A CHARITY football tournament to be held in Ruislip will raise awareness and funds for a condition that takes the life of 12 young people in the UK every week.

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) can strike those with undetected heart conditions, causing a cardiac arrest.

SDS killed 30-year-old Kerry-Anne Offord in November 2008.

Now her partner, Gary Horn, is determined to do his bit to help other people who may be at risk.

The five-a-side football tournament on Saturday will raise funds for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), a charity which provides a fast-track screening process to detect heart conditions, and also supports those bereaved by a sudden death.

"The sudden and unexpected nature of Kerry-Anne's death makes things extremely difficult to come to terms with, providing no time for any preparation or goodbyes," said Mr Horn.

"Kerry-Anne was very special and the most precious person in my life - she meant everything to me.

"She was my soulmate and the person who I confided in and shared everything with, so life is very empty without her.

"CRY has been an immense source of support for me, and through their family conference and bereavement days, I have learned much more about the medical conditions associated with SDS and have had the opportunity to meet and share experiences with other families affected. I am therefore intent on doing my best to help CRY."

Mr Horn lived with Kerry-Anne in Pinner for six years, and the couple were planning to start a family when tragedy struck.

The night before she died, the couple agreed she should visit a doctor the next day about worsening shoulder pain she had been experiencing that week.

"When I got home from football later that evening, it was evident she was in quite a lot of pain and she had been taking various painkillers," Mr Horn said.

"In the early hours of the next morning, and having been unsettled throughout the night, Kerry-Anne told me she was going into the spare bedroom for a while to allow me to get some sleep before our routine early rise for work. A few minutes after 5am I heard a noise.

"When I went to check on Kerry-Anne, I was alarmed to find her lying on her front in the lounge.

"I asked her several times what she was doing as I approached her. When I turned her over I knew something was very wrong. I immediately called 999.

"I then did everything I could to try and resuscitate her. I was constantly talking to her, pleading with her to stay with me and telling her that I loved her.

"We later discovered at the inquest that she had suffered a cardiac arrest, as a result of viral myocarditis - inflammation of the heart."

Almost two years on, and although the pain of his loss will be with him forever, Mr Horn is determined some good will come of his partner's death.

Everyone is welcome to Saturday's five-a-side tournament, he says, and all proceeds will be donated to CRY.

Admission is £2, as a suggested donation, and more is always welcome. To donate online visit www.justgiving.com/cryfootballfives , and for more about the charity visit www.c-r-y.org.uk .