SADS Awareness Week will take place from 1-8 October 2016.

SADS stands for Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome, a deadly and often hidden heart condition. In Britain, 12 young people aged 12-35 years old die each week from undiagnosed heart problems like SADS.

The JHMT was set up after the death of Rothley teenager Joe Humphries in 2012. Joe died from SADS while out on a training jog near his home.

As part of SADS Week, various fundraising events, CPR training sessions and a photography competition will take place.

There will also be three free lectures to help promote understanding of sudden heart deaths, SADS, and a new poster campaign with the taglines 'Don't go breaking your heart' and 'Time to save a life'.

The posters include some shocking statistics – that 60,000 cardiac arrests occur in the community every year, with half of these witnessed by someone, often a friend or loved one.

This year's SADS Week posters are being distributed to GP surgeries, schools and public venues across the city and county. They are also available to download from jhmt.org.uk/sads-week

By learning hands-on CPR, people can help to improve survival rates, because at the moment, only 3,000 people survive.

On Monday 3 October, at 7pm, CPR and defibrillator training will take place with members of Leicester City Women's Football Club and the Regional Talent Centre at Riverside Pavilion, next to Ellesmere College.

Leicester City Women's Football Club and GNG Leicester Football Club, which also trains at the Riverside site, are both committed to creating a heartsafe environment for their players, coaches and everyone associated with their clubs.

The session will take place as part of JHMT's specialist training programme, Joe's Mini HeartStart for Sports.

The training ensures that everyone associated with a sports team – including coaches, staff and players ­– knows the basic skills needed to help save a life.

On Wednesday 5, Thursday 6 and Friday 7 October, three free lectures will put SADS in the spotlight.

The Wednesday lecture is called 'Marvellous Medicine', and will examine what skills it takes to save a life. It is open to the public and takes place at Leicester General Hospital, starting at 6pm.

Thursday's lecture, at 6pm at Loughborough University, looks at sudden cardiac death in sport. It will offer university staff, students and members of the public the chance to learn CPR skills.

And on Friday 7 October, there will be a talk for health professionals at Leicester Royal Infirmary at 1pm, to increase their knowledge about SADS.

The week will also see the launch of this year's Joe's Photography Competition at De Lisle College, which was Joe's school.

The annual competition, which attracted more than 100 entries per year in 2013, 2014 and 2015, encourages the talents of De Lisle students as part of their Creative and Active Week. A professional photographer will then judge the entries later in the year.

SADS week will round off with a celebration of the Trust's Inspire Awards scheme and a charity bike ride to Rutland Water by Trust supporters.

Martin Johnson, former England rugby captain and patron of the JHMT, said:

"The work goes on to ensure as many people as is possible learn more about these deadly heart conditions, which can strike seemingly fit and healthy young people without any warning.

"That's why I'm proud to back the JHMT. We need to change the shocking statistics that see 12 young people die each week from these silent killers.

"The JHMT is committed to raising awareness of sudden heart deaths, and its latest hard-hitting poster campaign will certainly help to do this.

"But its work doesn't stop there. JHMT is also taking the message directly to young people and to grassroots sports clubs, ensuring that as many people as possible are trained in these vital lifesaving skills.

"This training can make the difference between life and death if someone collapses in a cardiac emergency. What could be more important than that?"

People can turn up for the lectures on Wednesday and Thursday, or book online for the Thursday lecture here: https://www.jhmt.org.uk/sads-talk

To find out more about the JHMT and its work, visit www.jhmt.org.uk

You can also follow SADS Awareness Week events and activities on Facebook and Twitter: www.facebook.com/jhmtorguk or @jhmt.org.uk