She has been fighting for improved medical testing since her son dropped dead from an undiagnosed heart failure.

But the Halliday's Park resident says the project – based at the Sports Medicine Centre at Hampden Park in Glasgow – has to be extended.

Wilma and Kenneth Gunn's son Cameron died aged 19 in 1991 while playing football in Galashiels.

She later founded the charity Scottish H.A.R.T. in a drive to have all sporting youngsters tested for heart dangers.

And she helped launch a major petition which was presented to politicians at Holyrood.

Last week, Scotland's health minister Nicola Sturgeon launched the Cardiac Assessment in Young Athletes (CAYA) screening programme.

She said: "Although sudden cardiac death is very rare it robs us of seemingly healthy young people. This pilot means young Scots will soon be able to take part in sport with a greater degree of safety – and help avoid the tragedy of further preventable deaths."

The £200,000 pilot project will run for two years and is a joint venture between the Scottish Government, the Scottish Football Association and the University of Glasgow.

Mrs Gunn told The Wee Paper: "This is only a pilot scheme, of course, and we are not fully there yet.

"I believe that we can get the Scottish Rugby Union on board as well as the SFA and get another fixed base at Murrayfield. It would also be a great boost to get a mobile unit that go to the little clubs across Scotland and check out the hearts of youngsters in all sports.

"Having said that, this is a giant step."

Stewart Hills, professor of cardiovascular and exercise medicine at Glasgow University – who heads the Hampden centre – says screening has been effective in other countries.

He told us: "Any young person's death is a tragedy, but it can be even more difficult to accept when that person seems fit and taking part in healthy pursuits.

"In addition to offering voluntary cardiovascular screening, this project will also be an important source of research data to help develop future expertise."

The screening is aimed at for players and competitors aged 16 years and over.