Gary was a regular at Tynecastle before emigrating at the age of 13. He said: “Because of my illness, this is probably the last trip I will make back home — and it seemed like a good reason to come back.”

His family have secured 4 free tickets for the match – Gary and his brother, Brian, have two Hearts tickets, and there are another two up for grabs at the Hibs end.

N.B.

If you are affected by MND and wish to get a hold of the two free Hibs tickets please get in touch – there will be a high demand so its first come first served. If you are going to benefit from this offer, you may wish to consider making a modest donation to MND Scotland.

Contact Bryan Carroll at MND Scotland on 0141 945 1077 or email bryan [dot] carroll [at] mndscotland [dot] org [dot] uk to get more information about ticket availability.

Read more about Gary in www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/4319185/Dying-Jambos-11000-mile-trip-to-Cup-Final.html#ixzz1v7YCA5TM

Yesterday may have been the soggiest Sunday we’ve seen in a while, but that didn’t stop our runners in the Ignis Asset Management Glasgow Women’s 10k 2012! 

The race is the largest women-only race in the UK, with around 12,000 participants.  Starting off in Bellahouston Park, the route went through Pollock Park and back to Bellahouston, where we were waiting for them with drinks, chocolate, bananas and of course massage for tired legs.   

One of the very best bits of our job is to attend events like this and meet the people who are making a difference.  We can say thank you online and on paper but it’s lovely to be able to do it in person. 

We can’t do what we do without you.   Thank you so much. 

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

As well as fundraising or donating money to support our organisation, we’re lucky enough to have a large group of people who very kindly donate their skills, time & expertise.  At MND Scotland we use a wide variety of volunteers, from those that help out at events like the fun run (registration open here >>)  to the Trustees who oversee the entire running of the organisation (see them here >>)

In the middle of these two groups are a veritable army of people who help us run our services, in a very real way.  We have volunteers who help us with Admin and Fundraising; those who help deliver our Welfare & Benefits service;  those who deliver pieces of equipment; as well as those who provide Counselling, and Complementary Therapy.  We couldn’t run those services without them – volunteers help us get the most from the funding we have, as well as widening participation in our activities.  I talked to a few of them this week…

This is Karen.  She’s a Welfare & Benefits Admin Assistant and is one of our newest volunteers, having come on board in February 2012.  Karen is retired, after taking voluntary redundancy, but wanted to stay involved with an organisation and was keen to continue using her practical skills (she has a background in office based work and admin) for the benefit of a charity. 

Her role involves supporting the frontline W&B service with specialist admin skills, which requires a keen awareness of those issues surrounding confidentiality and the nature of sensitive information.  Our Welfare & Benefits service is in high demand, and Karen’s contribution is greatly valued by our W&B officers! 

Alastair Baillie has “been involved with MND Scotland from the early days in 1986, and I have the immense privilige of being Chair of the Board.  The opportunity to meet people and try to help at a difficult time is more than enough reward.“ 

“MND Scotland operates as a registered charity run by the Board of Trustees. The Board are all volunteers and give their time and knowledge to help MND Scotland, setting strategic objectives for the organisation.”

Dawn Hamilton is our Officer in charge of Volunteer Development, and oversees recruitment of all our volunteers (around 60+), amongst other things!  Two services which really rely on volunteers are Counselling and Complementary Therapy:

So – last Friday, at the recently-refurbished Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow, around 400 women from all over Scotland sat down to lunch.  The theme of the event was What is the Point of Power? , was discussed by speakers Lady Campbell, Shereen Nanjiani, Candia McWilliam, long-term supporter of MND Scotland Christina McKelvie MSP, and Professor Anne Glover.  Rev Georgie Baxendale delivered grace, and our own Board Member Christine McWhirter also spoke, about the difference that the contribution from the event would make. 

As a smaller charity we’re incredibly grateful not just for the financial support generated by this kind of event, but also the opportunity it gives us to raise awareness of the organisation and its work.  It was very touching to speak to those people who, upon hearing in particular Christina & Christine’s accounts of their personal experience of the disease, realised that they had a closer connection with the organisation than they’d previously realised.

Thanks to all for a wonderful afternoon, for your support and your kind words. 

