A fundraising Ladies Day organised by the Lymm mother of twin boys suffering from a rare form of muscular dystrophy raised over £20,000 to help support people living with muscle-wasting conditions.
Kerry Spink organised the luxury Ladies Day at Cottons Hotel & Spa near Knutsford, fundraising for Muscular Dystrophy UK, inspired by her twin sons Oscar and Seb who live with Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).
A total of 160 guests joined organiser Kerry at her first Ladies Day event which included a two-course lunch, boutique shopping and entertainment. Inspired by her twin sons Oscar and Seb, 14, Kerry organised the event with Mandy Raftery, who lives with the same condition as her sons, and Cara Keig.
Lymm Ladies Network;
The Ladies Day was hosted by TEDx speaker and comedian John Cooper, with entertainment from singer-songwriter Chloe Jones who appeared on The Voice UK in 2019, and a powerful speech by Susanne Driffield whose son Joe lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Among the 160 guests were Cheshire’s Mix 56 radio breakfast host Rachel Aitken and ‘The Soulful Stylist’ Kate Harrison.
Left: Organisers Mandy Raftery, Cara Keig, Kerry Spink.
Explaining the motivation for the event, Kerry Spink said: “In some ways, Oscar and Seb are just like many other teenagers their age – they love gaming and are football mad. But they live with a rare condition, Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), which causes their muscles to weaken over time.
“From a young age, the boys experienced hip pain and poor weight gain, as well as having a lack of facial movements, so we knew something wasn’t right. It took 18 months to reach a diagnosis but at the age of eight, Oscar and Seb were diagnosed at with FSHD. It was a huge shock to all of us and that’s when we found Muscular Dystrophy UK, who helped us understand the condition and enabled us to meet other families going through the same thing. Organising this event is my way of giving back and ensuring the charity can be there for other families like ours.”
Host John Cooper, Organiser Kerry Spink, presenter Rachel Aitken, guest speaker Susanne Driffield
The £20,000 was raised through ticket sales, a raffle, live auction, and donations. “I’d like to say a huge thank you to all our guests, helping to raise so much money for Muscular Dystrophy UK,” added Kerry. “Obviously, this is a cause very close to mine and Mandy’s hearts, and we were really moved by people’s generosity and support. A special thank you also to Susanne Driffield for coming and sharing her story, which undoubtedly inspired everyone in the room.”
“The day wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our sponsors, so thank you to Blok Projects, Climate Energy Group, Duerr’s Foundation and Persimmon Homes, as well as those who donated auction lots and raffle prizes, including the stunning diamond necklace from David M Robinson jewellers and lunch at Aiden Byrne’s new restaurant LI-LY. We hope to be able to make this Ladies Day an annual event so look forward to seeing everyone again next year!”
Find out more about Muscular Dystrophy UK at www.musculardystrophyuk.org
The twins with Adele Roberts and their Mum
