A life-saving charity is bringing free heart screenings to rural Wales, with the aim of partnering with GP practices in future.

Calon Hearts is run by mothers who lost their children too young to sudden cardiac arrests.

The charity is touring rural mid Wales this summer, bringing free heart screenings for young people and subsidised screenings for adults to help keep Wales’ hearts healthy.

The clinic will be at Aberaeron’s Feather Hotel on 20 June, in Carmarthen on 18 July, with other dates spanning the country.

It comes as the charity has begun a partnership with a GP practice in Cardiff, with all 250 appointments booked, and hopes this will become the first of many GP partnerships helping to make heart screening more accessible to the masses.

Sharon Owen, Chief Executive Officer of Calon Hearts, said: "This is an exciting moment, not just for Cardiff, but potentially for the whole of Wales.

"We have delivered screenings in community venues across Wales for many years, but this is the first time a GP practice has proactively partnered with us to host a large-scale screening programme.

"It demonstrates what can be achieved when primary care and the third sector work together with a focus on prevention and intervention.

"The fact that all 250 appointments were booked so quickly shows there is a real appetite for this service.

“People want access to preventative healthcare in places they trust close to home."

The charity has screened 34,800 people, trained 600,000 in CPR, and helped place 37,000 defibrillators in communities.

Summer screening dates have been announced, with more coming in autumn:

20 June – Aberaeron

Feathers Hotel, Aberaeron

27 June – Chepstow

Chepstow RFC

4 July – Penarth

West House, Penarth

18 July – Carmarthen

Bronwydd Hall, Bronwydd

19 July – Llandeilo

Llandeilo Bowling Club

12 September – Ledbury

Ledbury Rugby Club