A Wemyss Bay mum raised £1,850 for MND Scotland in memory of her uncle and Glasgow Labour councillor, John Kelly.
Claire Leslie (38), who is originally from Largs and works in Inverclyde Royal Hospital, and with the help of her husband Steven and children, Niamh (8) and Connor (4), pictured, held a fundraising night at Wemyss Bay Community Centre in November.
The evening saw friends and family come together in memory of John, with a mountain of raffle prizes from local businesses to raise money for the charity.
John lost his battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in July last year, when 63. She said, “John developed a weakness in his left arm over the course of a few months in 2015. After lots of tests he received his diagnosis in January 2016.
“We were all shocked to hear of his diagnosis and devastated when he passed away after his short battle with the disease.
“He was a big part of our family, godfather to our son, Connor, and his death has left a huge void in our lives.
“John was a well-known, popular character. He was a keen musician and never missed an opportunity for a good sing-a-long!”
Claire said “I wanted to do something to raise awareness of MND and also raise some money to support the charity and research into hopefully finding a cure.
“My family and I have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity of local businesses who donated prizes for the raffle, and the support of our extended family and friends.
“The charity night was a huge success and raised the amazing amount of £1,850! I also did a zipslide across the Clyde with my brother in law, Chris Kerr and close friend Jennifer McLean. So including that we’ve raised around £4,000.”
All the money raised will go towards helping provide practical, financial, and emotional support to everyone affected by MND, and continue to fund vital research.