Welcome from our Chief Executive

It’s already six months since I joined the team at the MND Association and I’m delighted to have met so many of you, our members, already. Thank you to everyone who has given me such a warm welcome, and for your honesty and openness in sharing your personal experiences, your feedback and your ideas.

While I’m still in the early days of my journey with the Association, in this issue of Thumb Print we share the stories of some of our longest-standing volunteers, including Lesley Connor whose 20 years of service was marked by a video chat with our Hollywood patron Eddie Redmayne! Read the story on page 6, and you can watch the heart-warming video of their conversation on our website www.mndassociation.org/awarenessday. And talking of heart-warming – I was privileged to be at Headingley Stadium, back in May, when when Rob Burrow MBE, carried by Kevin Sinfield OBE, crossed the finish line of the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon.What an incredible moment, in a whole day of incredible moments! Seeing the sea of blue and orange on the streets of Leeds, witnessing the kindness of friends and strangers, and talking to some of the 2,300 runners supporting the MND Association showed me the power of our MND community.

Thumb Print is the quarterly magazine of the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, Francis Crick House, 6 Summerhouse Road, Moulton Park, Northampton, NN3 6BJ Reg. charity number 294354.

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Thumb Print is available to read online and as a downloadable pdf at www.mndassociation.org/ thumbprint

The views expressed in Thumb Print are not necessarily those of the Association. The advertisement of third party products or services does not in any way imply endorsement by the MND Association nor that those products or services will be provided, funded or available via the Association. All content © MND Association 2022.

That power is something we are harnessing through the creation of our MND Taskforce, in line with our Promise that we will not rest until MND is treatable and ultimately curable.We have convened a team of experts from across our community and beyond, to drive access for patients to emerging treatments.We’ve been talking about the great strides taken in MND research over recent years.This is the next, and vital, step.You can read more on page 9 and on our dedicated web hub www.mndassociation.org/taskforce.

The Taskforce, our Next Generation Think Tank and our EnCouRage event for early career researchers, taking place this month, are perfect examples of the innovative and collaborative approach which, I believe, are key to providing the answers people affected by MND desperately need.

My team and I are now building on this amazing work, and more already underway, as we shape plans for the Association’s future. I look forward to sharing them with you – and delivering on the Promises we have made to the MND community.

Tanya Curry Chief Executive