Stuart Dawson of Broadmayne is hoping to raise £20,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society’s Stop MS Appeal by completing a walking tour of the English Premier League stadiums.
There are 130,000 people in the UK with MS and 7,000 are diagnosed each year. For some, research has found treatments, but too many people still don’t have anything to stop their MS getting worse. The Stop MS Appeal is hoping to raise £100m with the aim of finding treatments for everyone with MS by 2025.
A number of Stuart’s family and friends have MS, including his good friend Nick. Nick is 55 years of age and lives in Dorchester. He was diagnosed with Progressive MS in 2014 and his mobility has deteriorated since then. Nick was advised in 2020 that there was medication available that would help with his condition, but it subsequently transpires that the local Clinical Commissioning Group are unable to fund the treatment. Nick believes that if he lived in a neighbouring County, the cost of the treatment would be funded.
Stuart and Nick first met in 1994 when they played for rival football teams. Their friendship developed when they both worked for their local council from 2005 onwards.
Stuart said, “Nick is one of the nicest people I know. He has always been committed to helping his community and, although his MS has meant that he is no longer as active as he used to be, he is still a Governor of a local school and Trustee for two charities.
“Personally, I have witnessed how MS can affect lives and bring new challenges for families and I wanted to do my small part in helping find a cure. Having regard to how Nick and I first met, it seemed appropriate for me to do something football related to raise money for the Stop MS Appeal. I currently play Walking Football with Swanage Town and Herston FC and through this came up with the idea of walking to the Premiership Stadiums.”
Listen to the interview with Stuart about his walking tour: Stuart’s quest to raise £20k for the MS Society
The tour will start in Newcastle and end in Bournemouth. It will involve Stuart walking 600 miles which he hopes to complete in 3-4 weeks during August/September.
The target of £20,000 is equivalent to the estimated cost of funding Nick’s treatment for a year. Stuart is also hoping that his attempt will raise awareness of the MS Society’s appeal, of Nick’s situation as well as the mental and physical health benefits of Walking Football.
Anyone interested in sponsoring Stuart’s attempt can do so by visiting his “Just Giving” page. Updates on his progress with the tour can be found on his Twitter Account (Stuart Dawson @StuartDawson25).
He is also looking for corporate sponsorship and any business or organisation that is interested should contact Stuart at scejdawson@btinternet.com.
Stuart in training
The planned route and itinerary:
14/08/22 Newcastle United FC Stadium (St James Park)
16/08/22 Leeds United AFC Stadium (Elland Road)
18/08/22 Manchester City FC Stadium (Etihad), Manchester United FC Stadium (Old Trafford)
19/08/22 Everton FC Stadium (Goodison Park), Liverpool FC Stadium (Anfield)
22/08/22 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC Stadium (Molineux), Aston Villa FC Stadium (Villa Park)
24/08/22 Nottingham Forest FC Stadium (City Ground)
25/08/22 Leicester City FC Stadium (King Power Stadium)
28/08/22 Tottenham Hotspur FC Stadium (White Hart Lane), West Ham United FC Stadium (London Stadium)
29/08/22 Arsenal FC Stadium (Emirates), Chelsea FC Stadium (Stamford Bridge), Fulham FC Stadium (Craven Cottage), Brentford FC Stadium (Community Stadium), Crystal Palace FC Stadium (Selhurst Park)
31/08/22 Brighton & Hove Albion FC Stadium (American Express Community Stadium)
02/09/22 Southampton FC Stadium (St Mary’s)
03/09/22 AFC Bournemouth Stadium (Vitality Stadium)