Barry's Skydive for MND
Third time of asking he did it!
On April 05th after two previous attempts failed due to inclement weather Barry Leonard and his colleague Lucy finally got to complete their skydive for MND.
This was all the more remarkable as Barry admits to having a fear of heights but wanted to do something for his close friend, Dave Plant, from Rushall in Walsall, who is living with MND and to raise awareness of the daily struggles this illness can cause to those affected by it.
Over £2500 has been raised so far which will be split between the local Black Country Group MNDA which provides support to those with MND in our region and MNDA National Office, to help fund research into an effective treatment and ultimately a cure.
Thanks to all those who donated and those who supported on the day and especially the team at Tilstock Freefall Club nr Whitchurch for making it all happen.
This is yet another step along the road to achieve our ultimate aim:
A World Free of MND
The fund is still open if you wish to donate
Thanks to Anne-Marie, Dave's wife, for suppling the photos below and to Barry for their use.
Tom & Josh's 100km run for MND
Last Saturday (March 29th) Tom Edmonds-Hill and Josh Hanson achieved their goal and ran 100km for MND.
Starting out at 6am accompanied by some friends who ran with them at various points along the way, they had covered most of the distance by the time they reached the Dell Stadium in Halesowen.
Here they were joined by some more willing helpers of all ages and abilities who ran various distances ranging from 1km to a half marathon. Over 50 runners took part on a mainly dry day ideal for running.
The final leg took place later that evening with Tom and Josh running on treadmills at The Royal British Legion in Oldbury after which the celebrations began in earnest.
This incredible achievement raised over £10k and a big thankyou to all who took part and supported Tom and Josh, not only the runners on the day, but those who worked behind the scenes in preparation for the event.
Special thanks must go to Tom's partner, Reena, who along with respective family members and friends, Emily the physio (who had her work cut out sorting out those sore muscles and feet), the ladies who prepared and served the food, those who donated raffle and auction prizes and the staff at the Legion for hosting us, all contributed to a very special day which will live long in the memories of those who were there.
Thanks to your incredible generosity we can carry on supporting those living with MND in The Black Country with grants for equipment and other aids essential for their physical and emotional wellbeing as well as raising awareness of an illness which currently affects approx 100 people across our region and 5,000 nationally.
The fight against MND continues until we achieve our ultimate aim:
A World Free of MND
RUNNING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS! George's 7in7
On December 01st local group member George Davey and some friends set out to create their own 7in7 run to raise funds for MND alongside other similar events following in the footsteps of Kevin Sinfield CBE. George takes up the story.
It was a tiring and enjoyable week travelling across 4 counties, to run 7 miles, every day for 7 days. This year’s run took us from Perton in South Staffordshire, across Lincolnshire, to Rob Burrow’s Leeds Rhinos before finishing back on the famous Iron Bridge of Shropshire!
After fundraising following our family’s loss of our grandfather to MND last year, I wanted to honour the great Rhinos number 7, on the year of Rob’s passing, inspired by Kev’s challenge. A goal of £77 was set to try to get almost £100 before Christmas, to support MNDA in trying to find a cure, and support everyone affected by the disease.
WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE AN AMAZING £837 HAS BEEN RAISED BY THE END OF OUR FINAL RUN! 1087% of the initial target has therefore been donated and the association will receive over £1000 including gift aid… all down to people’s generous donations, thank you!
It was an honour to run with the inspirational Kevin Sinfield CBE for the second time, this year running and talking with him in Hull as part of a well ran event by the association, with a huge attendance. I was able to thank Kev for his efforts whilst discussing my event with former teammate of himself and Rob, Jamie Jones-Buchanan.
I would like to give a massive thank you to support runners Jacob Allen, Jamie Neadle, Joshua Swallow, James Butcher, Kiran Ram, Isaac Davey and on his own challenge, fellow MNDA runner Graham Berry. Their support massively lifted my morale on a tough week.
The Just Giving page is still live and any further donations are welcome… we are able to run… for many MND warriors this is all they wish for.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/george-davey-1731682121526?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
Until next time…
Harjinder’s Sky Dive for MND
On Friday September 13th last, Gulshan Radio Wolverhampton’s intrepid presenter, Harjinder Juttla, undertook a sky dive to raise money for research into a cure for MND. It took place at the popular Skydive Tilstock Freefall Club nr Whitchurch Shrops and was her fourth attempt, the previous three attempts had been cancelled due to poor weather conditions but this, and it being Friday the 13th would not deter her.
Harjinder explains, “I did the skydiving event for MND because it was on my bucket list of things to do, and I wished to do it for a good cause. Every little helps in the fight against MND.”
The inspiration for the event came from Wolverhampton couple Harinder Singh and Harjinder Mangat who lost their son, Kola, in December 2012 to MND and set up a webpage dedicated to his memory. Today Harjinder is an Association Visitor and like many of our AV’s they use their own experience to offer emotional and practical support to those in similar circumstances.
The total money raised was £2000 and at a special presentation ceremony held at Gulshan Radio’s studios on 17th October, a cheque was presented to MND Association Regional Fund Raiser, Amanda Devlin who accompanied by Black Country Group Leader, Michael Cronogue, were later interviewed by Harjinder Juttla on her programme about their vital work across our region in combatting an illness which affects approx. 100 people across the four Black Country boroughs.
Walk to D'Feet MND - Sunday October 20th 2024
This morning despite the wind and rain some 30+ intrepid walkers joined together at Walsall Arboretum for our first Walk to D'Feet MND. The worst of the weather held off until we were back in the cafe so my early morning prayers to the man upstairs clearly worked. Grateful thanks to everyone who took part, to the staff at Walsall Council for use of the park, to the cafe staff and to those other park users who wished us well and especially to those who gave generously with their donations. We raised £500 for group funds which will be used to support people living with MND and their families in the Black Country. We aim to make this an annual event and are already looking at September 2025 for the next one. Here are some photos including the beautiful surroundings.
