Dr Tom Nutt’s 2024 year in review
I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I didn’t admit to feeling a little tired out by 2024, but then it’s been a busy year. We’ve all had to live through the highs and lows of elections, the Olympics, ongoing conflict across the world, and the challenges of a cost-of-living crisis that has only just started to ease.
But as I reflect on the work of Meningitis Now, I also feel a good degree of pleasure and satisfaction; feelings that stem from the work and achievements of our charity’s many supporters, volunteers, Ambassadors, partners and staff.
This work is evident throughout the year and, looking back, I wanted to share with you a few personal highlights from each month.
In January, our Trustee Rod Adlington set out to row the Atlantic Ocean with his crew, The Brightsides. Rod rowed for over 40 days and 40 nights, non-stop, in memory of his son Barney and to raise funds for Meningitis Now and the Get-Ahead Trust. They raised an incredible £146,000.
In fact, fundraising was a theme in January. Not everyone can row the Atlantic, so at the start of 2024 we set our supporters a challenge – to walk 8,000 steps every day in January. In total 975 people took part in our challenge, raising an amazing £55,731. Thank you to all who took part!
In February, I was invited to OIdham by Daksha and Dilip Mistry to attend a ‘Celebration Event’ in the Town Hall. Daksha and Dilip held this event to say ‘thank you’ to all the people who supported them in hosting a ball in the previous December. This included the dancers, performers, and the volunteers who helped on the night. It was a truly moving evening – the embodiment of how communities come together to support one another. It was a privilege to be invited there to represent Meningitis Now.
March saw Meningitis Now host an online conference centred around the impact that our Believe & Achieve programme has had on children and young people who have been affected by meningitis. It was brilliant to hear just what a difference Believe & Achieve has made to young people’s lives. The author of an evaluation report on the programme put it powerfully when she said: “[Believe & Achieve] is perhaps the most impactful programme I’ve ever come across, particularly in terms of its long-term impact”.
The London Marathon always take place in April and is guaranteed to be a highlight. 2024 was no exception and our fantastic runners raised over £170,000 for Meningitis Now. But for me there were two particularly memorable events in April – first, running the (slightly shorter) London Landmarks Half Marathon with a terrific bunch of people including runners from Team Alexis Rose; and second, taking part in an NHS conference focussed on the outcome of the so-called the ‘Worry and Concern’ pilot projects. These projects had aimed to see if it is possible to change culture and practice in the NHS to ensure that the ‘worry and concern’ of seriously ill people (and/or their carers or loved ones) is listened to by doctors and nurses. This matters to many Meningitis Now supporters who may have been dismissed when they sought medical help for a loved one experiencing meningitis – sadly, in many cases, with tragic consequences.
In May we held a ‘Forever Weekend’ in Doncaster, bringing together those who had experienced bereavement. It was described as ‘a safe space to be able to cry, laugh and talk about lost loved ones and know that everyone understands’ and, as one person said, “it was emotional but I took away so many positives.” Meningitis Now’s bereavement support means such lot to many people.
In June I found myself running another half-marathon, this time in Swansea! This was all thanks to supporter Rebecca Lewis who encouraged me to come and visit South Wales – and so I did, with a team of nearly a dozen runners prepared to raise funds and awareness of meningitis. It was another brilliant day.
We also held a fabulous Midsummer Party at the Mall Galleries in London, centred around a private viewing of the annual exhibition of the Society of Woman Artists. This was a wonderful evening and a chance to gather and celebrate the work of Meningitis Now in a pretty unique setting too!
July saw the General Election in the UK and a new government elected. We published our ‘Manifesto for Meningitis’ which summarised seven ‘asks’ on a range of public affairs topics. We continue to shape and influence the new government whenever possible, such as through a submission in December to the “Ten Year Health Plan” consultation.
We launched our 2024 student campaign in August, urging parents, universities and students to know how to recognise the signs and symptoms of meningitis, to act fast if they suspect meningitis and seek urgent medical help. I’d like to thank the many students and volunteers who helped extend the reach of this campaign, through radio appearances and interviews, and then later into the academic year with stalls and events on campuses across the UK. We connected with 60 universities and colleges and held 30 awareness events – and sent out over 47,000 signs and symptoms cards, 3500 fridge magnets and another 3500 of our new ‘raise the alarm’ awareness stickers.
August also saw one of our unique online ‘Keep Connected’ support events focused – in this case – on helping adults who have hearing loss as a result of meningitis or who care for a child who has hearing loss. The lead speaker at this event was Rebecca Mansell, CEO of British Deaf Association who became deaf after having meningitis as a child. As one participant said, "I learned that I am not alone with hearing loss because of meningitis and how common it is as an after-effect."
Meningitis Now has a brilliant range of online workshops for people living in the shadow of meningitis – check out our next anxiety management course in March 2025.
In September new figures published by the UK Health Security Agency showed how meningitis cases in England were rising steeply following a lull in cases caused by the Covid-19 pandemic (and with similar trends evident across the rest of the UK too). I was invited onto BBC Breakfast to discuss the risks associated with meningitis and the importance of awareness and vaccinations. Sue Theodossiadis, who lost her son to meningitis, joined me on the sofa and made a powerful plea for people to be aware of meningitis and to encourage their children to know how to access help in an emergency.
The last weekend of September is always the Five Valleys Walk. Over 1,400 walkers raised an incredible £54,000 by walking the fabulous 21-mile route around the Stroud valleys. The day is always a joy (tiring too!).
October – In recognition of World Meningitis Day we teamed up with Great Western Railway (GWR) to run a special ‘meningitis train’ from Cheltenham to London Paddington where we were met by our President, Lisa Snowdon. On board were a range of supporters who shared their meningitis experiences with journalists and who highlighted the importance of World Meningitis Day in fighting back against this devastating disease. We had brilliant coverage on both BBC and ITV news.
In November I was invited to speak at the The Kings Fund at a conference focussed on ‘how to build effective partnerships between health and care and the life sciences industry.’ Meningitis Now has always worked closely with companies such as GSK and Pfizer and it was great to be able to explore why this matters.
November also saw our Gloucester Cathedral Carol Concert. It was a joy to see a full cathedral and to hear the beautiful music of Elmbridge Primary School, Chalford Band and Rock Choir. The concert is always a moving and uplifting occasion, and functions as the culmination of our annual Ribbon Appeal in which we remember the many lives of people lost to meningitis.
December is naturally dominated by Christmas and our London Carol Concert saw a full church in St Paul’s in Covent Garden, including volunteers, Ambassadors, and our President, Lisa Snowdon. The event saw performances from London Soul Choir and the classical trio, Bowfiddle. We also heard from our Ambassadors Charles Stephenson who shared a poem about his meningitis experience and Gus Joseph, who gave a powerful and heartfelt address. You can read one of Charles's poems as well as his story here.
So, as I reflect on the conclusion of 2024, I’m perhaps not surprised at feeling a bit tired out! And I suspect many of you will be too – not least the people mentioned above who have given so much of their own time and energy to support our wonderful charity.
I hope that you also share the inspiration that this brings and feelings of hope and optimism for the future.
Thank you for all your support in 2024. I wish you the very best for 2025.
