Award winning artist Lucy Pittaway has announced a charity partnership with the Motor Neurone Disease Association which will see the artist raising funds for the charity throughout 2025.

Lucy, who lost her father, the well known Middlesborough player and manager Willie Maddren, to Motor Neurone Disease in 2000, will be supporting the charity through the year and raising as much money and awareness as possible to support their work.

This years marks 25 years since Lucy lost her father to the disease and this makes this years fundraising event more special. Lucy and the team will be working hard to ensure that it is a year to remember.

Lucy is an award winning artist who is well known throughout the North of England and beyond and has galleries across the Cumbria, Yorkshire and the North East. Lucy has created some iconic art pieces including a famous piece celebrating the tree sycamore gap.

This year Lucy will be doing a number of things to fundraise for the MND Association including creating a unique piece of art that will be auctioned with all funds going to the charity. Lucy is also planning to support the charity with events and will be working closely with Middlesborough Football Club to raise awareness within the community, .

Lucy was touched by Motor Neurone Disease at the age of 21 when her father was diagnosed with the disease. A well known football legend Willie Madren had played for Middlesborough and managed the team in the 1980s. Sadly Willie passed away in 2000 and seeing his battle with the disease has inspired Lucy to get involved.

Speaking about the fundraising Lucy said ““This year marks the 25th anniversary of my father passing away. Anniversaries, especially ‘milestone’ ones such as this, are always difficult for families who have lost a loved one and we wanted to honour his memory throughout 2025 by choosing the MND Association as our charity partner of the year.

“So many people and their families are affected by MND and the work the MND Association do to fight the condition, through research, campaigning and helping people access care, is vitally important. Throughout the year the Lucy Pittaway team and I will be honoured to raise funds in memory of my Dad and to support MND in its essential work supporting those impacted by the condition today, and in the future.”

The funds raised will be used by the MND Association to support those living with the disease and their families, ensuring that people living with the terminal illness have all of the help and support possible. It will also be used to fund research to try to find treatments and ultimately a cure to the disease.