A SPARKLING dinner dance is being held in Suffolk to raise vital funds for families affected by a little known but devastatingly common infection in newborn babies.

A SPARKLING dinner dance is being held in Suffolk to raise vital funds for families affected by a little known but devastatingly common infection in newborn babies.

Guests at next month's autumn ball can get their hands on celebrity and sporting memorabilia or one-off signed artwork by bidding on auction lots donated in aid of Group B Streptococcus Support.

The charity is particularly close to the heart of organiser Adrian Grove and his wife Caroline who lost baby Cayden, born eight weeks premature, to the blood infection last April.

Little Cayden was just 22 days old when he lost his battle with a late onset of Group B strep which in turn led to septicaemia and meningitis.

But Cayden's Autumn Ball on Friday, September 25 will be an opportunity for his parents to raise awareness of a symptomless virus which is present in nearly a third of UK adults.

The event is being held from 7pm at Ufford Park Hotel, near Woodbridge, starting with a welcome drink for guests on arrival, followed by a three course dinner and live music from The Ed Zackary Band.

Original paintings by top artists will be auctioned off with limited edition prints and photographs as well as signed Manchester United and Arsenal footballs and an England cricket bat.

Mr Grove hopes the event will raise thousands for the charity that provided crucial support and information during a painful time.

“We hadn't really heard of Group B strep when we found out Cayden had it,” he said.

“But we discovered it is quite common for pregnant women to carry the infection.

“We want to raise awareness of a charity which is the only one of its kind in the UK and relies on donations and money raised from events like ours.”

Mr Grove has spent hundreds of hours preparing for the ball, acquiring a trove of fantastic items for people to get their hands on during the live auction and a separate silent auction on the night.

There will also be an event photographer attending the ball to capture all the guests before dinner and a percentage of photo sales will be donated to the charity.

Details and tickets, priced at �40 each with discounts for groups, are now available by phone on 07505 277 425 or by emailing caydensautumnball@hotmail.co.uk.

A list of auction items is being regularly updated at caydensautumnball.co.uk