I WAS really interested to read in the Daily Echo of August 14 about Aaron Phipps, who is designing T-shirts for disabled people to wear with pride, after he suffered from meningitis C at the age of 15 and lost his legs.

I think it is a fantastic idea and wish him all the best with his business and hope the T-shirts are a great success.

Here at Meningitis UK we sadly know only too well how devastating the disease can be and how quickly it can take hold.

Our charity has a single focus - to find a vaccine to eradicate meningitis. Great advances have been made in the fight against the disease over the last 20 years and we are now closer than we have ever been before to achieving our vision and putting a stop to the devastation that meningitis causes.

Our biggest remaining challenge is to develop a vaccine to protect against Meningitis Group B - the one type of meningitis in the UK for which there is currently no vaccine. Our scientists believe, that with enough support, a vaccine against Meningitis Group B can be developed within the next 7-10 years, which is why we have launched the Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign.

The aim of the campaign is to raise £7m over the next seven years to ensure that our scientists can continue their potentially lifesaving research until a vaccine is found.

In the absence of a vaccine, we also distribute a wide range of material to raise awareness of the common symptoms and the need to act quickly, which can mean the difference between life and death.

If anyone would like a symptoms information pack, including wallet-sized symptoms cards, or to support our Search for a Vaccine, please ask them to call Meningitis UK on 0117 373 7373 or visit www.meningitisUK.org VERITY THOMAS, Meningitis UK.