A young cricketer who suffered a cardiac arrest while playing on tour in Australia has returned to his old school to sponsor a heart-screening event for young people.

Two years ago fit and healthy Ben Aldred was placed in a coma for 72 hours after the arrest which happened while he was walking along a beach during a family holiday in Perth.

The then 18-year-old survived only because his great-uncle was there and administered immediate CPR.

Subsequently, in celebration of his survival, Ben, now 20, his family, and best friend George Palmer, launched a fundraising campaign to boost awareness of cardiac arrest among the young.

Their fund sponsored a two-day heart-screening event at Ben’s alma mater, Beths Grammar School, in Hartford Road, Bexley, near Dartford.

More than 50 young sportsmen and women from across the area had their hearts screened, and the event was attended by the headmaster, Richard Blyghton, and MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, Louie French.

Ben first sprung to sporting prominence in 2022 when he helped Bexley Cricket Club to victory in the National Cup at Lord’s.

Having had a procedure to fit an ICD – an implantable cardioverter defibrillator – which sends pulses to correct abnormal, potentially dangerous heart rhythms, he is now back playing the game that he loves and is reading for a degree in sports management at Loughborough University, which sadly kept him from attending the screening himself.

The screening programme was delivered by Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

The charity says that every week, at least 12 apparently fit and healthy young adults under 35 lose their lives to sudden cardiac death in the UK.

In the vast majority of cases, there are no warning signs.

Dr Steven Cox, chief executive of CRY, said: “Our ‘standard’ screening model involves a non-invasive ECG, but at the request of the family, at this screening, we additionally did an ultra-sound check.

“We find that about one in every 300 of the young people that we test will be identified with a potentially life-threatening condition.

“We also know that through our screening programme, more than 950 young people have been diagnosed and their lives will have been saved through early identification of conditions and subsequent interventions.

“In addition, more than 2,850 young people have been ‘picked up’ with non-life-threatening conditions which could cause them problems in later life, if not monitored or treated.”

“We are incredibly appreciative of everything Ben, his parents Donna and Danny, and his friends are doing to help raise awareness and funds for CRY.”

Ben’s mum, Donna, said: “Dan and I felt incredibly emotional during the weekend.

“We are lucky enough to still have Ben with us.”

Five young people were identified over the weekend as needing further investigations for asymptomatic anomalies.

Anyone between the age of 14 and 35 can register to have a free cardiac screening here.

You can support the family’s Justgiving fund here.

The family have already raised more £25,000, and the aim is to make the screening an annual event.