Kendale Nursing Manager Raises £40,000 for MND Association

Emma Dever, who is head of nursing services here at Kentdale, has thanked supporters after an epic fundraising event raised more than £40,000 for charity.

Emma worked with her family and friends to organise ‘The Barty Party’ to raise money to help find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND), after her father John Barton was diagnosed with the debilitating, life-limiting illness.

With final monies still to come in from the event, Emma said the fundraiser, which included live music, a raffle and auction, had raised an astonishing figure of more than £40,000 for the MND Association.

Emma, who has been a part of the team here at Kentdale for six years, said: “The evening really was an incredible success.

“We would like to thank the huge number of people who generously provided raffle and auction prizes and, of course, those who bought tickets and attended to make the event a success.

“In total, we sold 480 tickets and actually had to hire a marquee to ensure the venue had enough capacity. The auction alone raised £10,000.

“My family worked so hard to prepare food and run the event to make it the success it was. We’re completely overwhelmed with the total raised and I’m so proud of my family for their amazing achievement.

“Raising awareness of this disease is so incredibly important.”

MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE

Emma’s dad John, 60, a farmer from Pilling in Lancashire, was diagnosed with the disease in June 2021.

MND is a life-shortening, rapidly-progressing disease which affects the motor neurones (nerves) that allow the brain and spinal cord to communicate, ultimately affecting the ability of sufferers to walk, talk, eat, drink, breathe, think and behave.

The disease, which currently has no cure, results in a third of sufferers losing their life within a year of diagnosis and more than a half within two years.

Emma added: “As a family, the past 12 months have been incredibly tough but we have been very lucky to receive so much support from our friends and local community.

“The MND Association is a non-profit organisation with a focus on improving access to care and campaigning to support people living with MND, as well as conducting vital research to help find a cure and fulfil their vision of a world free from MND.

“The MND Association has provided lots of information and helped us to network with other families going through this process. They also provided support with our fundraising event in terms of giving us advice and helping to source some amazing raffle prizes.”

Dominic McDonough, MND Association regional fundraiser for the north, worked with Emma and the team on the event and said both the money and awareness raised would be invaluable.

Dominic said: “The team worked so hard to make The Barty Party a huge success, it was a really wonderful night which was full of love and brought together the community in a really positive way.

“The amount raised is absolutely incredible and will help us to fund vital research to find a cure for this terrible disease.

“The awareness raised is also so important, making sure that more people know about MND and know we are here to support and care for those living with MND and their families, making sure no-one lives with MND alone.

“Thank you so much to John’s family and friends for all they have done, it really does mean the world to us!”

There is still time to donate to The Barty Party JustGiving page, which can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thebartyparty.