FAMILY rock trio, Miccoli, will be performing at Kingfisher Shopping Centre on Saturday and Sunday, September 6 and 7, as part of a 12 week, nationwide tour of large shopping centres across the UK to raise awareness of the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

The siblings that make up the acclaimed band, Miccoli (Alessandro, Adriano and Francesca) will be travelling from Swindon to Slough, Leeds to London as they perform sessions to shoppers, in a bid to spread the word about CRY and the work it does to reduce the risk of young sudden cardiac death.

The band has a very personal and poignant association with the charity, following the diagnosis of 29-year-old Alessandro with a condition known as Wollf-Parkinson White (WPW). Although Alessandro had been born with the condition, he remained unaware until a frightening episode when he collapsed backstage after a gig in Birmingham in 2009. He has since undergone four rounds of a corrective surgery – a procedure known as ablation and whilst the band continue to write and perform their music, Alessandro is still waiting for the final all-clear, after his most recent, and hopefully final, treatment.

He said: "This experience has taught me not to take anything for granted and to really appreciate family and friends. For me it all boiled down to two simple choices, cry or laugh. I chose the latter, accepting my condition and carrying on with my life - and not let this potentially depressing and life threatening condition dominate my life.”

“Young people don’t carry life’s excess baggage. Having spent a lot of time in consultations and on hospital wards, I quickly became aware how the older generation found it more difficult to cope and to come to terms with their condition. This tour is all about educating and informing people that there are ways to stay ahead of these conditions to take steps to find out if you might be at risk. If you are, then don't panic, you can be successfully treated and go on to lead a normal life.

"I just don't want anyone young person out there, with their life ahead of them, to leave it until they collapse as I did and have to undergo emergency treatment – or even worse."

Every week, 12 young people lose their lives to sudden cardiac death in the UK - a statistic that is believed to be a conservative estimate.

CRY believes screening is vitally important and campaigns for access to cardiac testing for people aged 14-35. CRY's pioneering screening programme now tests around 15,000 young people nationwide every year. In Italy, where screening is mandatory for all young people involved in regular sporting activity–even at grass-roots level -the death rate has dropped by almost 90 per cent.