Barrow MP Calls for National Strategy After Sudden Deaths of Furness Residents

Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Scrogham has renewed calls for a national strategy to prevent sudden cardiac deaths among young people following two tragic losses in the Furness community.

The Labour MP raised the issue in Parliament, drawing attention to the deaths of Wilson Shepherd and Vicky Parker, who died just two weeks apart in August 2023. Both were residents of the Barrow and Furness area, and their families have since campaigned to improve awareness of undiagnosed heart conditions and prevent similar tragedies.

Wilson Shepherd was 25 when he died on 31 August 2023. He had regularly taken part in the Keswick-to-Barrow challenge to raise money for motor neurone disease charities. His mother, Lesley Mease, said there had been no symptoms or warning signs before his death. Vicky Parker, who lived in Dalton, was 30 when she died on 17 August that year.

Scrogham told Parliament that the two deaths had a profound impact on the families and the wider community. She paid tribute to Lesley Mease and Donna Parker for their continued campaigning, highlighting their determination to prevent other parents from experiencing similar loss.

The MP called on the Government to develop a coordinated national approach to preventing sudden cardiac deaths in young people. She said this should bring together screening, specialist expertise in cardiac pathology and inherited heart conditions, and better identification and investigation of blackouts.

Scrogham also highlighted her role as chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cardiac Risk in the Young. She said her involvement in the issue had grown after learning about the deaths of Wilson and Vicky, and stressed the importance of turning the families' campaigning into meaningful action.

The campaign is supported by Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), a charity that works to prevent young sudden cardiac deaths through awareness, research and heart screening. The organisation has previously highlighted that some inherited cardiac conditions can remain undiagnosed, meaning apparently healthy young people may have no obvious warning signs before a sudden cardiac event.

The families' efforts have helped bring the issue into the national conversation, with the MP urging ministers to consider a strategy that improves early identification and access to appropriate cardiac assessment. The call aims to ensure that lessons from the Furness deaths contribute to stronger prevention measures across the country.

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