A PUBLICITY campaign has been launched this week in a bid to raise public awareness about meningitis.

A special mobile display was parked outside Blackburn town hall as part of National Meningitis Awareness Week.

The event has been organised by the National Meningitis Trust and staff were on hand with advice and help.

As part of the awareness week students returning to college are also being warned to look out for their mates.

Last year there were 335 cases of meningitis amongst people aged between 15 and 24 and 55 of them proved fatal. A poster campaign has been launched and warning signs will go up at colleges across the country to raise awareness about the disease.

The Cheshire Building Society is also supporting the awareness campaign.

It is funding an awareness programme which will see information packs sent to schools across the North West.

A spokesman for the National Meningitis Campaign said: "Although anyone can contract meningitis, children and particularly teenagers are some of the groups most at risk.

"This support from the Cheshire Building Society will enable us to distribute potentially life saving information to all schools in the area."

For more information about the disease contact the trust on 01453 751738.

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