Nearly £19,000 was raised for the Cheshire branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association in just one day when the beautiful gardens of Eaton Hall were opened up to the public as part of a charity scheme.
In total, 2,870 people visited the stunning grounds of the country home – the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster – in July for the Eaton Hall Gardens Charity Open Day.
An incredible £15,760 was raised through admission ticket sales on the day and a further £3,161 generated through stalls and activities, making a total of £18,921.
The MND Association Cheshire branch was one of three charities to benefit from the scheme this year. The proceeds from ticket sales from the three separate events – Eaton Hall Gardens Charity Open Days were also held in May and August – were combined and then split equally between the organisations.
The extra funds were raised thanks to association's dedicated group of more than 100 volunteers who donated their time to serve tea, sell cakes, man stalls and run games and activities which all added to the fabulous atmosphere on the day.
Cheshire branch committee member Marion Chadwick, from Hoole, Chester, said: “Everyone on the Cheshire branch committee is absolutely thrilled with the amount of money raised!
“This was the biggest event the Cheshire branch has ever been a part of and we couldn't have done it without the wonderful support of our amazing volunteers - we are so grateful to them for all that they did on the day.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to Duke and Duchess of Westminster for choosing us for the Eaton Hall Gardens Charity Open Day and allowing the MNDA in Cheshire to benefit from such a wonderful event, and also to everyone who showed their support by coming along on the day.
“The cash raised will be a great boost to our work supporting those affected by MND, and the event was also a fabulous way of raising awareness of this life-limiting condition."
The money raised will go towards supporting those affected by MND in the Cheshire area, as well as to help the MNDA's work nationally. This includes funding vital research into the disease to help find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure for the condition, which causes the death of the neurones that send messages from our brains to our muscles.
Once the neurones die, the muscles waste away, and with them the ability to move, speak, swallow and breathe.
