Cash For Fife Teacher

Brynja Duthie & Donald Grewar

A 14-year-old Cupar girl has raised almost £10, 000 to help fight motor neurone disease.

Brynja Duthie has organised a fun run in aid of her teacher Donald Grewar who was diagnosed with MND in August 2014. The family event, which will be held at the University of St Andrews Sports Fields at 11am on Sunday 13 September 2015, is open to runners, joggers and walkers of all ages.

The news came just months after Brynja lost her ‘Gramps’ to prostate cancer, an event which led her to raise a staggering £3808 for the men’s health charity ‘Movember’.  She was later hailed ‘MoSista’ in the UK.

With the fun run just days away, Brynja has already raised almost £10,000 including a £5,000 anonymous donation.

She said, “I’m amazed how quickly the idea to organise a charity fun run for Mr Grewar has taken off and just how well it has been received. It is definitely clear that I’m not the only one who holds Mr Grewar in such high regard. None of this would have been possible without Mr Grewar and the support of the local community and businesses. People have been so supportive, kind and generous both Mr Grewar and I are very grateful.  No matter the size of contribution, every penny will count and go a long way to help support both Mr Grewar and research into this degenerative disease for which there is currently no known cure.  It’s been a lot of fun along the way and we can’t wait until the actual day!”

Mr Grewar added, “I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community. The raffle and running prizes donated have been astonishing and we want to encourage everyone to come along on the day and share in the love and fun.”

Since their initial meeting in June to plan the event, Mr Grewar and Brynja have been busy planning, visiting the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic and raising money through various means including a supermarket bag packing and street collection in St Andrews and through their ‘Go Fund Me’ page www.gofundme.com/mrgfundraising.

Anyone wishing to register should do so at www.entrycentral.com/MRGSMNDFUNRUN. Entries can also be made on the day but advance registration is recommended to avoid delays on the day.

Frank McLaren, Secretary of FIFE Athletic Club and an integral part of the planning team for this race explained, “Currently, 638 people are registered on the Mr G's MND 5km Fun Run Facebook page as ‘going’. That’s tremendous but we strongly urge those people to register on Entry Central as soon as possible to save themselves waiting in long queues on the day - it will also help ensure the race starts on time.”

Funds raised will be split between Donald Grewar’s care and the ARRNC, a charity which conducts research into MND.

For more information, visit the Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/MrGsMND5kmFunRun.

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