A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl has died from meningitis just hours after going to her GP with pains in her back.

Amber Hardy died with her parents Linda and Darren at her bedside, surrounded by other members of her family.

Just two days before, the little girl from north Hull had been out looking for presents for a Christmas wish list and was photographed cuddling a giant dog – her favourite animal – in Toys 'R' Us.

The next day, Amber complained of backache and was taken to her GP, who thought she was showing symptoms of a bug or virus.

But hours later, Amber started fitting and was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary.

She was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary in a desperate attempt to save her life but she lost her battle on Friday afternoon.

Now, her grief-stricken family is appealing for other parents to be aware of the symptoms of the killer bug.

Mum Linda, 42, said: "We were both there holding her hand and they let me lie beside her for a bit.

"It just all happened so fast."

Amber dad's Darren, also 42, said: "She wasn't in any pain – I couldn't have coped if she was.

"They took out all the tubes and then she just went.

"We keep thinking about things we could have done differently, but we couldn't have done any more.

"That's the worst part – you think, 'Could I have done anything else?' but we followed everything we were supposed to do.

"She had even had a meningitis vaccination."

Amber, a Year 5 pupil at Parkstone Primary School, had started to complain of backache early on Thursday morning.

She got into bed with Linda, who realised Amber had a high temperature and gave her some Calpol.

When she woke later that morning, Amber said her back was still sore, so Linda rang the doctor.

"I knew she wasn't well because she had a high temperature – it was sky high," said Linda, a care worker.

"She was lying on the sofa, so I took her temperature and saw she had a rash all over her top half.

"But I did the glass test and it disappeared. With meningitis, the rash stays when you put a glass on it.

"The doctor checked her throat and there was nothing. He did the glass test and all the other checks and it was the same."

Amber returned home with her mum on Thursday and was given more Calpol.

She began to perk up and even sat with the family and had some tea, while her younger sister Emily, seven, and her grandma showed her some of the things they had been to buy at the Hull Christmas lights switch-on.

Everyone went upstairs and Linda read stories to the two girls in bed.

She said: "I gave her some more Calpol and she went off to sleep.

"But then at about 1am, she woke up saying her head was hurting and her temperature was going up again.

"She laid in bed with me for a bit but then, at 3.30am, she started fitting. She was fitting really badly."

An ambulance was called and took Amber and Linda to Hull Royal Infirmary, where blood tests and checks on the rash were carried out. Her dad followed in his car.

Amber was sedated and ventilated and given a scan to see what damage the meningitis had done to her brain.

"At about 10am, they came and told us it was irreversible," said Darren. "Her brain was dying.

"That was the first time they said it was meningitis."

Doctors decided Amber's best chance was to go to Leeds General Infirmary and she was taken in an ambulance with Linda, with Darren following behind.

Amber's condition deteriorated in the ambulance and Darren was called on his mobile to urge him to get to Leeds as quickly as possible.

Darren said: "They said she was surviving by the support machines.

"They told us we could leave her like that as long as we wanted.

"We asked if she would ever wake up, but they said no."

Amber died mid-afternoon on Friday, with Linda and Darren holding their daughter in their arms. Their only comfort is that Amber didn't suffer any pain when she died.

Darren said: "It's really important to stress that parents shouldn't feel silly about going back to the doctors if something changes.

"It's an important message to get across – especially with what we are going through.

"If you see any changes, or think there is something wrong, don't be afraid to go back."

HULL'S shopping centres are bucking the trend, with rising footfall figures as others continue to struggle. Nationally, the retail sector reported that footfall dropped by 2.9 per cent in October – its worst performance of the year.

But Hull's St Stephen's shopping centre reported a 25.6 per cent rise while the Prospect Shopping Centre, city centre, said footfall topped 471,566 in the same month.

Jim Harris, centre manager at St Stephen's, said: "I think as a shopping centre we have got our offer right.

"We have a good mix of shops, a great atmosphere and a great leisure offering.

"Hull is an attractive place for retailers and the city's overall retail and leisure offering is helping traders and pulling in customers from across the Yorkshire and Humber region.

"We're feeling really upbeat about Christmas at St Stephen's. We want the people of Hull and the East Riding to have a fantastic time and enjoy their shopping experience.

"We've got all the latest brands here, from top international brands to quirky pop-up stores especially for Christmas, like Hawkins Bazaar.

