Wednesday 27th July 2011 - Published by Lara Page - Account Manager
Gruelling Trek Jogs Up £10k for MS Centre
Fundraisers have raised £10,000 in aid of sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions, after a six-mile trek in North Wales.
Ten teams took part in this year's Six Mile Trek, taking off from base camp in Capel Curig, to undertake the gruelling course around local forestry commission land, in aid of the MS Support Centre, near Chester.
Each team, which included a member of the MS Support Centre, in a specially adapted wheelchair, finished the course in times ranging from one-and-a-half to four hours. The fastest teams were Whitchurch Rugby Club and Too Posh to Push, who both managed to complete the course in one hour and 36 minutes.
Alison Smithson, a passenger who was carried by Whitchurch Rugby Club, described the experience as “character forming but amazing”. Despite the glorious July weather, team members had to battle chest-deep mud, icy water, rocky forest paths and swarms of midges, during the trek.
Neil Kemsley, chairman of MS Support Centre said: “All teams should all be congratulated for their magnificent efforts. Funds raised by the event are yet to be calculated, but should be in excess of £10,000, which will be a wonderful boost for the centre.
“These funds are vital to the centre, as it costs around £5,000 a week to provide a wide range of services and therapies to people with MS, Parkinson’s Disease, ME and other ongoing neurological conditions.”
The MS Support Centre provides support to people with a neurological condition and their carers. It receives no automatic statutory funding, and around 80 per cent of its backing comes from fundraising activities, such as the Six Mile Trek.
The other eight teams who took part in the event were, the NACRED Rams, AGS Lambs, Light Drizzle, Parry Medics, Team Barrett, the Dogs Bollox, The Mean Machines, The Walking Talking Tripods and finally The Dixons’s or “The Lost Boys”.
Anyone inspired to enter a team for next year’s Six Mile Trek, or who would like more information about the MS Support Centre, should contact Jane Johnston-Cree on 01244 678619 or email at mssupport@btinternet.com.
