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Finding and enjoying a fundraising project

Sally has been fundraising for our community for over 25 years. She supports us in memory of her godson Jonathan. A keen gardener, Sally shares her thoughts on how opening your garden can support people living with a muscle wasting and weakening condition.

A lady with her arm round a boy in a wheelchair

25 years of fundraising

I’ve been fundraising for Muscular Dystrophy UK ever since my godson, Jonathan, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Jonathon’s family were very independent and had a ‘let’s get on with it’ attitude, but the charity was always there for them when they simply couldn’t do things on their own.

I did my first London marathon for the charity in 1999, and another in 2002. I still have the lovely photo of Jonathon and I on that day when he came to support me. I was a GP back then and abseiled down Guys Hospital Tower Block a couple of years later with some members from my practice, which was rather frightening.

When Jonathon passed away in 2018 at just 28, I wanted to do something big in his honour.

“With the support of the charity, I cycled over 200 miles from Manchester United football club to Chelsea football club. Jonathon was a huge Man U fan and I was a Chelsea supporter, so it was very personal to us.”

Volunteering and fundraising

I’ve always loved having a project which is why I enjoy volunteering and fundraising. It’s great to feel useful and like I’m making a difference in the community, so whenever I see a need for something, I try and find a way to help.

It’s important to me that I carry on playing my part in supporting Muscular Dystrophy UK find a cure for Duchenne. As I’ve got older and recently become a grandma, taking part in events has become more difficult, so I now donate monthly to the charity.

“There’s something comforting about the cyclical nature of gardening”

Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Open Garden campaign is such a great way for those that love the outdoors to fundraise.

I lived in London for most of my life and always tried to inject as much nature as possible into my city home. I’m happiest as a patio gardener, planting herbs and small flowers in tubs. Now that I live in Somerset with half an acre of land, gardening has become a bit more of a challenge. Luckily, it’s fashionable to let your garden grow wild at the moment!

I love the calm that washes over you when gardening. Being outside with the wind in your hair and looking up at the sky just makes you feel better.

I enjoy nurturing plants from seedlings and watching them grow into something beautiful. I start planting seeds in February in my bedroom and watch them sprout through the spring. Then transfer them outside to bloom in the summer sun.

“Lots of people in Somerset open their gardens each year and it’s always such a lovely event.”

Not only is it a great way to raise money for a charity whilst doing something you enjoy, it also creates important discussions about the accessibility of outdoors spaces for people in wheelchairs.

Find out more about how to open your garden here.

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