It’s a year since Louisa Thornber and her husband Robin went through the most traumatic moment of their marriage.

Their son Elliott, only seven weeks old, was struck down with one of the most deadly childhood illnesses – meningitis.

But luckily, Mrs Thornber, 31, spotted the symptoms quickly, rushed him to Airedale General Hospital at Steeton, near Keighley, and his life was saved.

“Doctors said that had we not got to the hospital when we did then Elliott wouldn’t be here today,” said Mrs Thornber, who is backing the Meningitis UK charity’s winter awareness drive.

She remembers the moment she spotted a rash developing on Elliott’s body, an early sign that the brain bug might have struck.

Mrs Thornber, of Hartley Place, Cowling, Keighley, said: “I wasn’t going to go to my work Christmas party but my husband insisted. It turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made because it meant I checked on Elliott later than I usually would have.

“When I got home his temperature had rocketed to 39.9 degrees. Alarm bells were now ringing so I checked for a rash. My sister had meningitis nine years previously so I knew all about the symptoms.

“There wasn’t a rash but I knew something wasn’t right so called NHS Direct. A nurse called back to assess the situation and I checked for a rash again.

“This time I discovered that three little spots had appeared. The rash developed so quickly – within four minutes he was covered in about 1,000 spots from neck to toe. It was horrific.”

With her husband Robin, they dashed to Airedale Hospital with Elliott, where he was pumped full of antibiotics.

Mrs Thornber said: “Initially they didn’t think it was meningitis but they treated him for it anyway, which ultimately saved his life.

“By the time my mum arrived from Cumbria at 7am, he was already improving.

“He was very, very poorly for four days but slowly got better.

“My advice to parents is to make sure they know the full range of symptoms and to act quickly. You know your child best and if you’re not happy you should take them to the hospital. It isn’t worth the risk.”

Meningitis UK’s Search 4 a Vaccine campaign aims to raise £7 million to fund vital research into developing a vaccine against Meningitis B, the most common form of meningitis in the UK.

To order, call (0117) 373 7373 or visit meningitisUK.org.