Fundraisers

Time is running out to sign up for Ride the North next month!

We have FREE spaces still available - we're just asking you raise a minimum of £150.

This epic ride through some of the north-east's most stunning scenery is not to be missed. Whether you sign up for the 50-mile or 100-mile route on August 26, know that every single pedal will make a difference to neuro patients. Email us at info@fotnw.org to secure your free place today!

Hats off to Sofia from Stromness Academy, who organised a very special fundraiser for us last month.

Sofia's 'Wear a Hat to School Day' raised more than £620 for Friends of the Neuro Ward - a huge thank you to her, and everyone else who got behind the effort too!

This is just minutes after Emma crossed the finish line at the Edinburgh Marathon, raising an incredible £9,000 in honour of her mum, Alison.

Emma has split the money between Friends of the Neuro Ward and the National Spinal Unit in Glasgow in thanks to the support the teams have been offering her mum as she recovers from spinal surgery.

Emma said: "The run was tough, both mentally and physically but what an amazing feeling crossing that finish line and the crowd all the way round were super!"

What an incredible effort, thank you so much Emma!

A massive well done & THANK YOU to Abbie, Feji & Jessica from Westhill Academy who secured £3,000 for us this week by taking part in YPI Scotland.

They presented a brilliant business case on what we do, including some touching patient stories about the help we provide for the wards at ARI & Woodend

If you're thinking about creating a sponsorship page, check us out on Enthuse. It's now our main fundraising platform and is pretty easy to use. You can set up personal pages, team pages, make a donation, set up a standing order... If we can help, please do get in touch.

Gladys has been a tireless supporter of FOTNW, also often dropping off goodies for the staff on the ward too.

She recently organised a collection for us at Morrisons Peterhead and has some more fundraising plans up her sleeve for the coming weeks. We couldn't do what we do without people like you Gladys, so thank you

Our staff had a very special visit from former patient Flynn Scott. He presented them with a cheque for £5,000.

Many of you will have read about Flynn's accident in the press, and the huge fundraiser that was launched in his name. An incredible £15,000 was raised, which is being split between ICU and neurosurgery and neuro rehab. Thank you so much Flynn, and your army of supporters. We wish you all the best with your recovery

David didn't know if he'd be able to walk again after a seven-hour operation for a spinal tumour in 2018.

But not only is he well and truly back on his feet, he's also whizzing around on two wheels! In July, he's taking on the Etape Du Tour 2022 - a 166km cycle across the mountains, starting at Briancon to Alpe D'Heuz.

Read more about his incredible story on his fundraising page here, and why he's supporting us in this epic challenge. Thank you so much David!

We're so pleased to see events making a comeback for 2022, and would love to see you at the starting line in one of our teddy tees!

Run Garioch is a 5K, 10K or half marathon around Inverurie on May 15.

Ride the North is a one-day cycling event starting and finishing in Elgin on August 27. We've got team spaces, and would love to help you accomplish the challenge. We'll cover the registration fee and are asking riders to raise a minimum of £150 for us.

To find out more, email info@fotnw.org

While we've been enjoying the Olympics from the comfort of our couch, fundraiser Shane Thompson has been pounding the streets in preparation for the Berlin Marathon!

Shane caught the running bug after recovering from subdural empyema (an abscess on the brain caused by a sinus infection). In 2014, he spent time on W205 after undergoing a craniotomy and wants to raise money to help other neuro patients.

It's an incredible effort and we wish him all the best. Can't wait to see the pictures of him cross that finish line - especially since the event was postponed last year due to Covid.

Jake Summers was rushed to hospital with a serious head injury following a crash last year.

Now he and his mum, Laura, have been visiting those who saved his life - including the team at W205 and the rehab unit at Woodend.
Staff were delighted to welcome him back, and he handed over a cheque for £560 to both. Other units at ARI - including resus, surgical high dependency and intensive care have also received a boost, along with those who got him there, Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

The family raised the funds by selling friendship badges on their Forever Friends page, selling lucky squares and even embarking on a 10,000 steps a day challenge last month.
Thank you so much for your efforts, and we hope you keep surprising your doctors Jake!

We're constantly inspired by our supporters, and Colleen's Superfans are no exception.

This incredible bunch came together in honour of nurse Colleen Mair, who suffered several brain haemorrhages in 2018/19 and spent time on W205 and the rehab unit at Woodend.

They all signed up for Run Garioch (Dandara 10K) last year, but it was cancelled due to Covid. It went virtual in May this year however, and they smashed it!

Even better, Colleen herself managed to complete 10K walk with her dad too. As her best friend Alyson - another nurse - said, "Maybe it was a blessing the run was delayed and she could take part".

Scott Mair, Greig Mair, Leanne Smith, Alyson Thomson, Colin Greig, Kelly Cheyne, Mark Lamont, Colleen Black, Lynsey Dalgarno, Kacey Rennie, James Finn, Debbie Castles, Karen Soppitt you are all amazing... Thank you for raising £3,891.25 for us!

When Sally Adam set off for the Aberdeen Kiltwalk in 2017, she had never heard of Friends of the Neuro Ward.

