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www.muscular-dystrophy.org
2011 President’s Awards
At our National Conference held last October, around 300 delegates heard from a number of truly inspiring individuals who had contributed to the charity’s success over the past year. Our President, Sue Barker MBE, hosted the President’s Awards ceremony, which has become a highlight of the annual conference and an inspiration to individuals, families and supporters around the country.
Fundraiser of the Year Khurm Arshad
Conference round-up
October was conference month for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, with more than 400 people attending the Scottish and National Conferences in Glasgow and Nottingham respectively. Feedback from both conferences was positive, and our families who gathered valued the opportunity to meet with other families, as well as professionals, and to find out latest developments in research and campaigning. The sessions on working with the media were also popular and informative, and our supporters appreciated being able to put faces to names, and to meet staff from the charity.
The conference was broadcast live online, enabling everyone who was unable to attend to view the event on the web. The 2012 conference dates are now set, so do put these in your diary: Scottish Conference: Saturday 6 October 2012, at the Beardmore Conference Centre in Glasgow. National Conference: Saturday 13 October 2012, at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham.
Khurm, described by Sue Barker as a ‘dynamic and determined leader’, was inspired to get involved with the charity by his 13-year old brother Auzair who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Over the past two years, Khurm formed a local fundraising group and led the team to organise a successful Indian banquet, raising an amazing £7,000. Since then, he has persuaded ten of his friends to run the Bristol Half Marathon and formed a partnership with Bristol bar, Malloy’s, raising thousands of pounds for the charity.
Fundraiser of the Year Gavin Reeves
Sue Barker presented the award to this determined fundraiser, calling his commitment to the charity ‘genuinely astonishing’. Gavin got involved with the charity through his love of running, and decided to raise money for the charity through his first London Marathon in 1996. After catching the running bug and enjoying the sense of achievement of fundraising, Gavin decided to run the event again in 1997 and a further, astonishing, 15 years in a row - running a total of 390 miles through the streets of London.
Fundraising Group of the Year Bertie 23
This group is made up of seven truly extraordinary young
men from the South West who have made a fantastic contribution to the charity since committing to take part in 23 fundraising events in memory of their friend, Bertie Brookman, who sadly died from muscular dystrophy in April 2010 at the age of 23. To honour the man they call ‘one of the nicest individuals we have ever known’, the group has raised more than £12,000 for us, through a staggering series of challenges including cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End and completing an exhausting 23k swim.
Inspiring Person of the Year Jon Hastie
Jon, 30, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Determined to show people how much can be achieved by men with this condition, in the face of daily challenges, Jon set out to make a documentary, recruiting a professional film crew and gaining funding for the project. In the summer, Jon travelled throughout UK and into Europe, to visit and interview other men with the condition and highlight their achievements, to inspire the next generation of people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The film is called “A life worth living”.
Young Inspiring Person of the Year Chloe Ball Hopkins
Chloe, 15, has nemaline myopathy and was chosen to perform the coin toss at the Wimbledon Ladies’ Final in 2011, in front of 375 million television viewers worldwide. Sue Barker, said Chloe had ‘stolen the nation’s heart’. Chloe overcame