EMMA Penfound is on a mission to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of meningitis after her son Matthew contracted the disease as a baby, ten years ago.

The determined mother from Bude decided she wanted to raise awareness after she was left feeling alone and isolated, after her family weren’t given any information from the hospital about the after-effects of meningitis.

Since fighting the disease, Matthew has been left with sensory processing disorder, speech and language difficulties, learning difficulties and sleep problems.

These after effects impact his life on a daily basis and are a constant worry for his family.

Emma and her close friends began raising awareness in local supermarkets all over the South West, talking to customers and handing out Meningitis Now signs and symptoms cards.

She said: “It was shocking that the majority of people we spoke to only thought that babies could get meningitis.

“Some people even asked what meningitis was as they had never heard of it — I was shocked at the lack of information and knowledge people had.”

One of Emma’s biggest concerns is that she feels people who live in small towns and communities like hers are forgotten about, and can struggle to access the information they need.

This, along with Emma and Matthew’s experience, has been the driving force behind the creation of the charity ribbons.

Emma said: “I have decided to make these charity ribbons as it is important people have the information they need, as this illness hits you so quickly — it is almost a race against time.”

The ribbons are packaged alongside a Meningitis Now signs and symptoms card, and will be launched in three areas initially; Bude, Bideford and Barnstaple, with the hope of rolling them out all over the South West by the end of the year.

Leah Wynn, Meningitis Now’s Community Fundraiser for the South West said: “Emma is doing a fantastic job of raising awareness in her local area.

“As a charity that receives no government funding, we rely on the initiative of people like Emma to help us support individuals and families, and continue our life changing work.”

Emma has designed the ribbons with her son Matthew in mind, using a ribbed material which Matthew would find stimulating due to his sensory processing disorder that he now lives with as an after effect of meningitis.

Emma said: “Matthew struggles on a daily basis and talking to so many people I realised we were not the only ones.

“This illness makes me so cross as it stays with you forever. I couldn’t have managed without Meningitis Now; their help is vital to families and their support is invaluable.

“We need to stand together and help fight this awful illness, and the only way we can do that is to raise money for Meningitis Now, so they can continue to help families like mine, and make a real difference.”

The ribbons are currently available for £1 in various shops in Bude, Bideford and Barnstaple, and are also available for anyone to buy at www.matts-mission.com All profits go to Meningitis Now.

Meningitis Now is working towards a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need.

For more information and to donate to the cause visit www.meningitisnow.org