£8,048 was fundraised by Sheffield resident Al Stephens for motor neurone disease (MND) research, a condition that affects the body’s brain and nervous system. The funds were donated to the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience which researches and develops treatments for the disease.
Taking action
Stephens set up a JustGiving page, sharing it with friends, family, and colleagues. His fundraising consisted of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and leveraging the skills of his IT company, Darwin Technology Solutions to host a golf day which raised £2,500. He also collaborated with a community of IT leaders who hosted a Flight Club event. The donations, which came from sponsored darts competitions, reached a milestone of £8,000.
Stephens wanted to climb Kilimanjaro for a reason, despite not having MND himself. The former rugby player recognised that many people are affected by the disease, both those who have MND themselves and those who know someone with the condition.
Friends with MND
“I spoke to my dad; one of his old workmates has it. I spoke to one of my rugby pals, one of his mates has it. I spoke to a customer at work, one of their salespeople has it”, Stephens explained. “The more that can be done to combat MND, the better.”
Rob Burrow, Doddie Weir, and Ed Slater are among three rugby players Stephens knew who have MND.
“I met Doddie Weir a few times and he was just such a character. When he came down to the rugby club to do after-dinner speeches he wasn’t one of those that just disappeared off in a taxi after dinner; he came and had a beer with everybody in the bar.”
Climbing Kilimanjaro
Climbing Kilimanjaro requires preparation. Explaining what he did before the climb, Stephens said:
“Loads of stamina training, loads of anaerobic training. The higher you go up the mountain, the less oxygen is available.”
Describing the last day of his climb, Stephens said:
“I was lucky to be the first person up there that day, and there was nobody else around.”
“The feeling of having trained, raised the funds, climbed and reached the top, being the first one up there on the day, looking around, not seeing anybody, apart from the guy that was with me, and just seeing the sunrise over Africa, is just something that you ever forget. Nobody can ever take it away.”
Further fundraising
Stephens is dedicated to continuing efforts to fight MND and is planning ahead for further efforts in 2024. Possible events include a triathlon, kayaking across the English Channel, golfing events and other activities.
“The amount of money these guys need to continue their research is insane – £8,000 is a drop in the ocean”, Stephens emphasised.
If you wish to contact Stephens to help with any future events, you can contact him through the Darwin Technology Solutions website at https://darwin-tech.com/contact/.
