“Our good friends at Turtle Tots have been splashing out again this autumn to raise vital funds to support our work and awareness of meningitis.

Once again, they’ve dived deep and come up with treasure, raising an amazing £36,000 for our lifesaving and life-changing activities. This is the second year that the team of top swimming teachers have supported our Splash Now campaign and we couldn’t be more grateful.

And, even better, we’re thrilled to announce that Turtle Tots have already taken the plunge and committed to doing it all again next year – thank you.

In memory of Clara

Our Splash Now campaign is inspired by and carried out in memory of Clara Fox, who sadly lost her life to meningitis at just 10 months old.

Clara’s family and friends wanted to do something special in her memory and as she loved to swim her godmother April Prendergast worked with us to develop Splash Now.

Teaming up with the Turtle Tots team means we get to reach lots of families of babies and toddlers, the group most at risk from meningitis, and spread even more valuable awareness.

Claire told us: “We’d like to thank Turtle Tots, Meningitis Now and April for organising the Splash Now campaign.

“Knowing Clara’s story continues to raise awareness and may help others to recognise the signs and symptoms of meningitis means a great deal to all of us.

April told us: “It is wonderful watching the continued success of the Splash Now Campaign.

“Seeing so many children and swimming teachers having lots of fun in the water to help raise awareness of this devastating illness really is fantastic.

“The funds raised so far by the Splash Now Campaign to support Meningitis Now are incredible and I am so thankful to everyone who has taken part this year and in previous years.

Splash Now is a great platform

“From babies to grandparents, meningitis can affect anyone of any age. The Splash Now campaign is a great platform to highlight the seriousness of meningitis in a fun and creative way. We’re excited to see what next year brings!”

April added: “It is wonderful watching the continued success of the Splash Now Campaign.

“Seeing so many children and swimming teachers having lots of fun in the water to help raise awareness of this devastating illness really is fantastic.

“The funds raised so far by the Splash Now Campaign to support Meningitis Now are incredible and I am so thankful to everyone who has taken part this year and in previous years.

Really important to raise awareness

“It is really important to us to continue to raise awareness in Clara’s memory of the signs and symptoms, and especially not to wait for the rash. Which comes back to where the idea for the campaign all began – don’t wait for the rash, splash!

“I wish the campaign every success for the future.”

You can read Clara’s story here:  https://www.meningitisnow.org/support-us/news-centre/meningitis-stories/claras-story/

Surpassed our expectations

Caroline Sparks, Turtle Tots’ Co-founder, added: “We were really pleased to support Meningitis Now for the second consecutive year, and the commitment of our franchisees and parents has surpassed our expectations.

“We love the fact that not only are we raising much-needed funds for Meningitis Now, we are also raising awareness of the symptoms amongst the Turtle Tots community and further afield.

“We are already looking forward to making next year’s Splash Now campaign even bigger and better!”

Fantastic support

Mark Jefferies, our Senior Partnerships Fundraiser, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to receive such fantastic support from Turtle Tots.

“Every one of the franchisees who took part were so positive and made their classes extra special by arranging activities like cake sales and fancy dress. Thousands of children and parents from across the UK had an absolute ball as a result, as well as taking away potentially vital lifesaving information.”

Overall, 18 of the Turtle Tots Franchises took part in pool-based activities this year and over 3,000 children were involved. Splash Now has raised over £61,000 for our work since it launched in 2019, with more than 5,000 children taking part, thanks to our partnership with Turtle Tots.