FRIENDS of a man killed by a rare heart disease have raised thousands of pounds for charity by holding a cycle ride in his memory.

Levon Morland, 22, of West Rainton, County Durham, was apparently fit and well but died earlier this year from Wolfe Parkinson White disease, which causes occasional heart murmurs.

At the weekend, five cyclists, including Levon's elder brother Brendan, and friend Steve Percival, rode 250 miles through the Northumberland and County Durham countryside, following a heart shape.

They set off from Stamfordham in Northumberland and headed for Kielder Forest and the Cheviot Hills, before riding to Wooler and down the coast to Almouth. They then headed inland to Stocksfield and back to West Rainton.

The money raised will go to the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (Cry), which offers supp-ort to grieving families and raises awareness of heart problems in young people.

The charity cycle event came as former England cricket captain Ian Botham and North Durham MP Kevan Jones spearheaded a Parliamentary campaign to cut the risk of sudden death in young people from undetected heart conditions.

The MP has formed an all-party group calling for mass screening of schoolchildren to detect those most at risk of dying young as a result of strenuous activities such as sport.

It is estimated that up to eight youngsters die every week as a result of heart conditions which may have been treatable if detected early enough.