I’m taking part in a number of events over the coming 12 months, including a Fire Walk and a 10k through the grounds of Balmoral on Royal Deeside to raise funds for Sue Ryder and their Aberdeen neurological care centre, Dee View Court.

Home to 24 people, Dee View Court is Scotland’s only purpose-built specialist care centre providing round the clock care for people with long-term and degenerative neurological conditions including Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s and Motor Neurone Disease.

My mother-in-law Marilyn was diagnosed with MS when she was my age and sadly her condition has continued to deteriorate over the past 20 years that I have known her. It amazes me every day that she never complains about the challenges she faces and just keeps on smiling! She is going through a tough time just now and we are grateful that her place at Sue Ryder was granted last year after a long spell in hospital and 3 years on the waiting list. I turn 40 next September and have decided to dedicate the next 12 months to raising funds in my own little attempt to make a difference. I am looking forward to doing what I can and hopefully have some fun along the way! 

At Dee View Court the focus is on what a person can do, not what they can’t, and they strive to ensure that every resident has as full a life as possible, regardless of their condition, to help them live well and to thrive.

However as Scotland’s only purpose-built specialist care centre of its kind, their waiting list is always full, and it’s a list that never gets any shorter.  Demand continues to grow across the country – we know there are currently 1,000 people in Scotland alone living with a neurological condition who are inappropriately placed in older people’s care homes, hospitals and psychiatric wards, and going without the care they urgently need and deserve.

Dee View Court desperately needs to expand to reach more people. They want and need to do more. To give more people the chance to get the vital care they need and to get the most from life, Sue Ryder has launched a £3.9m capital appeal to
expand Dee View Court, create a further 20 rooms and double their capacity. It’s a big project, and one they can’t do alone.