MCC woman to trek in Thailand for motor neurone charity

A Monmouthshire Council employee is in the final stages of preparing for a trek across Northern Thailand in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).

Emma Dent, 28, from Abercarn, aims to raise in excess of £2,500 by August for the charity.

She will take between 6 and 8 hours every day for 11 days walking in 90% humidity.

She said:

"I'll be trekking with a group of 12 people who I don't know so that will be interesting. I will be lodging in basic communal huts in hill-tribe villages - some will have bathrooms but others will simply have a village well so I'll be bathing with the locals!

Ms Dent, a Senior ICT Officer at Monmouthshire County Council, will fly to Thailand in October for the event.

"My colleagues in Monmouthshire Council have been incredibly generous so far, getting behind events I've organised and giving me the confidence to get out there and do it."

So far, MS Dent has raised £1,114 through fundraising activities such as an Easter bunny competition for her work colleagues, and she plans many more events including a bowling evening and a disco in August.

"I've never done anything like this before but I am determined to see it through to the end to highlight the great work being done by the MNDA.

"A good friend of my family suffered from motor neurone disease and he passed away recently. I really wanted to lend my support to this charity as the lesser known organisations need all the help they can get.

"Motor Neurones Disease is a horrible neurological condition that leaves people locked in a failing body, unable to move, walk or talk. No one knows what causes MND and at present there is no cure. Life is short from diagnosis - an average of just 14 months in the majority of cases. The MND Association does everything it can to help people living with this disease now, while the search is underway for a cure."

To make a donation, visit the Just Giving website at www.justgiving.com/dente