Team Application Form

Team Application Form

Conor’s Hike 2011

Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge

1st June 2011

in aid of the

Conor Kerin Memorial Fund

Funding research and promoting awareness of Strep A infections & their link with childhood diseases such as Chicken Pox

Name / Address
(Gift Aid Needs House No. & Postcode) / Amount / Date Paid / Gift Aid? () *

* I would like to Gift Aid this and all donations I’ve made to the Conor Kerin Memorial Fund since 6 April 2000 and all donations I might make in the future until I notify you otherwise. I understand that to qualify for Gift Aid, what I pay in income tax or capital gains tax must at least equal the amount the charity will claim in the same tax year. I understand I must provide my name, house number and postcode for my Gift Aid to qualify.

Please make cheques payable to "Conor Kerin Memorial Fund". Send forms and money raised to: The Conor Kerin Memorial Fund, 6 Hazel Close, Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2AD. For further information contact Michael Kerin on 07770 573205, or .

Funds raised support the Hammersmith Hospital / Imperial College Sepsis Research Group in their quest for better diagnosis, prevention & cure of Invasive Strep A infections. No costs are taken from the fund – every penny donated goes to the group.


Where the Money Goes - The Conor Kerin Memorial Fund

Conor was a healthy little boy approaching his first birthday when he got Chicken Pox. No problem, we thought, better to get it out of the way. Five days later he was dead. He contracted a Strep A infection as a side effect of Chicken Pox which went undiagnosed by several doctors. It took just 48 hours to kill him.

Strep A is commonly found in our throats but serious ‘invasive’ infections are rare, however they are on the increase. It is an opportunistic bug that tends to attack the body when it is busy fighting another disease. Children with Chicken Pox are particularly vulnerable as CP suppresses their immune systems and leaves them with open sores through which Strep A can enter. That’s why the US routinely vaccinate for Chicken Pox.

Invasive Strep A infections share a number of symptoms with Meningitis, but are usually more deadly. They can develop into a range of conditions which include Necrotising Fasciitis (the so called ‘Flesh Eating’ bug), Toxic Shock Syndrome and Septicaemia, which is what Conor died from in the end. Official figures imply there are around 2000 cases of Invasive Strep A infection in the UK each year, with a 15-50% death rate depending on their exact nature. However, the true number may be much higher as mis-diagnosis is a common problem.

Strep A can be treated with antibiotics, if it's recognised in time. However, awareness levels need to be raised, both among the general public and front line medical staff, as was done for Meningitis. Also, there is an urgent need for more research, in order to provide better methods of diagnosis, prevention and cure.

Conor’s Fund aims to raise awareness through its website ( events and articles. It also supportsthe Sepsis Research Group at HammersmithHospital & ImperialCollege, one of the few research groups in the UK working to combat Strep infections. All money donated to the fund goes directly to support their on-going research projects into Strep A. No costs are taken out.

If Conor’s fund saves just one life, it will have been worth it. Thanks for helping and for your continued support in memory of our little boy.

Registered Charity Number 1117701