SENIOR partner, Bill White, of Pinniger Finch & Co solicitors in Church Street, Westbury, has continued his support for the ‘Kilimanjaro for MNDA’ campaign by cycling 100 miles.
The group actually completed 103.4 miles in warm conditions – which they describe as a remarkable achievement given that they had only previously covered 30 miles.
The Kilimanjaro for MNDA campaign sees eight football coaches, players and friends from Frome Collegians AFC climb Kilimanjaro to raise funds for MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association) and awareness of this incurable disease.
The climb is raising funds and awareness of motor neurone disease and is being done in tribute to Alistair Banks who died of the disease in January. Alistair was deputy headteacher at Matravers School and fronted the optimism campaign for MNDA. Alistair was an inspiration to everyone he met.
The climbers set off at the weekend to begin their Mount Kilimanjaro challenge and to coincide with this, Bill White and Jon Symes, owner of The Wiltshire Smokehouse, started their 100-mile cycle to raise money for the campaign.
Alistair’s son plays for a youth team at Frome Collegians AFC, whose pitch at the Old Showground in Frome was the starting point for Bill, Jon and family. They headed to Taunton where they were taken by support vehicle to Dorchester for a brewery tour at Hall & Woodhouse, kindly provided by Mark Woodhouse. The next day they cycled from Dorchester and returned to Frome Cricket Club.
Bill plays cricket both with and against some of the climbers and wishes to support them to raise awareness of this disease which kills five people in the UK every day. Bill said, “I knew very little about this disease and now realising the implications of this illness, wanted to offer my support to this campaign.”
Pinniger Finch & Co already donated their swear fees for the month of December to this campaign and Bill is keen to raise more funds which go towards research into the disease and to assist with the care and support of people suffering from it, which due to the complexities of the disease can take up to 18 healthcare specialists to look after one sufferer.
Motor neurone disease, which is incurable, only affects. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks the lower motor neurones. Degeneration of the motor neurones leads to weakness and wastage of muscles, causing increasing loss of mobility in the limbs and difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing.
Any donations to this campaign, including sponsorship for Bill and Jon, can be made on www.Just giving.com/June2013-Kili manjaroforMNDA or by texting “kman £…..” (enter amount) to 70070. There is also a collection tin at the offices of Pinniger Finch & Co in Church Street.
Follow this campaign on Facebook page “June 2013 – Kilimanjaro for MNDA.”
Pictured: Bill White and Denise and Jon Symes.
