Run 4 Wales announces Motor Neurone Disease Association as its Charity of the Year

Run 4 Wales has announced that it will be supporting the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association as it’s charity of the year for 2024.

The event organisers will be raising money for the charity throughout the year to help fund support and care for those living with the condition and to help bring the charity closer to finding a cure.

This is the first time Run 4 Wales has put forward a charity of the year. While its events do a lot in the world of charity fundraising – acting as a vehicle to raise more than £4 million across its portfolio each year, with over £3 million raised in the Principality Cardiff Half Marathon alone, the organisation wanted to further increase its charity support by getting behind the MND Association for 2024.

It is being given a complimentary package for the sold-out Principality Cardiff Half Marathon to encourage runners to fundraise, as well as further spaces in the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay 10K, Ogi Porthcawl 10K and CDF 10K.

The MND Association has also been chosen as the official charity for CSR activity at the Dell Technologies Management Challenge in June, and the Run 4 Wales team will be carrying out further fundraising activities throughout the year.

Motor neurone disease is a fatal and incurable disease that affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord that help tell your muscles what to do. It can affect everyone differently and can impact how someone walks, talks, eats, drinks and breathes.

It affects around 5,000 adults in the UK and tragically six people die each day from MND in the UK, with a third of people dying within a year of diagnosis. However, the MND Association focuses on improving access to care, carrying out research and campaigns for people living with or affected by motor neurone disease.

The charity is particularly poignant to Run 4 Wales with many of the team experiencing the devastating impact of the disease on their families.

Matt Newman, Chief Executive at Run 4 Wales, said: “My dad, David, sadly died of motor neurone disease in 2013, and so I understand the devastating impact it has on families.

“I’m wholly supportive of the incredible work the MND Association does and hope our fundraising efforts can help make a difference to the charity.”

Alan Gosschalk, Director of Fundraising at the MND Association said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen as Charity of the Year for 2024 for Run 4 Wales. MND is a devastating disease that currently has no cure or effective treatment – we’re working tirelessly to change that through funding and promoting cutting-edge MND research, and improving access to care for people living with MND in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We know how passionate Run 4 Wales is about raising awareness of MND and making a difference for everyone who is affected by the disease, and we’re really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”