The first ever Mayor of Cheshire East Council spent much of her term raising awareness of a little known form of muscular dystrophy.
Councillor Margaret Simon chose Action Duchenne as one of her two main charities for 2009/2010, along with Hearing Dogs for the Deaf.
After numerous dress-down days, a fishing match and a Cheshire East ball, Cllr Simon was able to present an impressive £7,000 to the charity.
She said: “My cousin’s grandson, Thomas, has been showing signs of the condition and I am aware of a few more cases of young people in our district who have it.
“Action Duchenne is very little known and I felt as though I really wanted to help and put my efforts into raising money for the charity.”
Duchenne is a severe form of muscular dystrophy characterised by rapid progression of muscle degeneration, which can result in death.
It affects one in 3,500 males, making it the most prevalent of muscular dystrophies. In general, only males are affected but females can be carriers.
More collections and also a coffee morning in the Mayor’s parlour helped to bring home a massive £14,000 in total – which was split equally between Cllr Simon’s two chosen charities.
She added: “The biggest part of my year as Mayor was spent meeting people and learning about what goes on across our area.
“However, I took immense pleasure in being able to support such good causes. It gives you a great sense of humility and I met many people who work so hard for their charities.”
No comments:
Post a Comment