Forthcoming Taster Sessions

• Paisley: Wed 30 May, 10.30am-12.30pm, The Wynd Centre, Paisley.
• Dumbarton: Thurs 31 May, 10.30am-12.30pm, The Burgh Hall, Dumbarton.
• Glasgow: Thurs 31 May, 2.30-4.30pm, The Teacher Building, St Enoch Square, Glasgow.

‘Neurological Voices’ runs for three half-days, spread over two or three weeks. It explains how the NHS operates and highlights how patients and carers can have their say to influence local services. Training is carefully paced and is made accessible to everyone who attends.

Neurological Voices Taster – Greater Glasgow and Clyde flyer

Visit the Neurological Alliance website for more information

will take place at the CoSLA Conference Centre, Verity House, 19 Haymarket Yards, Edinburgh on 22nd May 2012.

The venue is immediately adjacent to Haymarket Station and offers excellent rail connections to all parts of Scotland.

A booking form and draft programme is available to download here.

If watching everyone at the London Marathon got you in the mood for a bit of running, but you’re not quite ready for the full 26.2 miles just yet, then how about something a little shorter?  

The annual Fun Run at Strathclyde Park takes place on Sunday 20^th May – just 4 weeks away!   We’re looking for people to take part, as well as volunteers to help on the day – and we’d love to hear from you…

Would you like to run, jog or walk the 4 mile or 6 mile route around the loch path?  Entry is just £10 and you can register online here: http://www.mndscotland.org.uk/fundraising/events/fun-run-2012-entry-form/

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

It’s a good fun family day out, and you’ll be joining hundreds of other people raising money for the same reason – to fight Motor Neurone Disease.  Our fundraisers regularly raise tens of thousands of pounds through this event – money which puts Care Specialists on the ground, equipment in people’s homes, help where it’s needed most. 

We also need volunteers!  We’re on the lookout for stewards to staff the route, provide encouragement to participants along the way, point them in the right direction, as well as help out with things like refreshments and registration.  If you could volunteer a few hours of your time it would be a massive help – please email dawn [dot] hamilton [at] mndscotland [dot] org [dot] uk or phone 0141 945 1077 for more information. 

Hope to see you there….

For a few years now we’ve been a 2-person fundraising team…. but today we’re absolutely delighted to welcome back Virginia Hewitt as full time Trust Fundraiser!  Virginia’s returning to the organisation after a two year gap, and we’re very glad indeed to have her back in the office – at the same desk, in fact. 

Trust fundraising has always been an integral part of how we raise funds, but Virginia’s return marks a new development in our fundraising strategy. 

Virginia said:

‘I’m delighted to be back with MND Scotland!  It is such an important cause and, as this is where I began my trust fundraising career, I feel I have come home.  I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends and helping my colleagues to develop our services for people with MND and those who care for them.’

As the number of people with MND in Scotland increases, so does the demand for our services, and that, of course, costs money. 

We’re incredibly grateful for the hard work and dedication of all our community fundraisers – all of you wonderful people out there who jump out of planes and bungee from bridges, who swim with sharks, run marathons, take part in our Fun Runs (Strathclyde and Holyrood) and organise your own events.  We can’t provide our services without you. 

Expanding the department is tremendously exciting because it means that we’ll have the resources to expand our services where they’re needed.  It means that we’ll have more time to concentrate on taking care of our donors, on running events and bringing in much-needed funds from the widest possible range of income streams. 

Marina McFarlane works for Davidsons Chemists in Perthshire.  When her colleague and friend Kath was diagnosed with MND last Christmas, she decided to do some fundraising – and in doing so set herself quite some challenge… 

What inspired you to organise your own event?

At Christmas my colleague and friend was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, she is just 40 years old.   I knew that if it was the other way round she would want to help me so my Walk for Kath was created.  Originally we were going to raise the money for Kath but she instantly said that it should all go the MND Scotland where not only she, but many others would benefit.

What did your challenge involve?

I knew that to raise a high amount it had to be a huge challenge.  I do a lot of hill walking and have completed the Moonwalk twice so it had to be over 26 miles!  I wanted to do something that was linked to Pitlochry as that is where Kath lives so I devised the route to take in a small part of the potential catchment area of the Pitlochry branch where she was a Pharmacist.