"We also have a great leisure offering and food to suit all tastes, from Mexican, Chinese, Prezzo and Nando's to the Handmade Burger Co, Wok&Go, Burger King, Greggs and Starbucks."

According to industry indicators the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the Springboard Footfall Monitor, the high street was the most impacted, with shopper numbers down 3.6 per cent, while shopping centre visitors dipped 2.9 per cent.

Footfall was down in all regions across the UK apart from the East, which edged up by 0.8 per cent.

However, St Stephen's has continued to attract shoppers to the centre and is on track to record positive performances across the quarter four and the festive season.

During 2013, the shopping centre has also reported a significant increase in "dwell time" – the time each shopper spends in the centre – up year-on-year from 48 minutes to an hour. Spend has also increased significantly.

The Prospect Shopping Centre will open its new food court later this month after striking a deal with fast-food giant Burger King and CPL Foods Ltd.

The plans will breathe fresh life into the centre's atrium, which has been vacant since 2007, as well as creating more than 50 jobs.

Burger King, which already has a restaurant in St Stephen's shopping centre, will be joined by Pizza Neo, REAL Café.co, El Taco Loco and Wuji in the new facility.

Lee Appleton, manager of the Prospect Shopping Centre, said: "Our figures for October 2013 are level on October of the previous year, which demonstrates a really strong following for the Prospect Shopping Centre from people across the city.

"Retailers within the centre have recorded very strong figures, with most seeing a healthy increase in sales.

"By trying to expand our offerings, we've ensured numbers have remained high. Events like UPMarket, coupled with a variety of stores, ranging from fashion and supermarkets to food and drink, have all helped.

"StrEAT, our new food court, will help us to continue recording such positive numbers."

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A YOUNG girl from Hull who died from meningitis is believed to have contracted one of the rarest forms of the killer bug. Amber Hardy, nine, died on Friday afternoon, having first become unwell on Thursday morning.

Amber, a pupil at Parkstone Primary School, died from MenC meningitis – a strain she had previously been vaccinated against.

Experts at the Meningitis Research Foundation say Amber's case is an extremely rare one and have reassured her parents they did everything possible to save her.

Linda Glennie, the foundation's head of research and medical information, said: "For the MenC strain, there are only about ten to 30 cases in the UK each year.

"Of these, there have only been two deaths in the past five years. Very few are from vaccination failures – they are often adults who were over 25 when the vaccination was introduced for younger people in 1999 or they were born outside of the UK and moved here later in life, and therefore didn't get a jab either.

"Amber's case is incredibly sad and extremely rare."

Amber, who lived in north Hull with her parents Linda and Darren and younger sister Emily, seven, began to feel unwell on Thursday morning last week and complained to her mum of backache.

As reported in yesterday's Mail, she went to the doctors but was thought to be suffering from a bug or virus. She then started fitting in the early hours of Friday morning.

She was rushed to hospital, but despite attempts by medical experts at both Hull Royal Infirmary and Leeds General Infirmary to save her, Amber lost her battle on Friday afternoon.

Ms Glennie said: "I've been working at the foundation for a long, long time and there used to be a time when, as soon as winter hit, you would hear of tragedy after tragedy.

"But deaths are incredibly rare since the introduction of the vaccination for MenC.

"Amber's family can be reassured they did everything they possibly could."

Amber's dad Darren said the news from Ms Glennie was a "big relief". He told the Mail it was "good to know that it was recognised by experts that we did our best."

As meningitis is a contagious infection, Amber's school has also reassured parents that the people slightly more at risk have already been identified and given antibiotics.

In a letter to parents, headteacher Chris Smith said: "I know the suddenness of this will come as a great shock to many of you and that your thoughts will be with Amber's family.

"I know many of you have already expressed a desire to do something and it goes without saying that we will, of course, be speaking to her family to find out what they would appreciate.

"We are putting together a book of condolence for the family and if anyone would like to contribute, please write your message and thoughts on an A5 piece of paper and hand it in at the school office."

Amber's funeral will be held on Monday, November 25, at 1.45pm at Chanterlands Avenue Crematorium.

In lieu of flowers, the family have requested donations to Parkstone Primary School and Oakwood Dog Rescue.

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POLICE and Crime Commissioner Mathew Grove could soon be put in charge of the region's fire services. Policing Minister Damian Green made the claim in a speech to the Blue Light Innovation Conference this week.

