My brother, Rick had Motor Neurone Disease. He was 50 when he died on Good Friday this year. For those that knew Rick, you will remember that he was a bright, shining light. His light was extinguished, but he left behind embers of himself, which continue to burn and will shine bright in our memories of him. 

I am continuing to raise money in memory of Rick. It won't bring him back, but it will help towards research for effective treatment and hopefully, one day, a cure.

This will be our first Christmas without Rick.

 Motor neurone disease (MND) is a progressive disease that attacks the motor neurones, or nerves, in the brain and spinal cord. This means messages gradually stop reaching muscles, which leads to weakness and wasting.MND can affect how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. However, not all symptoms necessarily happen to everyone and it is unlikely they will all develop at the same time, or in any specific order.Although there is currently no cure for MND, symptoms can be managed to help you achieve the best possible quality of life.We need your support.£120 could provide an overbed table, making it easier for someone with MND to eat, drink and read safely and comfortably in bed£230 could fund the coordination of care for someone with MND at a Care Centre for a year£500 could provide a tablet device with specialist communication software, allowing someone to communicate with loved ones£750 could fund an MND expert researcher for a week