My sister in law asked if she could accompany me as we walk together often and I wouldn’t have done it with anyone else!   It took a bit of organisation and training – we did a bit of road walking but the advice is not to do any more than 25 miles at one time if you are training for any distance between 25 and 100 miles. 

So the day arrived, we set off at Midday from outside the Pitlochry branch where Kath started us off.  We aimed to keep a pace of 3-4 miles per hour for as long as possible and we kept this going arriving in Kinloch Rannoch at 10pm (30miles).  By this time it was dark and our husbands followed us for the rest of the night in our support vehicle with much needed food, drink and first aid which we required for our feet about mile 40!

We met up with my colleagues who work in the Pitlochry branch with 5 miles to go and this gave us a huge boost as it was by this time 9am on Saturday morning.  The last 5 miles took us a while as our feet totally gave up and I walked the last 2 miles in flip flops. 

But it was all worthwhile when we saw Kath and our families waiting at our finish point (back where we started).

We also held a social evening on the Saturday evening so Kath could get together with many who had generously donated.  Tickets were £5 and we sold raffle tickets for fabulous prizes donated by local businesses.

How much have you raised so far?

So far we have raised £5000 and there are still a few donations coming in.  I was moved to do something because my friend was diagnosed, and what we did had to be fabulous to raise a lot of money.  Charities all rely on friends and families of those affected to also be moved into not only raising money but raising awareness.

• If you’d like to donate to Marina’s JustGiving page you can find it here:  http://www.justgiving.com/walkforKath  Thank you so much!

• Allan Gordon, Managing Director of Davidsons, will also be fundraising for us this year – he’ll be going from Ballater to Blairgowrie – 100 km, taking in 10 Munros.

Judith Newton is part of the MND Scotland Care Team.  This year, she’s running the Edinburgh Marathon to raise money for MND Scotland, and further support the patients for whom she cares.   

How long have you worked as an MND Nurse Specialist?

I have worked as one of the MND care team since 1998! Over the years the role has changed quite a bit, we are more vigilant on screening our patients so we can establish early interventions to help with quality of life.  I am very proud that we have such a good model of care in Scotland in that we are able to cross the boundaries from hospital to home.

What does your role entail?

On a daily basis we are trying to plan ahead with patients future care needs, there are many frustrations for example if we know that a person is going to need specific equipment it seems that we need to fight and justify this.  We still need to keep the pressure of awareness onto the social services and health boards so they understand the need for timely interventions and equipment. Our role is really to be with the patients every step of the way , we can be as involved as a family wants or as little, the important point here is that people know who are the relevant professionals who can help and how to get hold of them.

What made you decide to run a Marathon?

I have been dabbling in running over the last few years, partly for exercise.  I soon found that with running I was guaranteed some time to think and relax.  Over the years I have met many patients that used to run and run well, and they inspire me, I think it is so graceful to watch a good runner.  Just after Christmas I was out running by the beach, I live in East Lothian, so spoiled for choice, and thought how lucky I was to be able to do this.  I often think of my patients as I only have a snapshot of their world.  I decided on that run that I would push myself physically this year, the last two have been consumed with research for my Masters degree.  I am one of these people that once I commit I go all the way…..

I managed to persuade two close friends to run the Edinburgh Marathon also.  Both are very good runners and pull away like a Porsche from a Beetle!

What made you choose this particular event?

Lorraine ran the New York marathon a few years ago and has experience of MND in her family.  Lorraine has been my mentor and coach and runs alongside me at my pace which has been great.

Anita completed the Edinburgh marathon a few years ago for her 40th birthday, she said “never again” but it is amazing what some pink bubbles over dinner can do! Anita too is an inspiration as her work in the police leads to shifts, call outs but still committed to put the training in.

We have had one run together at 14 miles and plan to do a 22 together.  On the day it is each man (woman) for themselves, we are all delighted to be running for MND Scotland, we aim to raise awareness by promoting this through our work place, friends and families, whilst doing it we hope to raise as much money as we can.

If you’d like to sponsor Judy, Lorraine and Anita their JustGiving page can be found here:  http://www.justgiving.com/LorraineJudyAnita