WORK mates of a popular Staplegrove man who died suddenly on his stag do in Poland have raised funds for a charity that has supported his family.

Gary Edwards, aged 28, died from an undiagnosed heart condition after retiring early to the apartment where he was staying in Sopot following a game of football with 15 friends.

His shocked colleagues at Somerset highways services team Skanska have now handed over a cheque to Gary's mother, Hilary, for the Cardiac Risk in Young People (CRY) charity.

The company, where Gary was a scheduler/programmer before his death on July 12 last year, raised £680 through a summer fair.

A Skanska spokesman said: "His work colleagues wanted to do something to celebrate his life and thought that raising money to help the charity that supported his family through these tough times would be a great way to do this."

His fiancee, Sarah Moore, who he had been due to marry just weeks after the tragedy, raised almost £1,000 for the charity by running the Bristol Half Marathon earlier this year with her sister and three friends.

And an annual football match at Taunton Town Football Club on Sunday, December 11, kicking off at 1.30pm is also being staged in aid of CRY, which is holding its national awareness week from November 19 to 26.

An inquest concluded the cause of Gary's death was "unascertained", but Mrs Edwards and her husband, Terry, are convinced he had the rare but serious condition Brugada, which frequently has no symptoms.

The coroner said no alcohol or drugs were involved in his death.

The couple learned of their son's death in a heartbreaking phone call from his twin brother Rob, who was on the trip to Poland.

Gary's friends had tried unsuccessfully to revive him after finding him dead in bed the morning after he had gone home early.

Mrs Edwards, who described her son as "always the joker, always laughing, funny and charismatic", has been heartened by the support of Gary's many friends and CRY.

Gary attended St George's Primary School and The Castle School, in Taunton, and played football locally for Civil Service, Locomotives, Pen and Quill and DB Utd.

Around 12 young people in the UK die of an undiagnosed heart complaint every week.

For information about CRY click here or call 01737-363222.