A SCHEME that supports Swindon people with a potentially life-changing disease hopes to raise £5,000.

Hep C Positive, which began in Swindon in 2011, is a support network for those diagnosed with Hepatitis C.

The blood-borne virus can be passed between mother and baby during birth, through infected blood transfusions or by drug-users sharing equipment. It affects the function of the liver, eventually causing liver failure if left untreated.

It is estimated that between 1,600 and 2,000 people could be living with the infection in Swindon.

Now in its seventh year, Hep C Positive organises weekly meetings for those who are living with or have been treated for the disease. Volunteers also drive those undergoing treatment to Oxford – where the majority of the drugs capable of curing the disease are administered.

Group organiser Phil Spalding, a former session bassist to Elton John and I’m Too Sexy hitmakers Right Said Fred, said that the charity cash would help cover the group’s costs.

He said: “With the Justgiving contributions we’re aiming to help with all the extra bits and pieces myself and the volunteers do, like taking people to hospital. There’s a lot of people we see who for one reason or another can’t get to Oxford.”

The money would also help them launch a similar group in Gloucester, Phil added.

The Hep C Positive group celebrated Christmas in style at The Curry Place on Rodbourne Road.

Thanking group members for coming, Phil posted on Facebook: “Lots of love and blessings to all our friends who keep coming back, bringing in new faces, and helping keep the group lively and interesting.”

For more about Hep C Positive, visit: www.hepcpositive.org.uk. To donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/philip-spalding.