Meningitis Research Foundation

Charity Awards

'Totting up support'

Meningitis is every parent’s worst nightmare. There are 3,000 cases of meningitis and septicaemia (the blood poisoning form of the disease) every year in the UK and half of these cases are in under-five year olds. About one in ten of the people who contract the disease will die and a further one in seven will suffer serious after-effects. Early and effective treatment gives the best chance of a full recovery.

No information existed to help parents spot the symptoms of meningitis, so the Meningitis Research Foundation launched Meningitis Tot Watch, an information leaflet that was distributed to GPs and nurseries throughout the UK. It was decided that this information campaign would be combined with a fundraising push. The information pack sent to nurseries also offered them the opportunity to organise their own Make Music with Marvin events. Marvin the friendly monster being the charity’s fundraising emblem.

On request, nurseries were provided with a pack of materials including songs and instructions on making musical instruments to help them put on their own concert. Children were sponsored to take part and the events generated nearly £50,000.

‘We more than broke even on the cost of producing Meningitis Tot Watch,’ says chief executive Denise Vaughan. ‘But more importantly, a few weeks after Meningitis Tot Watch was launched one mother rang us up and said that the information saved her two-year-old son’s life. That alone is priceless.’

Denise Vaughan
Chief executive
Midland Way
Thornbury
Bristol
01454 281811
Reg no. 1091105
www.meningitis.org

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