There are so many deserving fundraisers within the Huntington's community who have gone above and beyond to raise valuable funds and awareness to support those affected by Huntington's.
Without them, we wouldn't be able to do the work that we do so we want to give them the recognition they deserve!
Fundraiser of the Year (aged 18 +)
Congratulations to John on winning the fundraiser of the year award. John who is from Lancashire, was part of 2021 #TeamHDA who took part in the Virtual London Marathon. John completed the marathon distance in and round his local area. His friends and family helped celebrate his amazing achievement afterwards with a party. John, who is a personal trainer, raised over £26,000 from taking part in the race and used social media, friends and family to help raise awareness of the disease.
John said:
“Huntington’s is very close to our hearts in our family. We raise money every year to help... We have a number of family members who have been and are affected. It’s our goal as a family to help as many people who are currently living with the disease.”
Fundraising Group of the Year (two fundraisers or more)
Congratulations to the staff at Kernow House care home who won our fundraising group of the year award. Work colleagues Joanne, Sharron, Alison, Jade, Morgana, Gosia and Rachel braved the elements when they took on their Snowdon challenge. Based in Cornwall these Snowdon hikers work in a care home and see first-hand every day the effects Huntington’s disease has on the people they care for. The group raised the wonderful amount of £1,700.
Jo said:
“We see the devastating impact it has on our residents and their families. Knowing that we have contributed a small but significant bit to improve their quality of life is priceless. The walk itself was very wet and very windy but we all thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. It was worth the effort.”
Young Fundraiser of the Year (under 18 years old)
Congratulations to Uisce who won our young fundraiser of the year award. Uisce who is aged 12 and from Essex braved the chop to support the Huntington’s Disease Association because her grandmother is affected by Huntington's. Not only did she raise £900 for the Association but she donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust.
Uisce said:
“My nana Nora has Huntington’s disease and over the years I have seen how difficult this is for both her and her loved ones. I wanted to do whatever I could to raise awareness and funds for those like my nana. She is one of the bravest, strongest and smartest woman I know."
Excellence in health or social care award
Congratulations to Alex Fisher on winning this award. Alex is a Senior Occupational Therapist who has specialised with Huntington's disease patients for many years. Over the years, Alex has worked closely with the charity and during lockdown she hosted a series of occupational therapy webinars for the Huntington's community. Alex advocates for people living with Huntington's.
Alex said:
"Is it too overegged to say I'm honoured? Because that's what it is. I love my job and so to do things such as the webinars or helping colleagues and families out is a natural extension of that. I think I said when I emotionally accepted the award - I'm not often speechless but that's because I was. I also said 'it takes a village' and that's also true. What I meant by that is that I work within a brilliant team and I include the Huntington's Disease Association and Specialist Advisers within that - I could not do my job without them. Although there are some do's/don't in Huntington's disease, there's also no one size fits all and as my profession as an Occupational Therapist is built on the everyday and creativity, I'm privileged people let me into their lives to see if I can help them or at the very least advocate for them. This award will let me do that even more."
Founders award
Mauveen Jones is the founder of the Huntington’s Disease Association. Back in 1971 it was Mauveen who tried to find a way to support her family and to find other families in similar situations. We are here today thanks to the efforts of Mauveen.
Doreen Spiers is a former member of the Executive Council helping to guide the charity through its changes to embrace the changing world with the introduction of our advisory service, Doreen and her fellow Executive Committee members helped to guide and steer the charity to where we are today.
