Mum raises money in memory of her uncle and Glasgow Labour Councillor

Claire, with the help of her husband Steven and children, Niamh (8) and Connor (4), held a fundraising night at Wemyss Bay Community Centre in November. The evening saw friends and family come together in memory of John, with a mountain of raffle prizes from local businesses to raise money for the charity.

John lost his battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in July last year, when he was just 63 years old. She said, “John developed a weakness in his left arm over the course of a few months in 2015. After lots of tests he received his diagnosis in January 2016.

“Prior to his diagnosis, MND was something that we had heard of but didn’t know much about. We were all shocked to hear of his diagnosis and devastated when he passed away after his short battle with the disease.

“He was a big part of our family, godfather to our son, Connor, and his death has left a huge void in our lives.

“John was a well-known, popular character. He was a keen musician and his guitar went everywhere with him. He never missed an opportunity for a good sing-a-long!”

On her event, Claire said “I started planning the fundraising night for MND Scotland before John passed away. The fact that he is no longer with us made the night all the more poignant. I wanted to do something to raise awareness of MND and also raise some money to support the charity and research into hopefully finding a cure.

“My family and I have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity of local businesses who donated prizes for the raffle on the night, and the support of our extended family and friends. We even got three signed football jerseys from Celtic, Rangers and Greenock Morton, for the auction.”

“The charity night was a huge success and raised the amazing amount of £1,850! I also did a zipslide across the Clyde in September with my brother in law, Chris Kerr and close friend Jennifer McLean. So including that we’ve raised around £4,000.”

Iain McWhirter, MND Scotland’s Head of Fundraising and Volunteering, said “Claire has done a fantastic job organising her first ever fundraising event and £1,850 is an incredible amount to have raised to add to her total.

“We are very grateful for Claire’s hard work and support, and would like to thank her and everyone else who was involved. All the money raised will go towards helping us provide practical, financial, and emotional support to everyone in Scotland who is affected by MND, and continue to fund vital research to take us a step closer to a cure.”

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