A CAMPAIGN created in the memory of a Rosyth student who died of sepsis has raised £3000 for charity.

Friends and family of Emma Straker, who died suddenly at the age of 19 in October, gathered at Dobbies in Dunfermline last week for a series of events to raise awareness of the illness, which kills 37,000 Brits every year.

The group has teamed up with the UK Sepsis Trust to launch a dedicated online campaign to raise awareness of the condition and also hosted a charity zumba night at Rosyth’s Parkgate Centre.

Emma’s mum, Tracy, (45) said, “Lots of people were stopping and asking questions, so to raise that awareness was amazing. We had around 30 people at the zumba class and quite a few who had never done it before so that was a lot of fun too.” They have also created quite a stir online after urging supporters to take a selfie wearing red lipstick – which was Emma’s trademark look – and post it to Twitter.

It has already attracted hundreds of posts and pictures, including one from TV weather presenter Sian Lloyd.

Despite being one of the UK’s biggest killers and costing the NHS £2.5billion annually, many people have never heard of sepsis.

But it remains the primary cause of death from infection, even with advances in modern medicines like vaccines, antibiotics and intensive care.

The difficulty is that the symptoms are similar to flu and can develop very quickly.

These include: a fever or high temperature over 38C, chills, a fast heartbeat and fast breathing.

A number of other events for the campaign are already in the pipeline: among them are a stall at a craft fair at Adam Smith College on 28th April and a charity leg-waxing event at Dobbies next month.

To donate to the cause, visit www.justgiving.com/emma-straker or text REDL10 £2 to 70070.