A GROUP of hairy men are queuing up to put to shame heartless thieves who stole charity boxes from a Ludlow pub in memory of a young woman from the town who died a year ago.

Leanne Brownhill, who died suddenly in November 2013, suffered from a congenital heart condition.

But her life has inspired many friends and family who have raised £6,500 for charity in her memory over the past 12 months.

The Bridge Pub in Ludlow is just one of the places in the town that was helping with the fund-raising. But heartless thieves stole charity boxes in memory of Leanne from the pub.

It is not known how much money has been lost but it could run to hundreds of pounds.

In a bid to make up some of the lost funds there will be a fundraising waxing session on Saturday (November 9) and more than 40 men have put their name down to have their legs made silky smooth.

Leanne’s family they have been amazed by how the town has thrown itself into raising money in Leanne’s memory with funds pouring in to the tune of more than £500 a month.

Activities to keep the money pouring in have included a sky dive, people running marathons and other fun runs. It also includes one of Leanne’s friends being shorn of her golden locks of hair.

Much of the money has gone to the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) but other beneficiaries have included the British Heart Foundation and the Hope House Hospice.

Ten years ago Leanne was diagnosed with a form of cardiomyopathy – a genetic weakness of the heart muscle that can affect young people and kill without any notice.

The condition first became apparent when Leanne started to suffer from episodes of fainting but it took some time before the condition was diagnosed

Although the disease has no cure it can be managed in a number of ways.

Leanne had not allowed her illness to prevent her making the most of her life and one of her proudest moments was when she was awarded a nursing degree from Manchester University

She had a pacemaker fitted and also a defibrillator that delivers an electric shock to the heart.

Her condition had deteriorated in the months before her death and there had been a suggestion that she may need a heart transplant in the future.

She had been forced to give up her job as a staff nurse in Redditch and was working at a coffee shop in Ludlow but her death came as a massive shock to family and friends.

Cardiomyopathy is a condition that affects the heart muscle that can in most cases be picked up through scanning that can include an electro cardiogram and an ultrasound examination of the heart.

The condition can affect people at any age but is generally associated with the sudden collapse and death of young people including sportsmen and women who had always appeared fit and healthy.

In some cases like Leanne’s there will be symptoms that can include fainting and shortness of breath but in other incidences there are no indications that anything is wrong.