North Hull rallies to mum who lost son

A MOTHER who lost her six-year-old son to meningitis has thanked the people of north Hull for generously backing a family fun day in his honour.

Claire Newman's son, Liam, died of the meningitis B strain of the bacterial infection in October 2009.

Each summer since his death, Claire has thrown a street party in his memory in 27th Avenue, where her family live, to help raise awareness of the illness.

In April, Claire announced that her appeal for raffle prizes had proved fruitless but, following a plea for items, the people of north Hull demonstrated their generosity.

Claire said: "To start off with, the response was not good. Everyone is struggling at the moment.

"But after the story appeared in the Mail, offers started to flood in.

"The response has been brilliant – better than in past years.

"I thought people wouldn't care as much as they did after we lost Liam – he'd be 13 this year.

"But I needn't have worried.

"It means so much to my family to know people do still care."

Proceeds from the fun day, where photographs of Liam will be displayed along with awareness posters, will go to Meningitis UK.

Claire said: "Liam would have loved the idea of a fun day in his honour.

"He'd have loved having fun on the bouncy castle we have each year."

Claire said her objective was simple – to help prevent future family tragedies.

"Meningitis destroyed our family," she said.

"We didn't think it could happen to us, but it did. It happened so quickly.

"If we can make people aware of the symptoms and let them know what they should do, it could save a life."

The entertainment on Saturday, July 6, will begin at 11am, with Punch and Judy shows, raffles, craft stalls and traditional fairground games, such as hook-a-duck.

Claire: "It's about families having a bit of fun, but remembering Liam and raising awareness of meningitis."

About 1,870 people each year contract meningitis B, the most common form of the bacterial infection, and one in ten of them die.

Despite successful vaccination programmes in the UK, children are currently not protected against meningitis B.

Last year, scientists developed 4CMenB vaccine, which Meningitis UK described as the "biggest leap forward in the field" in 30 years.

Claire said: "We're waiting for the Government to approve it. It needs to happen soon."

The drug is already approved in parts of Europe.