HEALTHCARE professionals, sports coaches, teachers and youth leaders are being invited to a trailblazing conference that examines issues around sudden heart deaths in young people.

The third annual SADS Awareness Conference is being organised by local charity the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT) in conjunction with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

Online booking is now open for the conference, which will take place on Friday 2nd October at Leicester City Football Club. The event falls on the eve of the festival of rugby week in the city, when three Rugby World Cup group 2015 matches take place at the LCFC King Power stadium.

SADS stands for sudden arrhythmic death syndrome. It's part of a group of subtle heart diseases that claim the lives of 12 teenagers and young adults, aged 12-35, every week in the UK. Some conditions causing SADS affect whole families.

This year, for the first time, the conference has extended its scope to reach a wider audience. As well as inviting healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses and paramedics to come along and find out more about SADS, conference organisers are extending the invitation to sports coaches, teachers, community nurses, physios and youth leaders.

The event will be opened by Martin Johnson, former England rugby captain and patron of the JHMT.