During his speech, Mr Green said it was an idea the Government needs to "consider seriously" if it is to reform the fire service.

His comments follow a Government-commissioned review by Sir Ken Knight over the summer, which found fire and rescue services in England need to be "transformed" to become more efficient and effective.

Addressing the conference, Mr Green said: "Sir Ken stated that police and crime commissioners (PCCs) 'could clarify accountability arrangements and ensure more direct visibility to the electorate'. He also raised the prospect of PCCs taking on responsibility for the fire and rescue service.

"If we are to truly increase local accountability and deliver the much-needed reform of fire services, as we have done in policing, this is something we need to consider seriously.

"PCCs benefit from clear accountability at the local level and have a strong incentive to ensure reform is ambitious enough to improve services and deliver value for money.

"The Government response to the Knight Review will set out our direction, but I want to be clear now that we want to work with PCCs, fire authorities and all the emergency services to build on what is already happening and to drive this forward by removing barriers and unlocking opportunities."

Sir Ken's report said that, while fire incidents were down 40 per cent over the past decade, the number of firefighters was roughly the same.

He also said having 46 separate authorities was not "sensible" and called for more collaboration between fire and other emergency services and the possibility of a single fire service for England.

Mr Green endorsed the need for more collaboration.

He said: "It doesn't make sense for all the emergency services to have different premises, different back offices, different IT systems and different procurement policies, when their work is so closely related.

"For example, the vast majority of fire and police boundaries are already co-terminus. While this could have led to joint estates, over half of police stations in England are separate but within 1km of a fire station.

"In the context of station closures and a public appetite for accessible local emergency services, this is just one practical example of why the emergency services need to collaborate to make it easier to meet public expectation."

Mr Green also singled out Humberside PCC Matthew Grove for the work he is doing in reining in costs.

"Matthew Grove, the PCC in Humberside, made clear after his election that he wanted to see long-term savings delivered from emergency services collaboration," he said.

"He is now working with the fire authority to achieve significant savings by developing a joint vehicle and equipment workshop."

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Television presenter Jeremy Kyle has had to pull out of hosting a charity Christmas concert in Hull next week.

The Christmas Countdown 6 at Hull New Theatre will showcase the depth of East Yorkshire talent.

Straight-talking Mr Kyle, who fronts his talk show on ITV, had agreed to host the concert, being held by the Local Entertainers and Performers Society (Leaps) to raise money for charities.

Leaps secretary Terry Cavender said: "Jeremy Kyle told me he won't now be able to participate due to an unexpected and unavoidable filming commitment.

"He apologised profusely and is desperately sorry. He has, however, promised to try to get to one of our shows next year to make up for it."

X Factor star Ryan Mathie will perform alongside seasoned stars such as Edwina Hayes. Money raised from the show will go to The Samaritans and Cystic Fibrosis charity Chief.

A WOMAN growing out her facial hair for charity has passed the halfway mark in her quest. Sarah O'Neill suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome, side-effects of which can include facial hair.

To help raise awareness of her condition, and raise money for charity, the Bransholme bride-to-be is taking part in Movember.

Sarah, 29, said: "I've got a little moustache now and it is quite itchy. I feel proud of it.

"I can't believe how quickly it has been growing. I think during the rest of the month, it will definitely become more itchy. I doubt I'll end up looking like Gandalf though."

Usually it is men that take part in the Movember campaign – which runs throughout November and sees males growing facial hair.

Sponsorship for growing out facial hair goes to men's health charities for prostate and testicular cancers.

Sarah, who is engaged to partner Tina Briggs, first appeared in the Mail at the beginning of the month.

Since then, her story has gone global and donations have come in from as far as America and Canada.

Sarah said: "Some people have commented on stories saying I've hijacked Movember for my own charity. But I haven't, the money I raise is going to the Movember charities. I just wanted to raise awareness of polycystic ovary syndrome.

"Most of the comments and messages I've received have been really positive – a lot of women who suffer from the condition have been congratulating me."

Sarah initially thought she would raise a few pounds, but has now made more than £700.

Visit Sarah's Movember page to sponsor her.

IT HAS been a part of the Avenues calendar for 12 years. But this year, the Newland Avenue Christmas lights switch-on has been cancelled.

