People from across the ScotRail Alliance will take part in a number of fundraising activities during MND Action Week 2019.
The fundraisers from the ScotRail Alliance will take part in a sponsored zip-slide across the River Clyde on Saturday 22 June among other activities, including a Hawaiian shirt themed dress down day on Friday 21 June, to coincide with the longest day of summer.
During MND Action Week, MND Scotland will be launching its biggest ever direct fundraising appeal for supporters and members of the public, to help end MND forever.
This will join the charity’s brand-new hard-hitting public awareness campaign which asks people to imagine a world without MND.
The ScotRail Alliance – a partnership between ScotRail and Network Rail Scotland - is supporting MND Scotland’s campaign by providing free access to advertising spaces on trains and at stations.
As part of this, MND Scotland will be engaging with the public with a high-tech multimedia contactless giving experience.
When passengers use their contactless card to donate £3 to the charity, a large video screen will play a message from the charity. The purpose of this is to drive engagement and to ask the public to consider supporting the charity for the first time.
The partnership with the charity, which is working to find a cure for the terminal disease, set a target of raising £50,000 for each year of the three-year agreement.
The ScotRail Alliance has smashed that target, with more than £215,000 raised to date.
Collections are also being held at stations across Scotland’s Railway, and over 350 donation tins are in place at staffed stations.
Staff and volunteers at MND Scotland have been provided with on-duty travel passes to reduce their travel costs, allowing them to travel to support groups, political conferences, and fundraising and information events free of charge.
ScotRail Community Investment Manager Sophie Nightingale said:
“We’re really proud to work so closely with MND Scotland, the support they provide to patients and their families is unbelievable.
“Our customers and people have been fantastic in raising funds for the charity over the last two years, and we’re hoping with the launch of MND Scotland’s powerful fundraising campaign, that this MND Action week will be even better.”
MND Scotland’s Head of Fundraising Iain McWhirter said:
“The generosity of customers and staff at the ScotRail Alliance has exceeded all our expectations. Our partnership with the ScotRail Alliance has helped generate over £215,000 for the charity, which has allowed us to fund vital support services and power cutting-edge research.
“During MND Action Week, the ScotRail Alliance will be supporting the charity by donating free advertising space on trains and space in stations to reach the travelling public. We’re also able to access Scotland’s busiest stations to ask passengers to consider supporting our campaign with a £3 contactless donation, or make a regular donation to help find a cure.”