GEORGIE HALL, 23 MONTHS

GEORGIE Hall was a curlyhaired, bright- eyed 23month-old who loved nothing more than playing with her Hetty vacuum cleaner — a toy version of the adult machine.

Today, Georgie’s little pink Hetty has been turned into a plant pot and is in the garden as a very special reminder of a much-wanted daughter.

In two days, it will be a year to the day since Georgie’s parents, Matt and Paula, had to make the heartbreaking decision to turn off the machines keeping their daughter alive after she contracted meningitis B.

The couple, who live in Nuneaton, are painfully aware of what might have been, had the vaccine been rolled out sooner.

On the day she became ill in February last year, Georgie had been to nursery as usual. Matt was in London on business at the time, and Georgie’s decline was relayed to him by Paula, 38, in a series of telephone calls.

Georgie had woken up screaming after her nap and Paula took her downstairs to settle her.

On the way back upstairs, Georgie vomited, but after Paula cleaned her up she appeared to settle. But within a short time, she woke up screaming again. Noticing that her breathing was irregular, a distraught Paula bundled her daughter up and dashed in the car to hospital.

‘She was started on antibiotics as a precaution while they did tests,’ says Matt. ‘But then a nurse noticed a blemish on Georgie’s shoulder and another in her groin area.’

By the time Matt, 35, got to his daughter’s side the next morning, she was very ill.

‘She was still aware and asked for a cuddle. I’m so glad I got back when I did and was there for those last few words,’ says Matt.

Three days after being taken to hospital, Georgie died.

Now Matt and Paula have set up Georgie’s Gift, a charity to help families and hospitals in the fight against meningitis.

‘We just want to prevent as many people as possible from going through what we have,’ says Matt.