THE FAMILY and friends of a man suffering from Motor Neuron Disease (MND) will take part in a charity trek across the Kalahari Desert in his name.
A group of fourteen will take part in the trek across Namibia to raise money for the Andrew Mitchell Research Fund and provide vital funds for MND research.
In May 2015, farmer Andrew Mitchell was diagnosed with the debilitating neurological condition after noticing some weakness in his hands earlier in the year.
His wife Fiona, who lives with Andrew in Kincardine, said though they knew something was wrong, the official diagnosis of MND was a blow.
She said: "We couldn’t have possibly imagined how devastating the condition would be, and how much havoc it would cause.
"In order to accommodate Andrew’s ever-changing needs, we were forced to move home at very short notice, and since then, Andrew has lost a lot of his mobility and speech.
"He’s always been a very active person – he worked as a farmer his whole life, and played rugby for Stirling Rugby Club in his spare time; for this reason, his symptoms have been particularly hard to bear."
Organised by his sister-in-law Shona, Andrew's son Kris and his fiancee Rheanne will also be among the group to take part in the gruelling trek this October.
They will traverse the Kalahari — the world's oldest desert — over a period of 12 days taking in a gruelling 150 miles.
As each participant has also self-funded the trip, all the money raised will go directly to the fund, which is in turn will go to the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research at the University of Edinburgh.
Already, they have raised more than £1,200 towards their £10,000 target.
Fiona added: "Since Andrew’s diagnosis, I’ve been absolutely blown away by the generosity and support of so many of our friends and family.
"The fact that people think enough of Andrew to give up their time, money, and put in so much physical effort is truly astounding."
The expedition is being organised and led by ex-SAS Major Ken Hames, who has appeared on adventure programmes for the BBC, ITV and the Discovery Channel amongst others.
He said: "I am full of admiration for the Scottish team for taking on this brave challenge for a terrific cause.
"It’s certainly one of the toughest they could have chosen; a unique and iconic journey into one of the last true wildernesses on the planet."
To find out more and to make a donation, visit http://andrewmitchellfund.com/
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