Swansea Estate Agents Tackle Snowdon Charity Hike for Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA)
Each year the team at Dawsons Estate Agents, Swansea take part in a challenging physical fundraising campaign in aid of raising funds and awareness for a charity close to their hearts with 2023’ challenge being just completed. Team Dawsons Hiked Snowdon on the 23rd of September 2023 to fundraise money for Motor Neurone Disease.
The 2023 Dawsons annual fundraiser was decided as always amongst the team of colleagues who chose to climb the tallest mountain in Wales, Snowdonia. With all team members giving their charity suggestion, these were then put in a pot where the company’s senior partner Chris Hope picked the 2023 charity out as Motor Neuron Disease Association (MNDA).
MNDA was nominated by Matt Jones the Gorseinon Sales team manager, a charity close to his heart after watching his grandfather suffer with the disease. Matt wrote a heartfelt poem:
| My Grandfather… |
| A Man who was the stereotypical ‘tough guy’, |
| A Man who served his country, |
| A Man who feared nobody, |
| A Man who feared nothing, |
| A Man who would give all the care his body would allow, |
| A Man who would encourage me to keep fit and keep active, |
| A Man who enjoyed a glass of Whiskey at the end of the day, |
| A man who would never give up… |
| Motor Neurone Disease… |
| A Disease which weakens the muscles, cause them to stiffen and waste, |
| A Disease which affects how you walk, |
| A Disease which affects how you talk, |
| A Disease which affects how you eat and drink, |
| A Disease which affects how you breathe, |
| A Disease which affects up to 5000 adults at any one time, |
| A Disease with no cure, |
| A Disease which made my grandfather give up… |
| So for now, I raise a glass of Whiskey to my Grandfather and let him know that this fight is not over! |
Whilst Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is an uncommon condition, there are in fact over 5000 UK adults are currently suffering with MNDA *data source www.mndassociation.org.
The condition is caused by a problem with cells in the brain and nerves called motor neurons. These cells gradually stop working overtime. Although, MND mainly affects individuals in their 60’s and 70’s, some of us may remember Ronnie Corbett, and Stephen Hawkings who was diagnosed as young as 21, along with more recently the former rugby league player, Rob Burrow diagnosed at the age of 40.
With the 13 team Snowdon members signed up they undertook some practise hikes up Pen-Y-Fan a few weeks prior to the main event.
On Friday 22nd of September, Dawsons Team Snowdon embarked on their journey to Snowdonia, with their Lettings Director Ricky Purdy at the helm of the bus (hired from the Glamorgan Scouts and funded by a grant from the charity Agents Giving). The team stayed in the Red Dragon Holidays cabins for the duration of their visit, located perfectly within minutes from the base of Snowdon.
On the morning of Saturday 23rd of September, team Snowdon split into two groups at the base, feeling a wave of excitement and nerves as they began their adventure up the Snowdon Ranger Path and Rhyd-Ddu path. During their hike, both groups endured rain, fog, and a rainbow whilst hiking up the unknown path. The whole team regrouped at the summit for a team photo before they all began their descent.
There were mixed feelings in the pub afterwards with Kate Phillips noting ‘that was a once in lifetime experience, I shall not be embarking on again’, all with a smile on her face of course, and with many others in the group planning a revisit very soon or even looking towards their next fundraising challenge.
The collective feeling of accomplishment was clear to see throughout the team who have now raised over £4,000 to date.
What will the 2024 challenge be for #TeamDawsons …