THE mother of a young Taunton man who died suddenly on his stag do has ensured his legacy lives on by helping raise funds to help prevent other parents suffering in the same way.

Hilary Edwards has spearheaded a campaign in memory of Gary, who died from an undiagnosed heart condition, that has so far raised more than £10,000 locally.

The cash will be used to screen 200 young people in the area aged between 14 and 35 to see if they have cardiac issues that have not previously come to light.

Gary was discovered dead in bed in Poland in July 2015 after complaining of feeling unwell the previous night. The tragedy was just weeks before he was due to get married.

Since his death, Mrs Edwards has worked tirelessly to raise money for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) - for each £5,000 collected, 100 young people will be tested.

Mrs Edwards, a volunteer representative for CRY, said: "My aim is to help prevent young sudden cardiac arrests by raising awareness and by fundraising so that we can have screenings of young people in the area."

The latest fundraising event was a flashmob dance in the town's Orchard Shopping Centre, which brought in £243.71 for CRY.

Dance teacher Nikki Mumby said: "We ‘flashed’ and we ‘mobbed’ to bucket collect and hopefully to raise the profile of the charity if only in a small way.

"The team of dancers, bucket collectors and handbag holders was made up of participants from the movement to music classes I run in town - Zumba Gold and Flexercise classes, which are particularly suited to people or 50 and over and are designed to keep us moving.

"Hilary joined one of my Zumba Gold classes last year and she finds that the movement, the music and the camaraderie in class are all helping her to feel just a little better after the tragic loss of Gary.

"I too have lost a child and some of my class members have also experienced loss, which is why we like to help her in her fundraising for CRY."