Newland Avenue Traders' Association was unable to fund the lights this year. Many residents are disappointed but the traders are already planning fundraisers to light up Newland Avenue next year.

Ann Percy, chairman of Newland Traders' Association, said: "We're going to be back bigger and better than ever."

The traders are still holding a Christmas event in Newland Avenue next Wednesday, because they don't want to let locals down.

"The traders started doing the switch-on to give the community something back," Ann said.

"They're using the area and using the businesses in the area to buy from."

The Christmas event will be opened by special guest Jean Bishop, also known as the Bee Lady, at 6pm.

Fairground rides, food stalls and local community stalls will be lining the street.

KC will also announce the winner of its Cabs of Culture design competition, to decorate phone cabinets, and there will be a competition to win a family ticket to The Deep.

Although it is not an official switch-on, Ann said the businesses that have lights up will be switching them on at 6pm.

To pay for the road closure and Christmas lights last year, Ann estimated it cost the association about £8,000.

She said: "It's down to funding, we don't have the money this year. It's a lot of money for a community group."

Newland Avenue will be closed from Lambert Street up to Alexandra Grove for the event.

Although Ann knew it was going to be a tough job, she had hoped they could raise the cash.

But the group missed out on funding deadlines after almost disbanding because of a lack of interest from other traders.

Ann said: "We'd lost touch with what we're about.

"We sent a letter out saying it was make or break time."

After renewed interest in the traders' association, Ann decided to carry on but had missed the deadline to receive funding from Hull City Council.

There are now almost 20 traders on the committee.

She said many in the area, and even some of the traders, did not realise the association funds the lights.

"Hopefully, next year people will help us," she said.

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A HAPLESS burglar ended up pleading for the homeowner to call the police after getting trapped in a bathroom window. The owner of the house got a shock after going to the bathroom at 5.30am yesterday to find the man stuck in the window.

The man, 27, admitted he was trying to break into the house in Howden. He had apparently been stuck in the window for more than an hour and actually pleaded with the homeowner to call the police.

When Humberside Police arrived, the Goole man readily admitted he had been attempting to break into the house to steal when he became stuck.

Officers arrested the man and he is now in custody.

It is the latest case of a burglar being caught by their own stupidity in East Yorkshire.

Billy Joe Donnelly, 22, was peckish when he raided a greenhouse down a country lane.

During the raid, however, he could not resist sampling the home-grown produce and his DNA was later discovered on a cucumber.

After eating the produce, Donnelly, of Wimbourne Close, Bransholme, then burgled the Preston home of the owners in August.

He ransacked the house, stealing treasured possessions and also stole a car.

Robert Taylor, 36, who raided a guest house just hours after being let out of prison, was caught after leaving his release form at the crime scene.

Earlier this year, he and William Shearon, 23, broke into the Kilburn Guest House in Trinity Road, Bridlington, and stole a television, a mobile phone and charity boxes for the RNLI. They also took the owner's Ford Mondeo.

A letter addressed to Taylor, including details of his release from prison just hours earlier with his name and address on, was left at the scene.

Taylor, of Fort Terrace, Bridlington, pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to burglary, taking a vehicle without consent and theft. He was jailed for two years.

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• Why Hull's UK City of Culture victory will benefit everybody - by Mail editor Neil Hodgkinson

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FOR Nigel Shaw, the betrayal cuts deep. While admitting his sister Jennifer Bailey had spent much of her life lying, he never believed she could be so callous as to fritter away the money set aside for her mum's care.

In total, Bailey, 59, fleeced her mum Mabel Shaw's estate to the tune of £63,000, carrying out a complex series of transactions using different accounts to hide her spending. Bailey's scheming landed her in court where she pleaded guilty to theft and fraud and she will be sentenced later this month. Mr Shaw, 53, hopes she will be jailed.

"Jennifer has lied all her life and had this false front and it was often just silly little things," he said. "Having said that, I never thought she was capable of this.

"It turns out she hadn't even visited the home for the past two years before mum died. I feel numb and betrayed. I kept telling myself it couldn't be true.

"I started crying when I realised what Jennifer had done. This has been a long drawn-out episode. I hope she gets a custodial sentence."

Both Bailey and Mr Shaw were given power of attorney over their mum's estate following the sale of her house. They agreed Bailey would take care of the day-to-day finances when her mum was put into Keldgate Manor Residential Home in 2006 after suffering dementia.

