Creativity for a cause: Charity art exhibition brings community together

The Chilterns Neuro Centre is celebrating the success of its vibrant Pop-Up Art Weekend, which welcomed over 1,000 visitors and raised over £23,000 to support people in the local community affected by MS, Parkinson’s and strokes.

Held in partnership with the Clare Foundation, the special weekend, which is celebrating its 21st year, brought together an inspiring collection of talented artists, art lovers, supporters and volunteers for a memorable community event filled with creativity and generosity.

Visitors had the chance to explore and purchase a wide range of artworks from an incredible group of artists who generously contributed at least a third of the sale from each piece of artwork sold to support the Centre’s vital services. 

The event created a lively and welcoming atmosphere while helping raise essential funds for the charity.

The Chilterns Neuro Centre would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the Clare Foundation for partnering on this much-loved event. Their support and collaboration played a key role in making the weekend such a success.

Special thanks also go to the many talented artists who shared their creativity, the dedicated volunteers who generously gave their time to help run the event and the hundreds of visitors whose enthusiasm and support made the weekend so special.

“We are absolutely delighted by the success of the Pop-Up Art Weekend,” Hannah Fleming, Community and Events Manager at the Chilterns Neuro Centre” told That's Health.

"To welcome more than 1,000 visitors and raise over £23,000 is an incredible achievement. Events like this not only raise vital funds for our services but also bring the community together in a truly uplifting way.”

“It was a pleasure to partner with the Chilterns Neuro Centre for this fantastic event,” said Robin Walker, Chair of Trustees at the Clare Foundation. 

“The Pop-Up Art Weekend showcased not only exceptional artistic talent but also the power of community collaboration. We are proud to support the Centre and the invaluable work they do for people living with neurological conditions.”

Funds raised from the weekend will help the Chilterns Neuro Centre continue providing a wide range of treatments and services to people in the community affected by MS, Parkinson’s and strokes, empowering them to live life to the full.

https://www.chilternsneurocentre.org

Charity bikes the World three times over for those living with MS

Bike the UK for MS’s January #move4ms challenge was to move 1 kilometre for each of the 130,000 people living with multiple sclerosis in the UK. After 31 days the final count was 125,323km, just a little short of their target but still enough to complete the equivalent of three laps around the world!

355 cyclists, runners, walkers and swimmers logged their movement throughout the month of January to support the charity which works to raise awareness and funds to support those living with MS. 

The charity organised the challenge as it enters its tenth year of organising cycling challenges like Land’s End to John O’Groats and Scotland’s North Coast 500 to raise money for (amongst others) the MS Society and its local support groups across the UK.

Multiple sclerosis is a condition that affects your brain and spinal cord and has a huge range of symptoms which can vary widely from individual to individual. Once diagnosed, MS stays with you for life but there are treatments that can manage the condition and its symptoms.

It goes to show; 130,000 people is a lot! It can be hard to visualise big numbers, but three times around the world and they still didn’t quite cover one kilometre for each person living with MS in the UK.

To put it another way, that’s one in every 500 people. Enough to fill Wembley Stadium one and a half times. That is why charities such as Bike the UK for MS need everyone’s help: to continue to raise funds and awareness to help those living with MS.

If you would like to take a look at Bike the UK for MS’s summer 2024 trips then you can find them here: https://www.biketheukforms.org/our-routes

Stay tuned for Bike the UK for MS’s next challenge during MS Awareness Week from 22nd to 28th April!

https://www.biketheukforms.org