Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, July 20th, 2000


Support group will keep Lee’s memory alive


by Vivien Meath


A RIBBLE VALLEY mother whose son died from a lethal and grue­ some flesh-eating dis­ ease has founded a national support group


in his memory. A simple gum abscess was


all it took to kill Lee Spark. He was just 23. The last time Mrs Doreen


Mother wants to help other sufferers


Marsden (pictured) saw him, he was very much alive and healthy. On October


6th, 1999, the Ribchester mother-of-two received a telephone call telling her that her son had died at the Sheffield home of his broth­


er. It was every parent's


nightmare, yet worse was to follow. A post-mortem revealed that Lee had died from necrotising fasciitis, referred to by some as "gal­ loping gangrene". The only symptoms he suffered were similar to flu. "About 1,000 people a


Mrs Marsden that those who do manage to survive the disease are already in hospital when they contract it and, consequently, can be taken straight into inten­ sive care. Commonly referred to as


"the flesh-eating bug," the bacterium attacks the skin, causing the surface layers to peel off, exposing large areas of red, raw skin over the body. Rapid tissue destruction can result in entire limbs being lost with­ in a matter of hours, and medical experts say that often only amputation and a high dose of antibiotics offer the only hope of sur­


vival. Mrs Marsden states that


year get what Lee died of,” explained Mrs Marsden. "About 80 people a year die of it." Contact with many of the survivors has convinced


sufferers commonly quickly go into toxic shock and, usually, are placed on a life support machine until it is decided whether they will live or die. Unfortunately, Lee never had that option. He had just moved to


Sheffield to start a job and had worked abroad for a time before that. He did painting and decorating - whatever he could to work his way around," recalls Mrs Marsden, who assists husband Chris with their kitchen hygienist company and also works part time at a Blackburn doctor’s. In Sheffield, he was living


in the same block of flats as his younger brother, Mar-


tyn (21). The morning Lee died, he had gone to Mar- tyn's flat at 5 a.m. com­ plaining of feeling unwell and asking his brother to put the kettle on. Shortly afterwards, Lee collapsed. His brother telephoned for an ambulance and began resuscitation. His efforts, however, were in vain. Mrs Marsden later found


V


be lethal if not quickly diagnosed. In Lee's case, entry had been via the gum abscess. "The disease trav­ els inches per hour and had attacked his heart, his lungs and his liver," she said. "Within a week of the


post mortem, I wanted to do something. I wanted to ask so many questions about it - it is so rare. I made contact with other people, through the public health laboratories,who had it and it was suggested by the medical professionals that a support group was something desperately needed. The only one at present is in Michigan, America." People in England, she


out that the streptococcus bacterium needs to have a port of entry. It enters the body through tiny openings or cuts in the skin and can


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discovered, were already desperately logging on to the American website in the hope that they would receive a response. Now, Mrs Marsden's


toccus infections and necro­ tising fasciitis support) is up and running. She has designed a logo using a ris­ ing bright sun with the words HOPE written across and, with the full backing of microbiologists and the 900 infection control nurses currently working with suf­ ferers, feels that she is get­ ting really to the core of the people she needs to contact. "This causes horrendous


group: The 'Lee Spark' NF Foundation (severe strep-


mental and physical dam­ age for the rest of their lives," she added. "People's lives have been almost destroyed. I want to do this for Lee. I want to be there


Stars are heading for Valley to


honour popular June Whitfield Julian Clary heads list of famous at Stirk House event


THE stars will be shining in the Ribble Valley next month as they pay tribute to one of


their own. June Whitfield, one of the


nation's best-loved actresses, is to receive the Michael Elliott Trust Award for 2000 for her charity


work. -Once again, it is a Ribble Valley venue that has been chosen to host the glittering occasion. It is rare to see so many celebri­


ing tribute to the actress who has


become a household name. From "Terry and June", "Miss


Marple", "Absolutely Fabulous", regular appearances in the "Carry On" films to "All Rise with Julian Clary", June Whitfield has become one of the entertainment world's most popular actresses. Stars joining her at the c e n t on


ties together at an event in the North, but it is certainly not the first time that many will have vis­ ited Gisburn's Stirk House Hotel, where next month they will be pay­


" *


August 6th include Julian Clary, June Brown (Dot Cotton) who was honoured by the trust last year, John Barden (Dot’s paramour in "East Enders"), Jean Ferguson (Marina from "The Last of the Summer Wine"), Sarah Lancashire, Kelvin Fletcher ("Emmerdale"),


