My name is Sally Arnott and I live in Melbourn near Cambridge with my husband Richard and our four boys. So why have we been raising funds for East Kent MNDA? My sister Helen and her husband Simon Flack live near Sandwich in Kent. At the end of July 2019 they celebrated their Silver Wedding Anniversary with a super barn dance near Saffron Walden for all their friends and family. It was such a wonderful party yet we had no idea that their lives were soon to be be upended. During August Simon accepted that his speech and general health were deteriorating and agreed to seek medical advice. He was eventually tested in January 2020 and diagnosed with Progressive Bulbar Palsy MND. The MND Association has provided Simon and Helen with such exceptional support and guidance that I decided to hold an Autumn Half Term Family Fundraiser by way of thanks and to ensure that their great work can continue, especially as fundraising events have been severely limited by Covid.

Because of the challenge of the global pandemic, it was important to do something people could do in their household bubbles. I created a family bike ride route with a hunt for clues and a woodland animal hunt with autumn leaf craft suggestions, both routes for £5 per family. I held a raffle with the generous support of local businesses kindly donating items including a cream tea for two, a mini facial, fancy tea and coffee, chocolates and prosecco and a large fruit basket. The Autumn Half Term Family Fundraiser finished on Sunday 1^st Nov to coincide with our village walking market where my sister Jane, her partner Allen and I held a cake stall and sold more raffle tickets. I’m delighted to say that in total we made over £1600.  It was so much more than I was originally hoping for and seeing the donations on the branch’s Justgiving page gave us some positivity at a difficult time! Since that event, Jane raised a further £200 from a cake stall at her workplace, Sawston Medical Centre near Cambridge, with other donations online from her colleagues. People have been amazingly generous!

From Kent to Cambridgeshire with a massive thank you ………….

Our East Kent Group and people living with MND in East Kent can’t thank Sally, Jane and their families enough for the fundraising events they have organised to raise over £1,800. This huge sum will go a long way to providing additional support for people living here with MND, especially in these Covid difficult times. Seeing great photos of the children taking part has lead us to believe we will definitely steal the idea of the Family Woodland Bike Ride – in the spring/summer of next year!!!!!

The Pru100 cycle ride was cancelled this year due to Corona Virus. Mick Rendell has decided to cycle an alternative 100 miles in support of Motor Neurone Disease Association, as a colleague has been diagnosed diagnosed with the illness, robbing him and his family of the life they had together. 

Mick decided to ride on the weekend of the Pru100 event. He will ride 100 miles on Saturday 15th August.  Mick also persuaded his wife Jackie to ride Pru46 miles tandem on Sunday 16th. After a hard 100 miles on the Saturday, Jackie may need to do all the work on the Sunday.

In Mick’s words

It was my intention to ride the Pru100 event again this year and ride in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association of East Kent.  I am riding on behalf of a colleague Craig Whitelaw who is currently suffering from this debilitating illness. Craig was an energetic Broker Consultant and who is now confined to a wheelchair unable to walk or use his hands. In the past year Craig has been robbed of normal family life and has a wife a two young children who now have to watch their husband/father suffer.

I am (fingers crossed, touch wood etc) fit enough to do the things I want (mainly cycling) without issues and feel I can help people who can’t by raising money for the worthwhile causes who support them.  The Pru100 like many events has been cancelled this year so I have signed up to do 100 miles around Kent (much harder than the Pru course) as an alternative.  The Pru run 3 events, a 19 mile ride, a 46 mile and the 100 mile, so we have registered for two distances and I will ride the 100 miles on the Saturday solo and Jackie (my wife) and I will ride 46 miles on the tandem on Sunday.

Most of us are fortunate to still be fit and healthy and Craig is one of us, a member of our industry so please take the time to look at the link below and give generously where possible.

Mick Rendell July 2020.

The course is planned and Mick has a few friends joining him. The course is about as hard as you can make it in Kent with 5,700 ft of climbing.

You can see the full story by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mick-and-jackie-rendell1

Please give generously and thank you for your support. 

Joseph (Joe) Taylor a scaffolder from Deal, was enjoying some drinks with friends in The Farrier, Deal.

His friends tried to get him to shave his head and jovially offered to pay him to do so.

Joe decided to go ahead and have his hair shaved off, but insisted it was done for charity.

The charity Joe chose was the Motor Neurone Disease Association in memory of his Grandmother who died from Motor Neurone Disease.

Joe’s head was shaved at the end of May, donations were made by Friends, Family, Customers of The Farrier and colleagues at All Access Scaffolding in Margate.

The total raised was £300 and this was presented to Clive Hudson, Chairman of the East Kent Branch of MNDA.  The money will be used to support people living with MND in East Kent.

MNDA East Kent would like to thank Joe, his family and friends, customers at the Farrier and colleagues at All Access Scaffolding for their generosity. ff

Beyond the Valley Travel is a not for profit organiser of travel for members in the Elham Valley.

Jenny Barling who sadly died of MND in late 2017 organised the travel events for many years and was a very popular figure.

Upon her death David and Surian Tamsitt took over, continuing Jenny’s excellent work in previous years.

During the period since Jenny died the group have held many events and at these event raffles were held in memory of Jenny.

This culminated in Mid-April with the presentation of a cheque for £1,100.00 to MNDA East Kent to be used for the support of people living with MND in East Kent.

MNDA East Kent would like to thank David, Surian and all the members of Beyond the Valley Travel for their generosity.  Huge thanks to you all. fff