Walk by the Sea to D'feet MND

Saturday (13th May) was very cold on the Prom at Hunstanton but 77 walkers set off to Heacham, determined to make a difference for local people living with Motor Neurone Disease.

Families affected by MND, people living with the disease, friends and local health care professionals set out together, to raise awareness of the illness and funds for the local Kings Lynn Group of the MND Association. Accompanied by children and dogs, the group braved the chill wind and have already received over £990.00 from donations from the Walk.

Before setting off, Jon Walter, Charity Steward for the Joppa Lodge of Freemasons at Fakenham, presented a cheque for £1,000 to the local MND Association volunteer Visitors.

Chairperson, Jane Lewis said: "We are extremely grateful to Joppa Lodge for such a generous donation, which will make a big difference to our funds and help us to provide more financial support grants to people living with Motor Neurone Disease. As MND often progresses very quickly, our aim is to be capable of responding fast to requests for equipment which can help people to remain comfortable or independent for as long as possible.

"Our Association Visitors play an important role and are trained to provide practical and emotional advice or support to people living with Motor Neurone Disease and their families, as they face the tough challenges associated with the illness, for which there is no cure. We are looking to recruit two more volunteer Visitors to the team, so that we can provide more help in the future, as we are typically in touch with between 20 and 25 people with MND in the Kings Lynn and West Norfolk area at any one time.

Do contact us or follow us on social media – Facebook : @MNDKingsLynn, Twitter : @mndkingslynn and Instagram : @mndnorfolk.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a fatal, rapidly progressing neurological condition affecting up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time. The disease causes messages from nerves (motor neurones) in the brain and spinal cord that control movement to gradually stop reaching the muscles, leading them to weaken, stiffen and waste.

The result is that people become locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe. Some may experience changes in thinking and behaviour, with a proportion experiencing a rare form of dementia. MND does not usually affect senses such as sight, hearing and touch.

MND kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis. It affects people from all backgrounds and a person’s lifetime risk of developing MND around 1 in 300. Today six people will be diagnosed and six will die from MND. There is no cure.