Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron will be raising much needed funds and awareness for MND Scotland throughout 2021.
Provost Cameron has pledged support to three charities during her time as Provost, focusing on one charity each year, and returns to fundraising for MND Scotland in her final year after raising over £23,000 for the charity in 2018.
MND Scotland was founded as the Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association in 1981 by John Macleod, a Strathclyde police officer and his wife Peigi.
At the time, services were limited, and health professionals had little or no knowledge of the condition.
Today, MND Scotland strive to reduce the impact of motor neurone disease (MND) on the lives of those affected, by offering services such as benefits advice, equipment loans, counselling, advocacy, and a grants programme. They also campaign for the rights of people living with MND and fund vital research to find a cure.
MND is a rapidly progressing terminal illness which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles. It can cause someone to lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe unaided.
There are over 400 people in Scotland currently living with MND and almost 200 people are diagnosed each year. The is currently no cure and on average people die less than two years after their diagnosis.
Provost Cameron said: “MND Scotland is a charity very close to my heart as I lost my mum to Motor Neurone Disease in 2011. I am honoured to be able to continue raising both funds and awareness for the charity.
“Charities across the country have struggled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s more important now than ever to support them.
“We had a great year in 2018 raising awareness of the work MND Scotland undertake in our communities, from travelling around Renfrewshire by train with collection buckets as part of MND Awareness Week, to taking a team of daredevils to Garry Bridge in Killiecrankie to complete the Highland Fling Swing.
“I know we might need to do things a little differently this year as we recover from the impacts of the pandemic, but I am up for the challenge and I hope you are too.”
Iain McWhirter, Interim Chief Executive, at MND Scotland said: “Over past year we have all faced many challenges, but for people with MND the worries and challenges have been amplified many times over.
“Thanks to supporters like Provost Cameron, we have been able to adapt our services to continue supporting families when they need us most, and to make sure no one goes through MND alone. Last year, we launched a video support group, one-to-one phone support and emergency financial grants, to ease some of the emotional and financial worries people experienced as a result of Covid-19.
“I would like to thank Provost Cameron for her continued support.”
You can stay up to date with Provost Cameron’s fundraising activities and how you can get involved on the Renfrewshire Council website and social media pages.