Fundraising
Whether it’s a cycling challenge, running a marathon, organising a karaoke night or pub quiz, there are lots of ways to fundraise for us. For sponsored activity, you can create an online fundraising page to ask for support, keep track of donations and share your progress via social media.
Meet some of our current fundraisers for inspiration!
London Landmarks 1/2
We have FIVE people signed up to the London Landmarks half marathon on 6 April 2025. They are busy building up their training regime and would love to receive a little bit of sponsorship from our supporters to help spur them on.
Maxine, Ali, Henry, Shona and Jackie all have fundraising pages on our Enthuse platform, or we have paper sponsorship forms in Reception.
Stomp-tober!
A team from local company, The Exeter, are stepping out during October to raise vital funds for the Centre, having been inspired by our English Channel swimmer, Nye Levett.
They are aiming to reach 150,000 steps EVERY DAY which is a step for every person with MS in the UK. Their company will match-fund the total amount they raise up to £500!
Press-Up Challenge
One of our Trustees, Tristan, is doing 100 push-ups a day to raise money for the SW MS Centre! Tristan's mother died in her 40's with MS so it is a charity close to his heart.
Over three quarters of the way through, Tristan hasn't dropped a day, so please sponsor him if you can to get him through the final few months!
English Channel Swim Success Raises over £12,000 for the MS Centre
Exeter-based fitness coach, Nye Levett, has succeeded in his biggest challenge to date: to swim the English Channel. More people have climbed Mount Everest than those who have swum the Channel, and Nye can now add this to his list of achievements so far.
This is a particularly significant victory, as Nye was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) five years ago when he was just 30, after a health scare on holiday where he couldn’t talk for days. Being a personal fitness instructor, Nye discovered that evidence-based research has proven that exercise and physiotherapy are some of the best ways to manage MS and slow down the development of symptoms. He knew that his job would help him to maintain an ideal level of fitness and wanted to show to others with MS that it doesn’t necessarily have to be a barrier to doing what you want. His aim was to “help bring hope to others with MS and other neuro-degenerative diseases, and show that incredible things can still be accomplished.”
During his three-year training programme to get physically and mentally ready for the colossal 21-mile swim, Nye, now 35, came across the South West MS Therapy Centre in Exeter. As an independent charity, they support people with MS and other neurological conditions through their provision of Oxygen Therapy and Neuro-Physiotherapy. Nye was keen to raise funds to purchase a specialist exercise bike for the physiotherapy classes and embarked on his fundraising mission to raise £8,600 to cover the cost of this.
Fast-forward to 1 o’clock on a dark morning, on Saturday 6 September 2024, after quite a mad rush to get from Exeter to Dover, because the weather conditions looked more favourable than the planned window of 10-14 September, Nye left the beach at Samphire Hoe, embarking on his epic journey across the English Channel. Experiencing extreme fatigue, muscle spasms, lack of visibility, shoulder and muscle agony, creeping doubts and negative thoughts obscuring his otherwise positive attitude, head tingling, reminding him that he does have a neurological health condition, and fighting against the waves and currents, Nye dug deeper than he’d ever done in his entire life, and made it to the shore in Calais, 11 hours 54 minutes. His promise to himself helped get him there, “there’s only 2 ways I’m getting out this water: when I get to France, or if I’m dragged out unconscious…”
Photos below show Nye before, during and after his challenge:
After such a colossal physical achievement, Nye is taking a well-earned rest before moving onto his next aspiration – to get married to his fiancée Ania, which had been postponed so that he could train for the swim. Nye’s fundraising page has reached over £12,000 and is still open to those inspired by his accomplishment and who wish to support the work of the South West MS Centre. Not only has Nye been able to fully fund the new piece of equipment, but also fund some of the specialist physiotherapy classes.
Nye visited the Centre in early November to try out the newly installed machine, and was overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing the realisation of his efforts over the last 3 years. It was being used in the Open Gym session by members of the Centre who told him how much they enjoy using it. The computer display simulation of travelling through open countryside – one of the features of this latest piece of sports equipment – helps them to stay on the machine for longer, and it exercises both arms and legs. When asked how he felt now, sitting on the machine that he’d raised funds for, he said “chuffed, proud, and relieved. You never know, I might need to use this one day. It gives you a perspective on life. It’s a great piece of kit!”
Steve Reardon, Trustee of the South West MS Centre, said of Nye’s efforts “we are just so overwhelmed and immensely proud of what Nye has achieved. This was an extreme challenge, culminating in an epic act of endurance, stamina and dedication. Anyone with MS will know how fatigue can affect the body, sapping all energy without warning, and Nye’s attitude to physical exercise has shown how he has managed to maintain his stamina through what must have seemed like an unending strain on his body, particularly in those last miles and hours. We are humbled by his efforts and he is an inspiration to us all”.
Caroline Aird, Chief Executive of the South West MS Centre added, “Nye has been outstanding in his efforts to not only train for three years to swim the Channel, which must have been an endurance in itself, but also in his completely astounding endeavours to raise well over the amount for the new piece of exercise equipment for the members of the Centre. At the time of going to press, Nye has raised just over £12,000, and we are in awe of all of his achievements. We will be using the surplus funds to provide additional physiotherapy services to those with neurological conditions and I know that all of our members are extremely grateful to Nye for everything he has done for the Centre. We wish him the best for whatever may come next but hope that he fits in some rest time too.”
Nye wrote a blog about his whole experience which can be found on his Facebook page – it is well worth a coffee break read to appreciate the highs and lows he went through, and he summed up the whole experience in three words: “Relief; Gratitude; Pride”.
You can still donate towards Nye’s fundraising page here: https://mstherapycentresw.enthuse.com/pf/nyelevett
Nye, below, trying out the new Nu Step trainer with our CEO Caroline Aird checking his progress!
