A huge thank you to our Community Ambassador, Ian Watkinson, who spent last weekend at the popular Towersey Festival in Thame, Oxfordshire, helping to spread meningitis awareness
“We got out about 7,500 symptoms cards through dispensers around the site, at the bars, stages, children’s festival and so on, and on every seat in the main seated marquee."
“The dispensers and seats were replenished a couple of times each day and the MCs and some of the artists were very helpful and encouraged take-up from the stage."
“We also had pop-up banners on either side of one of the main stages and around thirty plastic banners around the site, mainly close to the dispensers."
“Most encouragingly, lots of visitors and many artists wanted to talk about meningitis and the work that Meningitis Now does. I must have had hundreds of such unprompted conversations over the weekend."
“I feel that this has been a very worthwhile exercise.”
Ian Watkinson, Community Ambassador
Even the bears helped
Even the bears helped spread the message.
The idea to target festival-goers was Ian’s brainwave and followed a successful campaign at his local Shepley Spring Festival in West Yorkshire earlier in the year.
Ian, who lost his baby grandson Charlie to meningitis at just 15-weeks-old in 2010, added: “We’re really grateful to everyone at Towersey for their support. This is a great way to help spread the word and get this vital health awareness message out.”
“I know only too well how cruel this disease can be and I don’t want others to go through what my family and I have. It’s vital that everybody recognises the signs and symptoms and knows what action to take if they suspect meningitis.”
