Ryan Darby was just 27 when he unexpectedly died from a heart attack in a hotel room in Bangkok.

He is one of eight apparently fit and healthy young people who die from undiagnosed heart conditions every week in the UK.

Ryan was engaged to Nicola Acuta when he died and the pair had a two-year-old son together, Harley.

Since his death, Nicola has joined Ryan's family in supporting the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) charity.

Ms Acuta, of Cromwell Avenue, Bromley, says that life without Ryan has been difficult but by raising cash for the charity she could be helping to stop another young life being taken away.

The 26-year-old said: "Ryan and I had long term plans for the future and you just don't think anything like that would happen - unfortunately it did.

"I spoke to Ryan on the Saturday before he died but then I did not hear from him again. He never met up with his friends like he was supposed to.

"We didn't find out that he had died until the Monday. It was just such a shock."

She added: "Having Harley has made things so much easier. I have Ryan's family living up the road too which is great.

"My son is old enough to know that he is helping to raise money for daddy's charity."

Nicola and the Darby family joined friends and family at CRY's Heart of London Walk on July 20, an 8km trek across eight of London's bridges.

Family and friends also raised £9,000 at a fundraising evening earlier this year.

Surrey-based CRY puts cash into screening programmes and medical research to help raise awareness of conditions that can lead to sudden and unexplained cardiac death in apparently fit and healthy under-35s.

It is currently campaigning to introduce routine screening for teenagers in secondary schools.

The charity was established in 1995 and proactively targets Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) and Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome.

SCD is a spontaneous death that is thought to be caused by a heart condition, sometimes brought on by exercise.

In 10 per cent of SCD cases no recognised cause of death can be found - even after a post-mortem.

The diagnosis then becomes Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome.

Chief Executive and founder of the charity Alison Cox MBE said; "Public support for our fundraising events is hugely important to progress our key services, such as lifesaving cardiac screening."

Visit the charity's website at c-r-y.org.uk for more information.