for his furious marathon running and generosity.”