___


Tina O'Brien (the teenage mother on TV's "Coronation Street"), Jean Alexander (Hilda Ogden and Aunty Wainwright in "Last of the Summer Wine"), Sue Johnstone ("The Royle Family"), Trevor Pea­ cock and Marianne Elliot. A frequent visitor to the hotel,


June Whitfield has been a generous supporter of the Michael Elliott Trust, which works to help children with learning difficulties. The organisation's programme


provides children with the opportu­ nity to look after donkeys, a thera­ py which helps build the confidence and self-esteem of the youngsters. Four of the donkeys now live in the


grounds of Stirk House Hotel, which has recently signed adoption


papers for them. The £50-a-head tickets for the


event, with proceeds to the trust, are already being snapped up, with the hotel offering a "star treatment" draw for those buying four tickets, whereby the winners will be collect­ ed from home by limousine and spend their evening at a table with a star from Coronation Street or Emmerdale. • LOOK for our special easy-to-


enter competition next week in which we are joining forces with Stirk House Hotel to offer two free tickets for this star-studded event.


EACH meal will doubtless be a veritible feast at the Mayfield Avenue home of Mr John and Mrs Winifred Walker, after they won a Clitheroe Advertiser and Times competition. The competition was in


W in n e r s a ll - an d i t ’s th a n k s to J am ie Oliver ,


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at the end of the phone for | those people who, unlike my son, have survived.” Mrs Marsden can be con­


tacted via her e-mail address: cmarsden@zen.co.uk.


• Medical research states


that the infection comes from the same family of bacteria that causes com- | mon strep throat. Aching pain, nausea and swollen rashes usually appear with­ in 24 hours of infection. Critical symptoms, includ­ ing a severe drop in blood pressure as the body goes into shock, develop within four days.


Chair stolen


AN antique, Georgian-style double lounge chair has been stolen from Brow- sholme Hall, between June 30th and July 14th. The green-coloured steel chair was valued at £200. The thieves had also tried to steal a sundial from the premises.


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^conjunction with Sainsbury's supermarket, in Clitheroe, and related to the company's new television advertisment. In it, chef Jamie Oliver, cooks up a Spicy Prawn Curry. The couple correctly


answered "prawns", to the ques­ tion: What is the key ingredi­ ent for Jamie's new recipe? Their prize was a £50 gift


voucher, a food hamper from the special selection and a Tefal electric steamer and rice cooker. Our picture shows Mr and


Mrs Walker receiving their bounty at Sainsbury's store in Clitheroe from store manager Julia Blackett (middle) and staff Carolyn Hanson (left) and


Wendy Cooper. (A130700/4)


Open-all-night ‘store wars salvo


THE Tesco store in Clitheroe is borrowing a phrase from TV comedy history - it will


soon be open all hours! Only the Sunday trading laws stop the complex welcoming


shoppers every hour there is. From August 14th, the doors


will remain open continuously from 8 a. m. on Monday mornings to 10 p.m. on Saturday evening. But there will be the usual 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. Sunday trading. Tesco manager Mrs Claire Hirst


says that trials at other branches have confirmed the demand for all-


night shopping. She has no comment at all on


whether the move has a "store wars" aspect, given the rivalry between Tesco, Booths and newer arrival Sainsbury’s. "My interests are with our shop­


pers and all-night opening as near as Blackburn has proved a success," says Mrs Hirst. "We are making it available, and feel that many peo­ ple will then realise how convenient


it is." Only the fish and delicatessen metric measures claims supermar­ ~ . il. metric measures claims superr


counters will be closed overnight, and drink sales will observe the licensing laws. Tesco has 180 full and part-time staff, and enough will be available to run the store, earning suitable overtime pay. "We already have night shelf-filling work," says Mrs Hirst. Security, noise nuisance potential and other possible problems are all being addressed. The Skipton store is also going


all-night at the same time. © FEW shoppers understand


ket giant Tesco. As a result, the store returned to


pounds and ounces on Monday. Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans


welcomed its decision, supporting the move by buying a pound of apples and a pound of bananas at


the Clitheroe store. "This shows that Tesco is sup- I


porting a commonsense way to shop. Most people in this country still think in pounds and ounces


and no one wants to be forced to change the way they shop," com­ mented Mr Evans.


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