In July 2022 Gloucester Rugby player Ed Slater announced his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and thus the 4Ed campaign was created to raise awareness and funds in support of Ed and his family’s battle with the disease. What followed was an outpouring of support, generosity, and kindness from the rugby family across the UK and the World.

And now, with the support and blessing of Ed, the Gloucester Rugby Foundation is launching the next phase of the 4Ed campaign, which will support families in Gloucestershire and across the UK who are living with MND.

What is the 4Ed campaign?

We are all feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis but imagine that you or a loved one has developed a life changing disease and, whilst you are coming to terms with the impact it will have on you, you also realise all the expensive changes, additional support and specialised equipment you are going to need. Then you have the worry of whether you can pay your household bills or if you can afford to take your family away for a short break.

Unfortunately, this is the experience of hundreds of families living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in the UK and we want to help remove these worries through our 4Ed campaign.

The primary outcome for the 4Ed campaign is to support individuals and families in the UK who are living with the effects of MND and the financial pressures it brings. We achieve this through offering bursaries that can be used to fund vital equipment, changes to the home, family days out or anything that will support families with mitigating the effects of MND.

Alongside the bursaries, funds raised are also used for:

• Psychological support sessions and rest bite care, through adapted sports activities.

• Telling the stories of others and working in partnership with MND charities, to give families a voice and influence national policy change.

The Foundation also commits to driving Kingsholm forward as an industry leading stadium for inclusivity and will be advocating change to ensure that everyone can experience the atmosphere and excitement of a matchday at the home of the Cherry and Whites.

How can I get involved?

There are plenty of ways to get involved and support the project. Whether it is donating some much-needed funds, attending one of our official 4Ed fundraisers or organising your own personal challenge, we need your support to ensure that we can provide as many families as possible with the life changing support that they need.