Hannah was an 18 year old beautiful, talented artist from Pembrokeshire whose life was taken early by meningococcal meningitis, she passed away on 26th January 2012 in less than 24 hours after feeling unwell. The symptoms of this disease are notoriously difficult to spot accurately and there is little time to act, so her family decided to support the “Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign” run by Meningitis UK. Her parents Roy & Ann and her brother Tom would like to thank all those who have raised money for the Forever Fund in memory of Hannah and for the support and kindness received in helping them cope with their loss.

Steve Dayman, the founder of Meniningitis UK has been an unrelenting campaigner to try to eradicate the disease since the loss of his young son in 1982.  In 2013 Meningitis UK joined forces with Meningitis Trust to become Meningitis Now.  We supported their "Beat It Now" campaign and petitioned our MP and joined him and other Meningitis Now supporters in Westminster to lobby parliament to introduce the MenB (Bexsero) vaccine. We were pleased that finally, in 2015, it was introduced as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme. This vaccine will give protection against almost 90 per cent of the meningococcal group B strain of the bacteria which is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the UK. The vaccine is also available privately.  The MenACWY vaccine is given to children from 14 years of age and is also offered to 17-18 year olds. However, not all types of meningitis can be prevented by these vaccines and we urge everyone to be aware of the symptons of the disease.  We will therefore continue to support the charity Meningitis Now whose aim is for a future where no one in the UK loses their life to meningitis and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives.

Here follows a copy of Hannah’s eulogy: “Hannah was born in Hampton, Middlesex in 1993. A very quiet, happy and contented little girl with this incredible ability to observe and analyse the world around her and turn it into art. As you can tell by the many friends gathered here today, some who have travelled from California, Qatar, Ireland and Hampton, Hannah touched many lives in more ways than we can imagine. She was an amazing judge of character. She would listen, look and observe people and without a word convey her thoughts to Mum and Dad - a brightening of the eyes was a pass, the tiniest frown was a fail, she was invariably right. Her creativity flowed like a stream soon after she was given a tiny easel with a blackboard on one side and artists paper on the other. Roy swears that he has seen stolen copies of her early work hanging on the walls of the Tate Modern. Carlisle Infants and Hampton Hill Junior Schools helped create a truly rounded individual interested in music, dance, sport and hungry to learn; able to handle any challenge thrown at her. The family are truly grateful to them and all the friends from Hampton who were a big part of her life and continue to be. The Gwilliam family returned to Pembrokeshire in 2003 and Hannah's gift of connecting with people ensured that she was immediately welcomed into the community at Burton School and long lasting friendships were soon forged. Burton Rangers Girls football club was formed, Hannah as the striker. During her years at Taskers, the network of friends grew. Haverfordwest ladies hockey club followed, Hannah on the wing. Netball, dinghy sailing, wake-boarding, surfing, dancing on stage in Mary Poppins and school shows. She also persuaded her friends to join Haverfordwest Operatic society and enjoyed performing. Music was an important part of Hannah's life, she had become an accomplished guitarist and was no stranger to the music festival scene. Her I-Tunes library is vast and varied, impossible to pin down one particular artist, her mind was open to them all because she had the willingness to recognise talent in anyone. As Deputy head girl she enjoyed organising the Sixth Form Ball, Leavers Yearbook and the Sixth Form Holiday in Zante. A born leader and always organising parties and gatherings, Hannah would go just that one step beyond to make sure it was different. Roy and Ann always worried about what ideas she would come up with next... She loved to bake and always made amazing birthday cakes for her friends. The dinner she cooked for 10 friends a week before Christmas will never be forgotten nor will the hours and hours she spent in selecting the perfect Christmas present and message for everyone. She was a great fundraiser through selling cakes, sponsored fun runs, bike rides and as recently as Boxing Day she did the Tenby swim in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust with her close pals, and unsurprisingly, made the press and BBC News. Hannah has certainly left her mark on the world, her zest for life was contagious. I hope that she in turn has provided some inspiration for her fellow students and friends just as she got inspiration from her brother Tom who she admired and loved to emulate so much. His approach to life had rubbed-off on her and moulded her into the person became. Hannah was a true and loving sister to Tom and in her special way helped him to become what he is today. She shared so many special qualities with him. Generous in praise and spirit, full of love and pride for all that he’d achieved. As you have heard, people and relationships were a vital part of Hannah's life but she also developed a great love and respect for nature. Fascinated by the Antarctic, she taught herself everything there is to know about Emperor penguins and sketched and painted them in all forms. She admired their tenacity, strength and ability to live in such harsh conditions but at the same time understood their vulnerability. In Pembrokeshire, seals and puffins became the focal point of her interest, her favourite place, Skomer Island. A frequent visitor and supporter of the Seal Sanctuary in Milford, she was always worried about the seal pups and concerned for their welfare and survival. However, whilst all these things were happening in her life, her love of art continued to blossom and manifested itself in cartoons, sketches, paintings, sculptures, poetry and anything else she could create with her mind and her hands. She drew inspiration from Cath & Rich in Pembrokeshire College but the last six months proved to be the most prolific, she overflowed with ideas and got a huge amount of satisfaction and fun out of what she created. But that's enough of our words. In her recent interview for university she was asked "what does illustration have to do with History, Geography, Science and Politics?" She replied confidently, "History is the narrative, Geography the context or location, Science is the breadth of investigation and experimentation in materials and ideas, and Politics - that's easy, that's got to be for humour." That's enough use of the past tense, we must all now think positively, look forward and think of her as the Artist, Hannah Gwilliam, still making a difference to our lives.” One of her favourite verses was by Bob Marley: "You just can't live in a negative way.......... .....make way for the positive day"

" You can shed tears that she has gone, or you can smile because she has lived. You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back, or you can open your eyes and see all she's left. Your heart can be empty because you can't see her, or you can be full of the love that you shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember her and only that she's gone, or you can cherish her memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back, or you can do what she'd want: Smile, open your eyes, love and go on." (David Harkins)