Nicola Burndred – Charity Champion or Volunteer of the Year nomination

Nicola Burndred – Charity Champion or Volunteer of the Year nomination

A mum who channelled the grief at losing her son into fundraising for charity has raised more than £104,000 in his name.

Nicola Burndred, from Biddulph, started fundraising just a week after the death of her teenage son.

Jordan Burndred died in October 2015, aged just 17. He had suffered a heart attack while on holiday in Turkey.

Nicola immediately felt the need to be strong for her other children and to do something for others. She organised a family fun day the following month.

Soon, the fundraising snowballed. Now she organises the likes of cake sales and tombolas alongside bigger events to drum up cash for Cardiac Risk in the Young in Jordan’s name.

The money has allowed Nicola to hold screening sessions in Biddulph and Newcastle-under-Lyme, enabling people aged 14 to 35 to have their hearts checked. It has also helped to get four defibrillators installed in North Staffordshire.

Nicola has been nominated in the Charity Champion or Volunteer of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.

Her nominator said: “Nicola has raised more than £104,000 after losing her son. She raises awareness and funds for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young. She needs to be recognised for her amazing efforts in helping so many young people. She’s an inspiration to many.”

Nicola said it was a bittersweet feeling to be nominated for a Your Heroes Award as next Wednesday will be the anniversary of Jordan’s death.

She said: “Things happen in mysterious ways and nice things like being nominated for an award can happen at a bad time.

“It’s important to keep talking about Jordan and Cardiac Risk in the Young because we need to keep raising awareness and encouraging people to donate. The screening CRY offers isn’t available on the NHS.”

The heart screening sessions that Nicola helps to fun cost £7,500 per day. The next screening day is coming up in February. More information is available at https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/jordan-burndred/