"We had to put mum in a home about five years ago because she was suffering from Alzheimer's," he said. "We were both given power of attorney over our mum's estate.

"We agreed, seeing as Jennifer wasn't working, she would deal with mum's day-to-day finances. I trusted Jennifer emphatically and everything seemed to be okay.

"But that all changed in 2008 when I got a call from the residential home to say the manager had to fork out £400 because there wasn't any money coming in. That was a big shock because there should have been at least £40,000 left.

"At the same time Jennifer had stopped contact with me. I got suspicious. I called her but she insisted everything was OK but I just knew something wasn't right."

Mr Shaw, of Salthouse Lane in Hull, started to do some digging. "I tried to speak to the pensions people in Dundee to see why my mum's pension wasn't coming through," he said. "But they told me I didn't have power of attorney. I learnt Jennifer had taken me off.

"In 2009 I went to the bank, which looked at the account, and we realised the money had been spent all over the place."

Mr Shaw immediately confronted Bailey. "I went to see Jennifer in Selby but she just kicked off," he said. "My solicitor told me to call the police, which I did. I haven't seen Jennifer since."

Once Detective Constable Krista Wood, based at Beverley station, began her investigation, the true extent of Bailey's deception became clear.

"DC Wood has been fantastic and went through everything," Mr Shaw said. "It turns out Jennifer had used five different accounts using mine and my mum's name, to move the money round and avoid detection. "She would go into a place and buy something for a couple of quid and then get £50 cash back."

In a final callous act, she emptied the account on the day of her mum's death, taking the final £22,000.

"The police weren't sure whether to tell me but it turns out Jennifer took out the remaining £22,000 on the day our mum died. It is unbelievable. I didn't even know she knew how to do what she did.

"She spent the money on trips to the likes of Australia and Thailand. She was motivated by sheer greed. She wanted to keep up with the Jones's."

Mr Shaw believes his sister has no respect for their parents and their toil to provide for the family. Their dad was a shipyard plater and their mum was a school cook.

Mr Shaw said: "My mum and dad worked all their lives but my sister wanted something for nothing. I'm disgusted. I am not upset by the financial loss but by the way Jennifer treated my mum and dad and their memory."

Bailey will be sentenced later this month and whatever the outcome, Mr Shaw hopes to get his life back on track. "I do feel a sense of closure now and hopefully justice will be done," he said. "I have had many sleepless nights over this and just hope it will be better next year."

A FRAUD investigation was launched in 2009 after Nigel Shaw raised concerns over his mum Mabel Shaw's finances. The investigation took more than three years to complete and Jennifer Bailey continued to take money up until her mum's death in 2010.

It was finally completed earlier this year.

For almost four years, Bailey used the money saved to pay for her mum's care on spending sprees and holidays. Bailey, originally from Beverley but now living in Selby, pleaded guilty to spending £63,000 of her mum's money through theft and fraud by abuse of position.

Mrs Shaw died in January 2010 but the enquiry continued. Detective Constable Krista Wood, of Beverley CID, investigated the case. She said: "Production orders for several of Mrs Shaw's bank accounts and conveyancing files from the sale of her house took months to come through.

"Eventually, when all the files were ready, I went through all of the accounts with a fine-toothed comb and followed the money through various accounts in bits and bobs to see where it had gone. It transpired that the money had been spent over a period of several years by Jennifer, who was using it to fund her own lifestyle, shopping, days out, spending money for foreign holidays and so on. This continued until the money was gone.

"The amounts added up to a total of £63,000, which was missing from Mrs Shaw's accounts, having been spent by her daughter Jennifer."

When Bailey was interviewed by the police, she refused to co-operate and the case eventually went to court. She attended Hull Crown Court where she admitted the offences and will be sentenced on Friday, November 29.

DC Wood said: "Mr Shaw is overjoyed at this outcome, as all he ever wanted was to get to the truth. He is also out of pocket, having been defrauded out of his potential inheritance from his mother's estate, but this was not the primary driver in him making this report to the police.

"He had trusted Jennifer to take care of paying the nursing home for the care of their mother and she let his mother down. Jennifer's last transaction was January 11, 2010, the day her mother passed away, and she withdrew £22,000, leaving nothing in her mother's bank account to even cover her funeral."