Fundraisers in the small village of Lochaline, on the Ardnamurchan Peninsular, have raised almost £10,000 in honour of a friend who was struck by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at an early age.
When Lucy Olsen, 34, was diagnosed with the disease in her 20s she was helped to come to terms with it by two close pals.
Sand analyst Megan Whyte, from Lochaline, and nurse Lisa Gascoigne, from Strontian, have helped raise thousands on her behalf in the past few years.
They have generated the huge sum for Revive MS Support, a specialist unit in Glasgow which has offered Ms Olsen some invaluable assistance.
Miss Whyte said: “Our friend Lucy was diagnosed with MS at a very early age and, as young women ourselves, we knew what a difficult task was ahead of her.
“After her diagnosis Lucy started attending Revive, and we could see what a difference it was making to her life.
“So we decided to focus our attention on raising money for Lucy, and we have had great fun doing it. This year we have raised £1,700 already.
“Our events started to bring the whole village together, and now people come from all over to join in with us.”
Revive MS Support is a Govan-based charity which provides vital therapy, advice and support to people affected by MS in communities across the west of Scotland.
Saying that the charity, was small to medium sized Iain Morrison for Revive said: “Without the help of our fantastic fundraisers, past and present, we would not be able to continue the wonderful work we do.”
The charity has plans to expand its service to remote and rural parts of Scotland by offering online services, bringing invaluable support closer to people who need it.
In 2019 it is hoped to develop services including counselling and other therapies to patients in the Western Isles.
Mr Morrison continued: “Every penny that comes into the service goes towards supporting patients with MS throughout the west of Scotland.
“We couldn’t do our work without the incredible support we receive on a regular basis from communities across Scotland.”
