Nurse inspired to take to the sky for MND

Liz, who is mum to Sarah (29) and Jacqueline (21) and married to Martin (55), will be strapped to the top wing of a vintage biplane and swept through the skies of Yorkshire at speeds of up to 135mph, raising money for MND Scotland in the process.

Liz claims she isn’t an adrenaline seeker, despite having abseiled down the Forth Road Bridge for charity in 2015 and canoeing for the first time in aid of a good cause in 2016 – 20.5 miles down Loch Ness! Every year Liz chooses a different charitable cause and in 2017 she is supporting MND Scotland, the only Scottish charity providing support and care to people affected by Motor Neurone Disease (MND) across Scotland, as well as funding research to find a cure.

“Not long ago I saw an article in our local papers about Lucy Lintott – a 22 year old woman with this devastating illness. I was originally going to split the money raised for MND, but after hearing about Lucy, I decided to give it all to them.

“She’s done so much to raise money and awareness that I decided I wanted to do something too. Her dedication is an inspiration.

“Having a nursing background, I’m totally aware there’s no cure for it and at the moment they need some research to go into it.”

On the event itself she said: “I decided I was going to do the wing walk last summer and when I started looking into it I realised I needed to lose some weight to meet the requirements for taking part. So I joined Slimming World and five months later I have lost two stone and have almost hit my target for June!

“I think there’s a little bit of madness in me – at least my kids and husband think so anyway. I wouldn’t say I was an adrenaline seeker. I just thought; life passes you by so quickly and I might as well do it while I still can.

“My fundraising target is £1,000 and people can donate through my JustGiving page. Anything I raise above that will be a bonus. I’m also going to be asking local businesses for their support and maybe organise a bag pack in the supermarket.”

Liz will head down to Selby in Yorkshire for her wing walk on 25th June, during MND Awareness Week 2017.

“I am really excited about the wing walk. My husband will be coming down to Yorkshire to support me. He said he’d be the handbag holder as usual!

Iain McWhirter, Head of Fundraising and Volunteering at MND Scotland, said “I think what Liz is doing is absolutely fantastic! It’ll be an experience of a lifetime and we are so grateful she will be raising funds for MND Scotland.

“All the money raised from Liz’s wing walk will go towards helping MND Scotland support people affected by MND across Scotland, and fund research into finding a cure.

“If anyone else is looking for a thrill-seeking experience you can sign up to MND Scotland’s Skydive Day in Perth, which is also during MND Awareness Week, on 24th June.”

To donate to Liz’s page visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Liz-Butterworth.