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What was it like at this year’s MND Scotland LEARN events?

In this blog, we share quotes from attendees who kindly provided their thoughts on the significance and impact of this year’s Lived Experience and Researcher Network (LEARN) local events.

MND Scotland’s Lived Experience and Researcher Network (LEARN) brings together people affected by motor neuron disease (MND) and local MND researchers. At each local event, attendees have the opportunity to hear about current MND research from researchers working in the field. The events provide an excellent way for the MND community to come together and engage with these MND researchers, and MND Scotland staff, to help share knowledge, experience and continue to build community spirit. 

Following the success of LEARN in 2024, the MND Scotland Research Team planned another series of events which took place in September and October 2025. As part of this year’s events, the team added a LEARN event in Dingwall in the Highlands, in addition to the previous four locations: Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Not only did we host more events at more locations this year, there were 71 more attendees compared to 2024 – a total of 168 – thanks to the incredible engagement of the MND community. A huge thank you to everyone who came along. 

Some of our attendees have kindly highlighted their experience and thoughts on the LEARN events: 

 

Molly Roberts

Attendee at LEARN Dundee
“Discussing my research with those affected by MND first hand was an incredibly rewarding experience. As someone who lost a grandparent to MND, it was touching to hear and understand people’s stories. I will be taking the concerns and questions we discussed back with me to the lab to ensure that MND research continues to reflect patient needs. Collaboration between patients and researchers is certainly the key to a cure.”

Catriona Dunbar

Attendee at LEARN Dingwall
“LEARN was incredibly informative and gave me a greater understanding of MND. It was inspiring to meet people who are passionately working towards helping MND warriors. Everyone was so lovely, and it was especially nice to meet others in our position. I learned lots of things and came away feeling far more able to cope with the future.”

Prof Jenna Gregory

Attendee at LEARN Aberdeen and Dingwall
“Attending the LEARN events in Aberdeen and Dingwall was truly inspiring. Hearing directly from people affected by MND and their families reminded me why our research matters. The discussions were insightful, and connecting with the community strengthened our commitment to translating science into meaningful impact for those living with the disease.”

Alan Budge

Attendee at LEARN Aberdeen and Dundee
“Everyone was very supportive and approachable, and the presenting researchers put things in layman's terms, making it easy to follow their talks. I learned a lot from not only the presentations, but also from the informal discussions.”

Dr Caroline McHutchison

Attendee at LEARN Glasgow
“I really enjoyed the Glasgow MND LEARN event. It was such a friendly space to share my ongoing research and chat with people affected by MND. The questions and conversations I had with other attendees offered valuable perspectives to my work and reminded me why MND research is so important.”

Callum Paterson

Attendee at LEARN Edinburgh
“Attending LEARN at Tynecastle reminded me of how selfless, resilient, and compassionate the community of people living with MND in Scotland are - from hearing about everything they are doing to accelerate the discovery of treatments and a cure for other people with MND by taking part in trials, to sharing advice with others who had been more recently diagnosed. The researchers gave such a powerful overview of their work and, while it may take time, I left feeling more hopeful than ever that we can and will find a cure.”

Dr Hazel Allardyce

Attendee at LEARN Aberdeen and Dingwall
“LEARN was a great way to bring the MND community and researchers together to share their thoughts and build relationships. I especially enjoyed the amount of time that was available for discussion between researchers and members of the MND community, making the day less science-focussed and more about communication.”

Carol McKay

Attendee at LEARN Glasgow
“The presentations were informative and a good length. I felt I could take everything in without being baffled. The event made me feel included, informed and supportive of my partner who has MND. It's the first event like this I've attended, and I felt satisfied both as the event went on and after it ended.

Erika Hedderwick

Attendee at LEARN DingwalL
“The event was very informative about current research and gave a good overview of the developments being made in MND research. It was good to hear that Scotland is crucial to the evidence base for early detection and prevention research and it was nice to be able to speak to those carrying out the research.”

Clare Strachan

Attendee at LEARN Dundee
“I really enjoyed the presentations and meeting people I met at the LEARN events last year, as well as new faces. The presentations were all on different things and were all informative. It was a great opportunity to find out about research into MND and meet others affected by it.”

Jade Lucas

Attendee at LEARN Edinburgh
“Being part of MND Scotland’s LEARN event at Tynecastle Stadium was deeply motivating. The fascinating research talks and powerful conversations with people living with and affected by MND helped me reconnect with the true purpose of my PhD and refocus on the shared aim of making time count through meaningful research.”

Allan Barr

Attendee at LEARN Glasgow
“The researchers were given time to explain their work and findings. It was very interesting, and it's great knowing that people are working towards finding a cure. The atmosphere was nice and relaxing, and it was good to speak with other people living with MND and the researchers.”

Dr Chris Henstridge

Attendee at LEARN Dundee
"It was really nice to see people of all ages come together to discuss local MND research, but also just chat. That personal, human connection feels more important now than ever, and so to share our experiences of Dundee, MND, and life, in a relaxed environment, was really impactful. Having helped establish the LEARN programme, it was amazing to see how the event has grown this year, and I hope future events continue to bring people together."

Graham Douglas

Attendee at attendee at LEARN Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh
“The LEARN events let me see that knowledge is progressing in understanding more about MND, like how proteins or the generation of signals between neurons is important. I came out of the events positive about the progress being made. The events are a great opportunity to chat not only with researchers, but also others dealing with MND.”

Prof Roger Whittaker

Attendee at LEARN Edinburgh
“It was a pleasure to talk about our project aimed at improving the diagnosis of people with MND. A big part of our work is to develop new diagnostic tests that could one day be implemented in the clinic. To do this, it is crucial to hear from people with lived experience on what improvements they would most value. Overall, it was a very useful and constructive meeting, and I hope to be invited back to one in the future.”

As with last year, each of the presentations from the events will be shared via our YouTube channel. So, if you were unable to make an event, or would like to see the presentations given at other locations, keep an eye out for them being uploaded soon. 

 

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