Events & weekends

Our Believe & Achieve events and weekends are free, safe, inclusive and accessible for everyone.

Find out about the different types of events on offer, and register your interest at the bottom of the page.

B&A Days are one-day, themed events around the UK. We choose activities and topics based on what you want to know more about and what skills you want to develop.

What you learn at these days might help with school, college, university, work or life generally. People who attend our events talk about meeting others, having fun and learning something new, and we've never had anyone say they wouldn't come to another event!

Previous topics and themes have included:

• Dealing with stress and coping with change
• Social media
• Cooking and budgeting
• Fitness Day at Chill Factore
• Photography
• Challenge Day at an escape room

Our Days and Socials are free to attend and include food, and we pay travel expenses.

"So proud of myself and I really had such a fantastic day. It was lovely to meet new people who had experienced what I had experienced and to talk about meningitis. All the stories were so inspiring. It was my first ever Believe & Achieve group meet-up and I couldn't have shared it with better people." - Chloe

Weekends for those aged 11-18

We have free weekends away for 11-18 year olds who have had meningitis or are coping with a family member affected by the disease. These are funded by BBC Children in Need.

11-18 year olds of all abilities attend with a parent or carer and take part in adrenaline-fuelled activities such as abseiling, zip wire, raft building, climbing, team problem solving and quizzes. The fully catered weekends give you the opportunity to challenge yourself, meet and spend time with others who have had similar experiences, and enjoy quality time with a parent or carer without having to worry about issues that can be part of normal, everyday life. Above all, the weekends are about building confidence, having fun and making friends.

Weekends for those aged 18-25

We run a free annual weekend for those aged 18-25 who have been impacted by meningitis either directly or indirectly. These weekends currently take place at Center Parcs and offer the opportunity to meet up, get involved in a variety of activities, learn new skills, meet new people, relax and have fun.

The weekends have excellent accommodation and catering facilities; they are free and all abilities are welcome.

We have seen lives changed and long-term friendships made at these weekends. Some people are scared before they come along, but they go home feeling positive, less helpless and more inspired.

"I get so much pleasure from just watching my daughter take part in activities and achieve something that she didn't think was possible."

"What an amazing weekend! I feel so honoured to have met such an amazing group of people, you're all so brave and have inspired me to keep moving forward during my recovery. I truly have made lifelong friends." - Louise

Online events

We run online evening events for 11-25 year-olds. Topics have been chosen by you through conversations, feedback forms and social media polls. They started because of the pandemic, but we've continued to run these popular evenings that can be accessed by a variety of people, including those who might struggle to attend physical events or who want to have fun and learn something new.

Topics or activities have included:

• Socials, where we bake and play games online
• Reasonable Adjustments
• After-effects
• Anxiety

If the event you are interested in is full, or you cannot see it listed, please contact believe&achieve@meningitisnow.org.

Although we are still living under the impact of coronavirus, we are continuing to plan future events.

We will be following the rules and guidelines set out by ourselves and the venues we are using, as we want to ensure the health and safety of our staff and our valued supporters. However, we are also aware that there could be last-minute changes to our events that are beyond our control. We will give maximum practical notice of any changes to our events.

There is no requirement to attend our events and we would ask that you consider yourselves, including any underlying health conditions you have, before booking, as your health continues to be of high importance to us.