The Lord Provost’s Charitable Trust is today making major awards to projects in support of Multiple Sclerosis research and respite following its biggest ever fundraising driving.
Lord Provost John Reynolds is making the awards to the University of Aberdeen and the MS Society on behalf of the charity, of which he is a trustee.
A grant of £51,000 is going to a research project at the Institute of Medical Sciences at Foresterhill. A specially-adapted minibus will also be donated to the MS Society.
The awards follow the Trust's first fundraising campaign to focus on a single issue, while still supporting other local causes.
Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. It can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor co-ordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, and blindness. These problems may be permanent, or they may come and go.
For reasons as yet unknown, it is particularly common in Aberdeen and, indeed, throughout the entire North-east of Scotland. There is no known cure.
The Lord Provost's Charitable Trust will fund research at the University of Aberdeen to aid the early diagnosis and treatment of MS.
Lord Provost John Reynolds said: "Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable and devastating disease, which has a huge impact on the quality of life of sufferers, their family and their carers.
"It is, sadly, also a condition which is particularly prevalent in Aberdeen – as it is throughout the North-east of Scotland.
"There will be few families in the city who, if not directly affected by MS, do not know another that is. For that reason, the Trustees and myself believe it is a cause well worthy of our support."
He added: "The work that is being done at the University is very exciting, and I am delighted the city has shown its support to help put the city at the forefront of research and treatment of this debilitating and distressing disease.
"And, day in day out, the local members of the MS Society put in tremendous effort to make life easier for sufferers and their families – which is equally important.
"Hopefully, by choosing the cause, we have also been able to increase awareness of Multiple Sclerosis and MS issues in the city and beyond."
Professor Chris Linington, Chair in Immunobiology at the University of Aberdeen, added: "On behalf of the University of Aberdeen, I thank the Lord Provost's Trust and the people of Aberdeen for this very generous award in support of our research into Multiple Sclerosis.
"Early and accurate diagnosis of the disease is crucial. This award will really make a difference as it will enable us to expand our work on the development of new diagnostic tools and techniques for investigating Multiple sclerosis."
The awards have been made possible by the generosity of the people of Aberdeen. In particular, the Lord Provost would like to thank those who helped organise fundraising events and also the city's Guildry, who donated a huge £20,000 to the fund.