News & Events
Association short-listed for Patient Association of the Year
08 July 2008
The Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association has been short-listed for Patient Association of the Year in a national awards scheme. The nomination is in recognition of the work of the Research Foundation which resulted in securing £7.5 million Government funding for MND research.
This week expert judges will be looking over the activities involved in securing the funding that started with the MND Association’s Membership Survey and revealed a desire for more investment in MND research.
To make sure the views of the membership were represented, the MND Association set up a campaign to raise £15 million by December 2008 to invest in MND research.
This led to developing a business case which detailed the savings to the public health and social care budget that would be realised should a cure for MND be found. The business case was presented to then Health Minister Andy Burnham, at a House of Commons reception attended by more than 40 MPs and Peers.
Following this, over 1,400 of the Association’s members wrote to Tony Blair and asked him to back the funding. President of the MND Association and Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik asked six questions during Prime Minister’s Questions and set up meetings between the Association and both Tony Blair and later on Gordon Brown. Cherie Blair held a reception at No 10 Downing Street and finally the announcement was formally made at the Research Foundation’s Year of Achievement event, attended by Professor Stephen Hawking.
Kirstine Knox, Chief Executive of the MND Association commented: "I’m obviously delighted to hear that we are nominated for Patient Association of the Year. The support from the membership was invaluable to our success and I would especially like to thank people who so generously shared their own devastating experience of MND in their letters to Tony Blair."
Lembit Opik, President of the MND Association and MP added: "We know that this money will deliver real benefits to people with MND. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the announcement on Friday 11 July, but either way this campaign has been a great success for people with MND and takes us one step closer to achieving our vision of a world free of MND.”
This week expert judges will be looking over the activities involved in securing the funding that started with the MND Association’s Membership Survey and revealed a desire for more investment in MND research.
To make sure the views of the membership were represented, the MND Association set up a campaign to raise £15 million by December 2008 to invest in MND research.
This led to developing a business case which detailed the savings to the public health and social care budget that would be realised should a cure for MND be found. The business case was presented to then Health Minister Andy Burnham, at a House of Commons reception attended by more than 40 MPs and Peers.
Following this, over 1,400 of the Association’s members wrote to Tony Blair and asked him to back the funding. President of the MND Association and Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik asked six questions during Prime Minister’s Questions and set up meetings between the Association and both Tony Blair and later on Gordon Brown. Cherie Blair held a reception at No 10 Downing Street and finally the announcement was formally made at the Research Foundation’s Year of Achievement event, attended by Professor Stephen Hawking.
Kirstine Knox, Chief Executive of the MND Association commented: "I’m obviously delighted to hear that we are nominated for Patient Association of the Year. The support from the membership was invaluable to our success and I would especially like to thank people who so generously shared their own devastating experience of MND in their letters to Tony Blair."
Lembit Opik, President of the MND Association and MP added: "We know that this money will deliver real benefits to people with MND. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the announcement on Friday 11 July, but either way this campaign has been a great success for people with MND and takes us one step closer to achieving our vision of a world free of MND.”
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Notes to editors
The Awards
The Communiqué Awards are very prestigious within Health PR and communications. The awards are set-up to recognise and reward excellence in PR and medical education.
The Communiqué Awards are very prestigious within Health PR and communications. The awards are set-up to recognise and reward excellence in PR and medical education.
