Meningitis UK is a national charity based in Bristol. Our sole focus is on prevention and funding lifesaving research to eradicate all forms of meningitis. Meningitis is a terrifying disease which can kill in less than four hours and tragically is most prevalent in children and young people.

Sadly, the disease strikes with incredible speed and can be very difficult to detect as its symptoms are so similar to the common cold and flu. There are also times when people show no, or very few, symptoms. For all these reasons, we believe that prevention is the only way to truly eradicate the disease.

Meningitis affects thousands of people in the UK every year and devastates families and whole communities, so developing a vaccine will make a huge difference to countless lives.

Meningitis UK was established in 1999 to fund a £500,000 state-of-the-art dedicated meningitis research laboratory in the University of Bristol's School of Medical Sciences. The charity's Chief Executive, Steve Dayman, tragically lost his 14-month old son Spencer to meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia in 1982. Steve has since dedicated his life to the meningitis cause, working tirelessly to raise funds to find a vaccine which could change the fate of others who might otherwise find themselves in the same terrible position.