Toyota raises more than £875,000 for the MND Association as fund-raising activity reaches a climax

Toyota UK businesses have raised more than £875,000 for the MND Association – a charity dedicated to improving the lives of people living with motor neurone disease and funding research into finding a cure for the disease. This will be a bumper year of fund-raising activities – the final year of a six-year partnership. 

Toyota staff voted for MND Association to be their charity partner in April 2021 after a much-loved colleague, Rachel Rollason, died from the disease. Since then, they have undertaken a range of fund-raising activities including Santa fun runs, quiz nights, walking and running marathons, charity football tournaments and cycle challenges.

Initiatives planned for this year include the adidas Manchester marathon, Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, Royal Parks half marathon, Great North Run, plant and bake sales, a Christmas quiz and annual cricket cup competition.

Tanya Curry, MND Association CEO says: ‘’Having raised an astounding £875,000 over the past four years, Toyota is our largest ever corporate fundraising partner – a reflection of the passion and determination shown by their teams across the UK in memory of their colleague, Rachel.

From marathons and cycling challenges to Tough Mudders and the remarkable 100km Thames walk, Toyota colleagues have consistently pushed themselves to go above and beyond for people affected by MND. Their dedication, energy and commitment to our partnership is helping us to change lives – funding vital support grants for people with MND, their carers and families, and driving forward pioneering research to bring us closer to new treatments.’’

Luigi Ksawery Luca’, Toyota (GB) President and Managing Director, comments: “Our fund-raising achievement so far reflects the hearts of people across Toyota (GB), Toyota Financial Services, Toyota Insurance Services and KINTO UK who have gone above and beyond in volunteering and championing initiatives to support MND Association’s vital work. We’ve shown what we can achieve when we come together behind a shared purpose and we look forward to making 2026 the best year yet in terms of fund-raising for such a worthwhile cause.”

ENDS

Note to editors:

For more information, or to donate, visit Fundraise with Toyota – Give as you Live Donate

For more information about MND Association please visit www.mndassociation.org

About the MND Association

The MND Association focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by MND in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The charity was founded in 1979 by a group of volunteers with experience of living with or caring for someone with MND. Since then, it has grown significantly, with an ever-increasing community of volunteers, supporters and staff, all sharing the same goal – to support people with MND and everyone who cares for them, both now and in the future.

About motor neurone disease (MND):

• MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.
• It attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work. MND does not usually affect the senses such as sight, sound, feeling etc. 
• It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe.
• Over 80% of people with MND experience changes to their speech, which may become slurred or quieter. Some people lose their ability to speak entirely.
• The disease kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis. 
• A person’s lifetime risk of developing MND is around 1 in 300.
• Six people per day are diagnosed with MND in the UK. 
• It affects more than 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time. 
• It kills six people per day in the UK (just under 2,200 per year).
• It has no cure.