Summer Stroll mission for Chris' friends and family
01.06.11
FRIENDS and family of Wotton-under-Edge teenager Chris Pegler will be joining hundreds of walkers for a poignant 13-mile walk.
The popular 18-year-old died suddenly from meningitis in November, prompting a massive fundraising drive in his memory.
Over £18,000 has now been raised for Meningitis UK to help find a vaccine for the devastating disease.
The latest mission is the 13-mile Summer Stroll in Bristol, which looks set to attract 200 walkers and raise £20,000 for the charity.
Chris' mum Karen says around 20 of Chris' close friends and family members will be taking part on June 18 but says everyone's welcome.
She said: "It sounds like a brilliant walk, which takes in Bristol's countryside and historic places. We're really looking forward to it and hope people from Gloucestershire will make the journey.
"It's amazing how much we've raised in Chris' memory so far which is a testament to how much he was loved.
"It means so much to us to be making a difference by helping to find a vaccine so people are protected from this dreadful disease in the future."
A charity fun day at Synwell Park attracted 200 people on Sunday (MAY 29) and raised a further £800.
Chris' story is being used in the promotional leaflet for the Summer Stroll to remind people why they're walking and the importance of their fundraising efforts.
He died within 24 hours of showing any sign of being ill. He thought he was getting a sore throat but his condition deteriorated rapidly.
Doctors initially thought it was a harmless virus but when Chris woke up in the middle of the night to discover a rash on his face, chest and arms, his parents Karen and Steve called an ambulance immediately.
He was in a critical condition and, as his body battled the infection, his organs began to fail and his heart stopped in the early hours of November 18.
His parents Karen and Steve feel a vaccine would have been the only way to save their son's precious life such was the speed at which the disease took hold, with no symptoms to distinguish it from the flu or a virus.
The sixth Summer Stroll kicks off at the Lock Keeper pub in Keynsham at 9.30am on Saturday, June 18, before following the canal down the Avon walkway, through Hanham Lock and up around Broom Hill.
After going around the Conham River Park and through the Avon Valley Woodlands Nature Reserve, walkers will head towards Queen Square for a well-earned BBQ.
The next stage will go to College Green, up Park Street, through Victoria Square and over the Suspension Bridge and through Ashton Court before finishing at Ashton Gate stadium.
To join in the Summer Stroll, or for more information, call Laura Bullock on 0117 373 7373, e-mail laurabullock@meningitisUK.org or visit www.meningitisuk.org/summerstroll
MeningitisUK · Registered Charity No.1076774
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