THE health of babies in Southampton is to be boosted, thanks to a Christmas appeal launched by a local medical research charity.

One of the aims of Hope's Hope for Healthy Babies campaign is to find a vaccine for meningitis B, but money for the project runs out at the end of December and the charity needs to raise £10,000 to keep the research team together.

Trust director Ray Kipling said: "We have been promised £10,000 from a charitable trust if we can raise the same amount to match it, so we urgently need help.

"We are writing to our supporters and we are appealing to the public, community groups and businesses to help.

"Most people think of charities at Christmas and what could be better than helping to stop the deaths of 150 children every year?"

He added: "This is a killer disease, often attacking babies. Our scientists are a long way down the road to finding a new vaccine. They just need the money to continue their work.

"But if we cannot raise the cash, there is a danger that this vital work will have to stop."

The meningitis research team is based at the University of Southampton where it is led by Prof John Heckels, an international expert on the disease.

His team has developed a new way of growing proteins to make target vaccines.

It is also at the forefront of scientific analysis using the latest technique, called proteomics, to study samples, including material from the 1997 outbreak in which three university students died.

Earlier this year meningitis killed a schoolboy from Ringwood.

Anyone wishing to help the appeal can contact Hope on 023 8033 3366.