MND Scotland Trustee attempts 10×10 Cycle Challenge

From June 8th, the rubber hits the road less travelled as MND Scotland Trustee, Professor Scott Bryson attempts to cycle across ten Scottish islands in ten days.   

Consisting of a 500-mile backroad cycle and 22 ferry journeys, Scott’s 10×10 cycling challenge will take him across ten islands within the Inner Hebrides, including the Isle of Bute, Great Cumbrae, Arran, Islay, Jura, Colonsay, Mull, Iona, Ulva, Lismore.   

Scott, who is originally from Dunoon but now lives in North Ayrshire, has worked in a variety of roles in the pharmacy profession, both in Scotland and in Canada, including Pharmacy Lead for Clinical Governance in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, before joining MND Scotland’s Board of Trustees in 2018 as well as becoming the chair of the charity’s research committee in 2021.   

On his motivation to take on the 10×10 challenge, Scott said: “Motor neuron disease is a terrible condition that devastates the lives of people diagnosed and those closest to them.”  

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.   

Scott continued: “I have worked within the profession of pharmacy for almost 50 years. This included a role with the Glasgow Health Board to support the introduction of riluzole in 1995.  This remains the only medicine approved for the treatment of MND in the UK, but patients deserve better outcomes. It’s clear that there has been a thirty-year gap in significant breakthroughs and an entire generation of people diagnosed with motor neuron disease left without any substantial treatments.   

“Now, with pioneering clinical drug trials such as MND-SMART really starting to pick up momentum, I believe this is such a promising time to find medicines that can slow or even stop the progression of MND.”     

MND Scotland is a key funder of MND-SMART, now the UK’s biggest ever MND clinical drug trial, which uses novel methods of investigation to find to find medicines that can slow, stop, or reverse the progression of MND.  

Scott added: “I want to use this challenge as an opportunity to raise money to make a difference in the lives of people with MND and help to continue the amazing work done by MND Scotland.   

“I hope in the process that I might be able to connect with patients and carers who have some association to MND Scotland and to raise awareness by meeting some people on the islands who otherwise wouldn’t have a direct connection to the charity.”    

On the ride ahead, Scott said: “In June, I’m hoping for good weather and a reliable ferry system, but I’ll have to be ready to quickly adapt to change. As long as nothing disastrous happens to me or my bike along the way, I’m confident that I’ll be able to make it across. On most of the sections, I’ll have a companion to help me along.  

“I know that it will be tough going at times but the thought of the people that MND Scotland supports, and our incredible donors will give me the motivation I need to persevere.”   

Thanking Scott for his fantastic effort, MND Scotland’s CEO, Rachel Maitland said: “We feel very fortunate to have such engaged and proactive Trustees at MND Scotland and it is wonderful to see Scott taking on this unique and undoubtedly difficult challenge.    

“From providing direct support to funding innovative research, the work that we do is only made possible thanks to our amazing fundraisers and we would all like to thank Scott for getting involved and helping to make time count for people across Scotland living with MND. Good luck, Scott!”   

You can support Scott’s amazing effort by making a donation here and for more ways to support MND Scotland, please visit us here.