Fundraising News Ahead of Lyme Disease Awareness Month

With Lyme Disease Awareness Month on the horizon, we wanted to take a moment and thank a few people for their recent fundraising activity in aid of Lyme Disease UK.

First up is Georgia Madden who nominated us for a Virtual Runner UK race. More than 250 people signed up to the 5k Lucky Charms Challenge which invited people to run or walk 5k to earn a St. Patricks Day themed badge, whilst raising funds for Lyme Disease UK. We received at least 20% from each entry fee which amounted to a wonderful £850! To learn more about Virtual Runner UK and how you could help raise funds for charity, visit their website www.virtualrunneruk.com.

We spoke to run of the runners, Hannah Wares. Hannah told us that at the start of 2021 she set herself an admirable goal to take part in least one charitable run per month. Hannah is a body builder with a big following on Instagram, “I could have just gone for regular runs, but I wanted to use my platform to raise awareness for physical and mental health issues. When I saw the Lucky Charm 5k in Support of Lyme Disease UK on Virtual Runner I decided to do a little research and I was shocked at how common Lyme disease is, but how little it is talked about.

“As a result of lockdown, people have spent more time than ever outside walking, but we haven’t been aware of the risks associated with a tick bite. I was shocked to hear that the short-term symptoms are like that of flu and so could be easily missed, or confused with COVID. Also, if not caught then the long-term affects can stay with you forever and can be life changing. I will be ensuring I check for ticks after my long country walks, and I’ll be encouraging others to do the same!”

A big thank you to Georgia, Hannah, and everyone else who took part!

Next up, is Changeworks. In our biggest fundraiser to date, the staff at Scotland’s leading environmental charity, Changeworks, have raised a grand total of £6,734 for LDUK!

The fundraiser was set-up in support of employee and LDUK community member, Ashley Taylor, who has spent most of the last 12 months battling Lyme disease.

Ashley_Taylor_Changeworks Fundraiser

Thank you so much to all 155 of the employees who made a donation and for the company match which added an extra £1,000 to the donation bucket! This donation will make such a big difference to the support we’re able to offer patients and in raising awareness.