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downsmail.co.uk Faye’s parents back campaign
THE parents of a two-year-old girl from Maidstone who died after contractingmeningitis B have been giving evidence to a parliamentary petitions committee.
Jenny and Neil Burdett, from Shepway, whose daughter Faye died onValentine’s Day, are among almost a million people campaign- ing to have the meningitis B vac- cine given to all children under five – not just babies. The couplewere joined by Claire Timmins, who lost her son Mason in 2013, and ex-England rugby player Matt Dawson, whose son Sami recently contracted the dis- ease. Lee Booth, who started an online petition last year after his daughter was deemed too old to have the vaccine on the NHS, also gave evi- dence to the first of two sessions on extending the use of the vaccine to all children. Meningitis Now chief executive
Sue Davie, who also attended the session to support the families in- volved, said: “These brave families represent the thousands of people who have been affected by menin- gitis in theUKand the 820,000 plus
Council tax
discount check MORE than 20,000 Maidstone resi- dents who receive the single per- son’s discount on their council tax are to be contacted to ensure the re- ductions are being claimed correctly. The discount, which can be claimedwhenonly one adult lives in the property, is worth at least £250 a year. The checks form part of the Maid-
stone Council’s measures to prevent and detect error and fraud to protect the public purse. The council has appointed Capita
Local Government Services to carry out the review, which will include writing to everyone currently claim- ing the discount. Capita will also work with Equifax, the credit reference agency, using data-matching technology to identify where people are claiming discounts they are not entitled to. Stephen McGinnes, Maidstone Council’s head of revenues and ben- efits, said: “We are keen to ensure that everyonewhois genuinely enti- tled to the single person discount re- ceives it, especially in these difficult economic times. “However, taxpayers who claim
the discount improperly place un- necessary burden on other residents. Anyone currently receiving a dis- count which they feel may not be correct should contact the council as soon as possible.” For more information about coun-
cil tax discounts visit
www.maid-
stone.gov.uk.
brave giving evidence to Parlia- ment so soon after losing their daughter. Their determination to raise awareness of meningitis B is inspiring.” The couple decided to release
Faye’s pictures on social media to back the meningitis B vaccination campaign after witnessing Faye going from being an extremely fit and healthy child to fighting for her life in the space of a few hours. In a statement they said: “We
Faye Burdett
people who signed the petition call- ing for vaccination to be extended.” Meningitis Now gave evidence alongside medical professionals at the second hearing, but the charity hopes that the evidence provided by the families will encourage MPs to represent the views of their con- stituents in the upcoming Parlia- mentary debate. The Burdetts’MP Helen Whately said: “Neil and Jenny have been so
were not even aware of the MenB vaccine. Ifwewere, like many fam- ilies,we would have been trying to get it privately. “We knew that our lives and
moreso Faye’s, had changed for- ever and that we never wanted to picture another family sitting by their child’s bedwatching their tiny child fight so hard to remain on this earth; willing them to live in any way possible – this image has changed our life. “After Faye died we knew that
we had to raise awareness and, if showing even a very small amount of her suffering made that happen, wewere willing to do so.” Mr and Mrs Burdett would like
to see vaccinations for all children up to the age of five. They said: “Faye couldn’t say she
had a headache, that her body ached, or that she was generally unwell. As her parents we had to guess, and guessing is not good enough with meningitis. “We need to protect our children,
not just the 30 or so like Faye who die each year, but the 400-plus who are maimed for life; those who will battle as a result of having menin- gitis.”
Meningitis is usually caused by bacteria or viruses and affects the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. It often coincides with septicaemia, which can be fatal. There are an estimated 3,200 cases of bacterial meningitis and septicaemia each year in the UK.
MPs vow to fight for meningitis jab
THEGovernment has rejected calls to offer the meningitis B vaccine to all children, despite pleas from more than 800,000 petitioners. The petition, launched in Maid-
stone following the tragic death of two-year-old Faye Burdett from Shepway, on Valentine’s Day, alerted the nation to the need to vaccinate all vulnerable children against the life-threatening disease. The vaccine is currently only of-
fered to babies born after July 2015. Mid Kent MP Helen Whately
raised the matter during Prime Minister’s Question Time in the House of Commons, only to be told the Joint Committee onVaccination
and Immunisation had advised against extending the programme. But the Prime Minister David Cameron agreed thatMPs needed to revisit the evidence put forward prior to a new debate in the House of Commons. Further pressure has come from Maidstone and the Weald MP Helen Grant, who has written to the health minister and to the JCVI for clarification on when they would review the programme. In March 2014, they issued a statement claiming the review would be carried out within two years. Mrs Grant said: “From that I concluded that a review would be
taking place prior to March 2016. However my office has struggled to receive any substantive response from the Department of Health.” Mrs Grant said she intended to pursue the case with vigour. She also said she believed the manufacturer should look at its pricing policy to enable the pub- licly-funded scheme to be ex- panded and promised: “I will be asking questions of the DoH re- garding its negotiating stance.” Mrs Whately said research was underway into the effectiveness of vaccinating teenagers,who are the main carriers of the meningitis B bacteria.
Cookie company takes the biscuit at awards
THE Thomas Cookie Company in Maidstone has been named runner- up Kent Food Producer of the Year in the Taste of Kent Awards in its first year of trading. Founded by Thomas Redgrove,
his fiancé Sonal Vaja and friend David Winfield (pictured), the gourmet cookie producers have been working from Thomas’s home in Allington. However, such has been the success of their cottage industry, they are already looking to expand and take on new clients and staff. Thomas said: “It was always a dream to become a finalist, that
dream came true!We couldn’t have imagined anything better in just our first year of trading. “We are now looking at retail
units in Maidstone and soon we will be in a dedicated kitchen and should have an online shop up and running. As well as looking to supply local coffee shops and restaurants, we will also be recruiting.” Thomas Cookie’s classic and
premium ranges are already on sale at farmers’ markets in Kent. The awards were presented at a
black tie dinner at the Detling Showground.
Maidstone Town April 2016 55
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