Catalyst are delighted to have beaten our collective target last Sunday (18th October), taking part in the 2015 Great Birmingham Run with the aim of raising £780 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association – a cause that holds special significance for Managing Director, Joe Birkedale.
Motor neurone disease is an incurable, rare neurological condition, deterioration of nerve signals lead to paralysis of most muscle groups including respiratory muscles.
Unfortunately, Joe’s mother-in-law, Joy, a truly kind-hearted mother and grandmother, was diagnosed in October 2014.
At Catalyst, we decided to extend our collective support to Joy, participating in the Great Birmingham Run and donating the proceeds to the MND Association, the only national charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland dedicated to improving care and support for people affected by the disease.
Speaking on the half marathon, Joe offered his comments: “I [was] joined on this run by three colleagues – Matt Priddy, Mireille Wathes and Kristiana Briede and I’d like to thank them for their support and efforts in their training.
Mireille and Matt only started running because of this race – having never run before. So thank you.”
After gruelling training sessions in preparation of the run (and the odd cheeky cake here and there), those of us running the 13.1 mile journey were able not only to beat our targets in terms of the time taken to complete the course, but were able to raise a total of £1681.05 in donations – over twice the initial target!
As a result, we’d like to offer our thanks to all those that came out to support us and in particular, all those who donated – fundraising for charity is something we are passionate about, so your contributions are greatly appreciated.
However, just because the Great Birmingham Run is over for another year, it isn’t the end of the old foot pains and shin-splints. It also isn’t the end of the need to support the victims of MND: you can still help Joy and those affected by Motor Neurone Disease by donating today.
To find out more about Joy’s story and what you can do to help, or to support all those affected by MND through donation, simply click here or click the button below.
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