SIX cardiac nurses are limbering up to run a half-marathon for a local heart charity.

Becky Bausor, Mandy Cooper, Erin Ford, Bridget Longland, Leanne Hill and Louise Bowie are all running the Leicester half-marathon on 26 October in aid of the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust.

The trust was set up after the death of Rothley teenager Joe Humphries, 14, who died of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome – SADS – while out on a training run near his home in October 2012.

The nurses will be cheered on by friends, family, Trust members and fellow cardiac nurse Clare Bray, who planned to run but has unfortunately been hit by injury.

Nurse Becky Bausor said: "We all have a background in cardiology and A&E, so we see the devastating effects of SADS first-hand.

"When we decided to run the marathon, we knew that we all wanted to support this fantastic charity, which aims to encourage a far greater awareness of SADS, as well as educating and training young people in how to deal with cardiac arrest situations.

"It's a little-known fact that sudden heart deaths aren't just restricted to older people or those with heart disease. Tragically, 12 young people a week aged 12-35 die from undiagnosed heart problems like SADS.

"The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust is raising awareness of SADS and ensuring that people learn the vital CPR skills that could one day be used to save a life."

Becky, Erin and Bridget are cardiac nurses working in the clinical decisions unit at Glenfield, while Leanne is a staff nurse on the coronary care unit at Glenfield.

Louise is an emergency nurse practitioner in ED, and Mandy works as an advanced nurse practitioner in Loughborough.

Steve Humphries, chair of the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust, said: "We're delighted that these nurses have decided to give up their time and make such an effort to support the work of the Trust. It means such a lot to us.

"These professionals have seen first-hand the devastating results of SADS. But by educating people in CPR and raising awareness of this silent killer, we can make a difference to these shocking statistics.

"I'd like to thank these nurses from everyone here at the Trust for their marathon efforts."

To sponsor the nurses, go to www.mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/rebeccabausor1