Dundee-born and raised drag queen, Raspberry will take on the prestigious TCS London Marathon in April 2025 to help raise vital funds and awareness for MND Scotland.   

When he’s not working at his day job for a local pensions company, James McDonell, 26, transforms into drag queen ‘Raspberry’ and travels across the country, entertaining crowds with their vibrant, high-energy show-stopping performances.  

Growing up, James always enjoyed helping others and describes himself as a ‘people-person’. Whether providing pensions advice in his day job, or pulling crowds of people together for drag shows, James considers helping others as always being a big part of his life.  

James will take on the London Marathon on 27 April 2025 in memory of Gran, Frances Taylor, who sadly lost her battle with MND in 2020.  

Frances previously worked for the NHS and cared for her husband for a long time. Although she could be stern and tough at times, James describes his grandmother as also being caring and loving. She helped James through his studies and instilled morals and values which have stayed with him into adulthood. 

On hearing about his grans MND diagnosis, James said:

“My gran had a fall and was admitted into hospital. It was during lockdown, so there were large chunks of time where she was in hospital with no visitors.

There was a lot of confusion and unanswered questions about my gran.The doctors were very concerned, and we didn’t really know what was going on. We didn’t find out her official diagnosis until about 4 weeks before she passed. We never officially found out a timescale until it was too late. The overall process from hospital to home was 2 months. 

“We were all completely shocked. There hadn’t been a death in the family before, so it was tough to process, especially as I was so close to her. After she was diagnosed, we started to see a huge change in her, from not being able to walk too far, and then being in a wheelchair”. 

MND is a rapidly progressing terminal illness, which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles. This can cause someone to lose the ability to walk, talk, swallow or breathe unaided and the average life expectancy is just 18 months from diagnosis.   

James added: “It affected everyone in the family differently. It tested the full family as it brought us all together. We all wanted to be there for my gran.  My mum and aunt were so close to her. My aunt is one of the strongest people I know, and it was hard watching them both deal with it all.”  

It was a difficult time for the family. The MND was progressing quickly. Carers were soon introduced to help. Her bed was swapped with an adjusting hospital bed. Shortly afterwards, James’ mum, Karen and aunt, Lisa, took over the caring role full-time and worked together to look after Frances and were by her side every step of the way. Despite having his own health issues, her husband stepped in as much as he could.   

James said: “The care and support we received from MND Scotland was amazing. They helped my family through a horrible time, and I feel like I owe a lot to them for that.  

“The last time I saw my gran, she held my hand and said ‘You are going to make this work – drag is the thing that’s going to take you places’. At that point, I had only been doing drag for two years, but hearing those words made me change my perspective on a lot of things. It made me want to be the face that would address this head-on and help organise a fundraising event in memory of my gran with the help of my mum and aunt”.  

On Friday 21 June this year, James, along with mum, aunt and family members, organised a Drag Bingo fundraising event in memory of beloved Frances and raised over £3000 for MND Scotland.  

Next year, James will continue his fundraising efforts by taking on one of the world’s most esteemed races which attracts thousands of runners and spectators every year – the London Marathon. In addition to training for the event, James will have more preparations to consider as he plans to complete the challenge in drag.  

Speaking on securing their place, James said: “When I got the call about the London Marathon, I couldn’t believe it!  It means so much to me and my family. This is a different realm for me as I’m not really a gym-goer, but I am ready to tackle this head-on – and in drag! There’s a lot to consider as there will be extra weight due to my outfit. During my training, I will add in the additional elements closer to the time to help increase my stamina. I’ve been planning for this for a long time This is one of the most important opportunities of my life.” 

Jonathan Mitchell, Head of Fundraising for MND Scotland, said: “I was delighted to hear that Raspberry will be sashaying their way through the London Marathon to raise vital funds for MND Scotland. This is an iconic event, made even more special with James taking part in memory of his Gran. Without the support of our dedicated fundraisers like James, we wouldn’t be able to directly support those affected by MND across Scotland” 

 James will be joined by partner, Tommy, friends, and family on the day. You can support his marathon journey by donating via GoFundMe:  

https://gofund.me/59d71f15

MND Scotland would like to say thank you and good luck to James for taking on this ambitious challenge, and to his friends and family for their continued support to MND Scotland in helping make time count for families affected by motor neuron disease. 

For more information about MND Scotland and how we can support you or your family, please visit: www.mndscotland.org.uk, email: info@mndscotland.org.uk or call: 0141 332 3903.