LAST week the Gazette launched a campaign with Meningitis UK to help find a vaccine against the most common strain of the disease, the meningitis B group.

The campaign aims to raise £40,000 by this time next year. This amount will help fund the work of a vaccine researcher for a whole year.

This week reporter Liza-Jane Gillespie talks to the Virgo family from Berkeley, who know all too well the speed at which meningitis can strike.

IN MAY of last year more than 30 people walked the 10 miles from Thornbury to Berkeley and along the way managed to raise £13,000.

This was an impressive amount for such a short journey, but people’s generosity was triggered by the sudden death of 27-month-year-old Sam Virgo.

Sam, who lived with his mum and dad, Sue and James and his nine-year-old brother Steven in Berkeley, had contracted meningitis in March and died within hours.

Touched by the tragedy, the Berkeley community soon rallied around the Virgo family and led by family-friend Rose Hardwick decided to raise money for Meningitis UK in memory of Sam.

Rose said: "It was a week after Sam died and I decided we should do something.

"People were really generous and the money just kept coming. It was quite overwhelming."

During the May Bank Holiday weekend last year 34 people put on their walking boots and charity T-shirts to walk the 10 miles to raise the profile of meningitis, but also to raise money for vaccine research.

Sue said: "People felt they couldn’t do anything for me but still wanted to help in some other way. The walk went well and made us all feel we were doing something positive."

Having watched her youngest son lose his battle against meningitis, Sue believes the only way to combat this disease is to find a vaccine.

"Sam was fine on the Friday morning, we took Steven to school, he had his lunch. It all happened so quickly."

It was mid-afternoon when Sam started showing symptoms and despite his concerned parents taking him to Stroud Hospital, he was sent home only to return to Gloucester Royal Hospital just hours later where he was diagnosed with meningitis. Sam died the next day.

Sue said: "It’s so important to find a vaccine, it is the only hope. Meningitis can strike so quickly, the only way forward is for the kids to have a jab.

"We thought we caught it early with Sam but there was still nothing that could be done. We’re not sure if it had been diagnosed the first time he went to hospital it would have made a difference.

"It is so important to find a vaccine but also raise the awareness of meningitis among parents and doctors."

This year’s Meningitis UK walk in memory of Sam Virgo is being held on Saturday, May 2, starting at the Black Horse Pub, Thornbury and finishing at the Boar’s Head Pub in Berkeley.

Anyone wishing to take part or to make a donation should contact Rose Hardwick at Rose.hardwick@virgin.net Please support the Gazette in this important campaign either by making a donation online by clicking on the campaign logo at www.gazetteseries.co.uk or by filling in the coupon on this page, by attending a fundraising event later in the year or by holding an event yourself.

Ideas of fundraising events can be found by visiting www.meningitisuk.org or by calling Meningitis UK on 0117 373 7373.

We promise to give every event held in support of this campaign plenty of publicity and every month we will publish the roll of honour of everyone who has made a donation, large or small.

And who knows, the work that is done as a result of the campaign this year could just be that which comes up with the ultimate goal - a vaccine.