This Is Local London: Raising funds for Motor Neurone Disease Charity“More than a sponsored silence. Silence Speaks challenges supporters to find other ways to communicate during October” MND Association

This October, the Motor Neurone Disease Association advocates a type of fundraising to suit the nature of their cause- a sponsored silence. The seemingly grave irony of the fundraiser is of course the likeness to the symptoms of motor neurone disease related to the progression of the disease, an inevitable loss of speech therefore proving the fundraiser as sharply appropriate.

Motor Neurone Disease is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, it affects up to 5000 people in the uk at any one time in various stages. Motor Neurone Disease kills one third of people within one year of diagnosis and over a half in two years. The MND Association is currently the only national charity that focuses on campaigning and research for Motor Neurone Disease, the charity is therefore critical in the support for individuals and their families. As my family had the misfortune of being affected by MND, my sister, Alexa says she “wishes last year she could have been involved in a fundraiser like this to support our family”

Loss of speech during the progression of Motor Neurone Disease can for some be the most worrying and devastating aspect. Therefore through fundraising and campaigning, much like the ‘silence speaks’ fundraiser aims to achieve, more and more families across the UK are able to reach for guidance and support after diagnosis with is of curse an extremely difficult time for individuals and their supporters. The ‘Silence Speaks’ fundraiser can be done anywhere, a pub, work or even school! the MND Association website offers lots of advice and instructions on how to get involved and by helping out by staying quiet, your donations could be working towards developing communication aids for more people.

By Lucy Sutton, Ursuline High School