Thousands raised during walk to remember beloved Drumragh teacher

AFTER losing their beloved teacher, Christopher McConnell, to Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in October 2020, the staff and pupils of Drumragh Ingrated College vowed to always honour his memory by raising funds and awareness for the disease.

Staying true to this, and continuing to shine a light on MND, the school community recently took part in a special fundraising 5k walk, in which they raised a fantastic, and vital, £12,900 for MND Association Northern Ireland – a charity focused on improving access to care, research and campaigning for people affected by motor neurone disease.

Proudly donned in blue t-shirts – the awarness colour of MND – the walkers were joined by Christopher’s loved ones as they remembered their dear colleague and friend.

Some walkers even wore specially-made t-shirts that read, ‘MND Drumragh Together’.

A spokesperson from the school has expressed their thanks to all who took part.

“We were absolutely delighted to present Stephen Thompson from MND Association Northern Ireland with a cheque for £12,900,” they said. “We wish to extend our thanks to everyone who helped us reach this amazing amount.”

What is MND?

With MND, messages from the motor neurones gradually stop reaching the muscles. This leads the muscles to weaken, stiffen and waste. MND can affect how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. Some people also experience changes to their thinking and behaviour. However, MND affects everyone differently. Not all symptoms will affect everyone, or in the same order. Symptoms also progress at varying speeds, which makes the course of the disease difficult to predict.

MND is life-shortening and there is no cure. Although the disease will progress, symptoms can be managed to help achieve the best possible quality of life.

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