But while she was walking to Potarch, her father Doug had been raced to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare condition that affects the nerves and can, in some cases, result in paralysis.

After his initial treatment at the neuro ward at ARI, Doug was transferred to the rehab unit at Woodend Hospital where the dedicated team got him moving and helped him learn to walk again.

Determined to thank the staff, Sally signed up for the Edinburgh Kiltwalk the following year.

Shortly afterwards, she found out about Friends of the Neuro Ward’s work to improve facilities for patients at Woodend and ARI and decided to pull on her walking boots again – this time, signing up for four Kiltwalks with her partner Mike Gibbon.

Together they completed the Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow routes in the summer of 2019 and raised an incredible £3,000.

Now the couple is preparing to take part in the first ever virtual Kiltwalk, which runs from April 23-25.

Walkers can set their own route, and distance, this year and all the money they raise will be topped up by up to 50% by the Hunter Foundation, enabling charities of all sizes to make a big difference.

Sally, who runs her own cafe in Portlethen, told anyone thinking about taking part to sign up and promised it would give them a “great sense of accomplishment”.

“We really like the challenge of the Kiltwalk, and the fact that whatever we raise is topped up by 50% is a big incentive,” she said.

“At a usual Kiltwalk there’s a brilliant atmosphere, everyone is so friendly. We loved the Glasgow one especially as people were lining the streets to cheer us on.

“The sense of accomplishment at the end is good, and the fact you can pick any charity that’s close to your heart makes it even better.”

The couple plan to walk from their home in Echt to Sally’s Cafe and have already increased their regular walks in preparation.

Sally however, is no stranger to big walks – having conquered both Mount Kilimanjaro and Ben Nevis for charity.

“I started big and have worked my way back down,” she laughed. “But we really like the Kiltwalks and supporting a smaller charity.”

To sign up for the Kiltwalk on our behalf, visit https://www.thekiltwalk.co.uk and search for Friends of the Neuro Ward.

Like so many other charities, our fundraising took an real hit in 2020 due to the pandemic. We've been so lucky that our supporters have stuck by us, and can't thank them enough. This has allowed us to buy various pieces of equipment for the ward - from music speakers and new games and puzzles (to while away the time when no visitors have been allowed) to a special mattress and recliner chairs.

As things begin to ease over the coming few months, we're looking forward to getting back out there - alongside our mascot Buddy, of course! Do you fancy getting involved?

The Kiltwalk is going virtual this year, and we'd be thrilled to see you pounding the streets on our behalf. It runs over the weekend of April 23-25 and you can walk/skip/hop/boogie how far you want, where you want. Every penny raised will be topped up by 50% thanks to Sir Tom Hunter. We also have places at Ride the North and would love you to be on the first ever FOTNW team! Given the uncertainty of things just now, organiser Neil has come up with a couple of contingency plans but as things stand, there are three routes to choose from. These are 100km, 140km and 180km through some of the best north-east scenery, setting off from Huntly on July 24.

We're covering the registration fee, and simply asking our riders to raise a minimum of £150. We'll supply you with a T-shirt and water bottle, and all the support we can.

To find out about more about either event - or to let us know about your own fundraising idea - please email info@fotnw.org or send us a message on Facebook.

Spread a little love this Valentine's Day by taking part in Orkney Rotary Club's Lucky Number competition.

For just £2 a number, you could win a fruit cake, prosecco, roses and a card. You can find out more, or enter, here.

Thank you for raising funds to help patients on the ward!

Sign up today for our latest fundraiser, Paws Across Scotland.

Throughout January, we're aiming to clock up the 255.3 miles from Aberdeen to Orkney, where our founder Caroline stays.

We've picked a route that reflects the distance the patients we support come from, and hope you'll join us in getting 2021 off to a paws-itive start!

Simply sign up here

You just need to send us your weekly mile count for us to add it to our tracker, and of course - plenty of pictures of you and your pooches.

If you don't have a dog, we'd still love you to take part.

Voting is now open for our Best Borders Competition, which is raising money for our therapy garden appeal for the rehab unit at Woodend Hospital.

We are thrilled with the entries we received - you can vote for your favourite by viewing them here - but you best be quick, voting closes on Monday, November 23.

Thanks to Beechgrove's Jim McColl for being our judge - he'll pick two winners out the 10 gardens that receive most votes.

Help us add a splash of colour to the lives of neurological patients by taking part in our latest competition!

All you need to do is send us a photograph of your garden border and then vote for your favourites. See poster for full details.

Jim McColl, of The Beechgrove Garden, is our special judge for this fundraiser, with all money going towards our Woodend Hospital Therapy Garden Appeal.

We need your help.... Friends of the Neuro Ward is looking to raise £250,000 for a therapy garden at Woodend Hospital. The garden has been designed by the award winning garden designer & broadcaster James Alexander-Sinclair.

The garden will create a space for patients & their families to get away from the unit. We hope it will also become a tranquil spot for patients to reflect on how far they have come as they prepare to leave hospital.

If you would like to fundraise specifically for this appeal, please let us know when signing up to an event

You can keep up to date here https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Neuro-Therapy-Garden-1213932668781811/