The Countess of Wessex, who has been royal patron of the Meningitis Trust for five years, met families who have experienced meningitis at the charity’s concert in Gloucester Cathedral.

The concert was introduced by the Stroud-based trust’s president, former BBC and ITN news presenter, Andrew Harvey and included words from Dr Tim Brain, chief constable of Gloucestershire and trust patron.

There was music from the Gloucester Salvation Army band, the Cleeve School senior choir, The Cotswold Male Voice Choir and the Shimmering Flutes.

More than 800 tickets were sold and the cathedral was packed. A tree of remembrance took centre stage at the front, with over 500 ribbons on it, each sent in from families remembering a loved one who had died from meningitis.

Sue Davie, chief executive of the Stroud-based trust said: “This year’s Christmas concert was certainly one to remember, with the Countess of Wessex making the families who met her feel special.”