Brave girld recruits walkers for Trust (From Gazette Series)

Brave girld recruits walkers for Trust

A BRAVE little girl from Dursley is helping to recruit people for a sponsored walk in aid of the Meningitis Trust.

Lydia Stephenson and her mother Val are encouraging people to take part in the 2005 Five Valleys Walk on Sunday, September 25.

They are calling on people to give meningitis the boot by doing the walk through the Cotswold countryside.

Lydia was just two and a half-years-old when she contracted meningococcal septicaemia, which left her fighting for her life in intensive care.

Mrs Stephenson said: "It is every parents' nightmare and it was happening to us. "Fortunately, the Meningitis Trust, through the one-to-one contact scheme, put me in touch with a family who had been through a similar experience and this enabled us to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Lydia made an excellent recovery and she is now a happy, healthy eight year-old with a zest for life."

The Five Valleys Walk is one of the Meningitis Trust's biggest fundraising events of the year.

The trust's events organiser, Steve Williams, said: "In 2004 more than 2,000 people took part, collectively raising an incredible £53,000 for the Meningitis Trust.

"Whatever your age, shape or stamina you can be part of the Five Valleys Walk.

"The walk is split into 12 short parts meaning people can walk either the whole 21-mile route or any distance in between."

The Meningitis Trust relies on events like the Five Valleys Walk to provide the funds for services like financial support grants.

Such grants enhance quality of life for people who have been affected by meningitis and can be used for equipment, respite care and therapeutic activities.

Mrs Stephenson added: "By taking part in the Five Valleys Walk you can help the Meningitis Trust support thousands of families in the UK affected by meningitis every year."

Registration for the Five Valleys Walk costs £3 per person or £8 for a family.

Entries can be made online at www.meningitis-trust.org or by calling the events hotline on 01453 769081.