CARING Leigh East held their first heart screening day at the amateur rugby league club on Saturday.

The National Conference League Two side announced their intention to bring screening to Leigh in June so that heart defects can be detected before disaster strikes.

Following extensive planning and fundraising, Saturday's event was attended by more than 100 club volunteers, players and members.

Held in conjunction with charities Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) and The Adam Lewis Effect (TALE), three changing rooms at Ledgard Avenue were transformed overnight into mobile testing centres housing electrocardiogram (ECG) machines and equipment.

Singer Lizzie Jones, the widow of Keighley Cougars and Wales half back Danny Jones, who died suddenly after being taken ill at a match in May 2015, was in attendance.

Representing the Danny Jones Defibrillator Fund, she visited the club in June and was effusive in her praise for Leigh East.

"It is great to come back to such a well run and family orientated club," Lizzie said.

"These days are so special. They take a lot of organising and a lot of effort, but the club have really pulled together and the fact that it was booked out before it even started is so wonderful.

"It was great to see the lads and girls going in there and coming out with smiles on their faces.

"It is fantastic to know that the people of this club are protected.

"I know that I would want my son and daughter playing for a club that cares as much as this one does.

"With 44 children playing here between the ages of four and six, I am not surprised – this is where I would want my son to be playing as well, knowing that they have done everything they possibly can to make sure they are protected and safe."

Leigh East funding co-ordinator Bojan Johnson, one of the key figures in bringing screening to the club, said: "After the sad passing of Danny Jones we had discussions through the secretaries and committee and said we wanted to try to protect our players from something that could possibly happen to them.

"We wanted to target the 14 to 35 age group and decided to target the open age first because they have a game on the date of our second screening day."

That second screening day will be on April 8.

Leigh East chairman Dave Coyle was keen to hail the large number of volunteers at the club.

"The work has been immense," he said.

"There is a lot of volunteers here and this has been led by Bojan Johnson and my wife Maureen.

"They have spent many hours putting this on and organising the players and children to come down.

"We are working as a whole community for the community.

"As far as one club, one vision is concerned, we are here, we are doing it."