Having thought that 'this kind of thing never happens to me' - my son Angus contracted bacterial meningitis when he was just 6 days old. Following an agonising 3 week stay in hospital he was discharged – 5 years on he is a fun loving and healthy little boy. I realise that we are one of the lucky ones – many stories like this end with very different outcomes and this is where the help and support of the Meningitis Trust is so valuable to those families involved.
Each year I try and do some fundraising for the Trust and 2010 sees the biggest challenge yet – to cycle from to . The 310km route will take 3 days to complete - so training has started in earnest to get fitter lose a bit of weight and get used to spending hours on end 'in the saddle'.
Please dig deep and support me on this challenging journey - your donations will help to raise funds for an extremely worthy cause (which you can read more about below) whilst also making a real difference to individuals and families throughout the UK.
Many thanks in advance for your support - it is much appreciated!
Paul
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Below is some more information about the Meningitis Trust, where and how funds are spent and information about donating through Just Giving
The Meningitis Trust is completely reliant on voluntary donations to continue its work as the ’s longest established meningitis charity, offering support to anyone affected by the life-changing disease. The Trust currently helps around 20,000 people each year through its range of free professional support services. These include;
- Freephone 24-hour nurse-led helpline (0800 028 18 28)
- Professional counselling
- Financial grants
- Home visits
- One-to-one contacts
- Community support
Meningitis not only impacts the lives of those personally affected, but also the wider family, the individual’s friends, neighbours and colleagues.
Here are some examples of how your money could help;
£10 can pay for 500 symptoms cards that may help save a life through the early identification of the symptoms of meningitis
- £15 can help fund the Meningitis Trust freephone 24-hour nurse-led helpline for one hour
- £30 can pay for enough crayons, clay or other creative materials for a child or young person to use in six sessions of art therapy, to help them express themselves after a meningitis experience
- £55 - can fund a session of specialist physiotherapy, to help with physical disabilities caused by meningitis
- £160 can pay for one day of our specially trained community nurses who provide much-needed help and support to meningitis sufferers and their families in their local communities
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
