After noticing problems gripping things with his left hand, Bob was diagnosed with MND in October 2020. For a fit and active 52 year old this was devastating news. After a few weeks as we as a family started to adjust to a new reality and a different future the realisation came that we could not and would not let Bob’s diagnosis take over our lives and that we would make the most of every day. We were determined that our days would not be defined by MND and that we would carry on as normal for as long as possible, after all a positive mental attitude can carry you far.

Positivity comes in many forms, a ten mile hike completed, pushing through the mud on a mountain bike, a well baked cake, the support of friends. For us it also meant being part of a larger community trying to find a treatment for MND.

Unlike Scotland and England, currently no active research into MND is being carried out in Wales, with West Wales patients being particularly poorly served. To make matters worse, as health is a devolved government issue, gaining access to such centres across the UK has proved almost impossible. Without access to facilities such as the Euan McDonald Centre in Edinburgh or the motor Neurone Research centre in Oxford, it is almost impossible to enrol on a clinical trial and to contribute to finding a cure for MND. To date, this has been our greatest challenge in learning to live with the disease.

Help us raise funds

You will never get to the top of the mountain if you give up at the bottom. So in keeping with our determination to keep motoring on for as long as possible we have decided to put together a small challenge on the first weekend of July 2021. We are asking our adventurous family, friends and colleagues to join us in tackling the Welsh Three peaks - the hard way. Hopefully the weekend’s adventure as well as being a lot of fun will raise some much needed funds for research into MND and also for our local hospice at Skanda Vale Hospice.

Who we are fund raising for

Knowledge is power and research is required for knowledge. For this reason we have decided to support the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. The foundation was established by Doddie Weir and the trustees in response to his frustration at the lack of options given to MND sufferers – “no effective treatment, no access to meaningful clinical trials and no hope” - the exact situation that we also found ourselves in.

In their words -

For the exact same reasons we have decided to support the trust with our Three Peaks challenge.

We are also keen to help our local community here in Carmarthenshire so part of the funds raised will also go to support the hospice run by the multi-faith community at Skanda Vale Hospice. The independent hospice was founded in 1993 and the team is made up, almost entirely, of highly skilled volunteers.

The Challenge

The challenge will take place over the weekend of the 3-4th of July 2021 and is in 5 stages.

Stage 1

Climb Mount Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales at 1085 metres,

Distance: 7 miles (there and back)

Total Climb: 723m (2,372 ft)

Time: Approx. 4 hours (there and back)

Start and Finish: Pen-y-Pass Car Park (SH 647 557 / LL55 4NY)

Map: OS Explorer OL17

Stage 2

Cycle from the foot of Snowdon to the foot of Cader Idris. 49.7 miles with a climb of 1142 metres (3747 ft) and decent of 861 metres (2828 ft) approx. 5 hours.

Stage 3

Climb Cader Idris at 893 metres along the Minfford Path

Height Gained – 930 metres,

Distance – 10km up and down,

Time – Around 5 hours

Stage 4

Cycle from the foot of Cader Idris to the foot of Pen Y Fan, 85 miles, climb of 1722 metres (5650 ft) and decent of 2051 metres (6732 ft) approx. 9 hours.

Stage 5

Climb Pen y Fan at 886 metres,

6 km there and back

446 metres of climb,

approx. 2.5 hours.

This is very much an inclusive and an individual challenge. Participants are free to do as many or as few of the 5 stages as they choose, the emphasis being on participation, teamwork and cooperation throughout, with personal goals achieved and a good time had by all and of course to raise some funds for two very deserving charities.

For more information please visit Motor On.