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Blyth parents' legacy to tragic little girl

Nov 7 2010 by Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun

Daniel Long and Rachel Skene, parents of meningitis victim Ellie Long, pictured with son Jak

A COUPLE whose daughter’s life was tragically claimed by meningitis have raised £16,500 in the hope of saving other families from the same heartache.

Two-year-old Ellie Long was taken to hospital within minutes of developing a rash but died just six hours later.

The tragedy devastated parents Daniel Long and Rachel Skene, from Blyth, Northumberland.

The couple were also left with the heartbreaking task of breaking the news to Ellie’s five-year-old brother Jak.

Determined to save other parents from the same pain the family set about raising money to help fund research into the disease.

Daniel, a 25-year-old scaffolder, and Rachel, a 22-year-old sales assistant, were inundated with offers of support from family, friends and work colleagues.

A special charity day was held at The Golden Eagle pub in Blyth, in September and around 1,000 people turned out to show their support and take part in the events, which included bungee-jumping, raffles and tombolas.

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