Meningitis charity folds after raising £357,380 for research (From Runcorn and Widnes World)

Wellwishers thanked for supporting meningitis charity

8:20am Wednesday 30th January 2013 in News By Barbara Jordan

A WIDNES mum is closing a charity she set up 25 years ago warning parents of the dangers of a killer brain disease.

Olga Wilde set up Meningitis Merseyside Support Group after her daughter, Heather, was diagnosed when she was 19.

She survived but suffered hearing loss and balance.

The charity has raised £357,380 for groundbreaking research at Liverpool University, led by the late Professor Tony Hart.

Olga, of Coroners Lane, Farnworth, said: “The group was started by families affected by the disease.

“We want to thank the very generous people of Runcorn and Widnes for all their support.

“So many people helped us with office equipment, we had no overheads whatsoever and we all worked voluntarily.

“Every penny went to research or awareness literature.”

Olga’s crusade included giving talks to women’s groups and distributing leaflets warning of the dangers of meningitis, which can strike suddenly.

She held countless table top sales including a regular stall at St John’s church hall in Greenway Road.

The charity has donated the remaining £41,000 to Meningitis Research Foundation towards their unique miningococcal genome lilbrary. This will help scientists throughout the world develop and test vaccines for meningococcal infections, especially meningitis B.

Research at Liverpool has finished.