A Cumbrian farmer with MND inspired a cousin’s 2,500-mile vintage car drive, raising nearly £60,000 for MND charities.

Richard Messenger, a Cumbrian dairy farmer diagnosed with MND in 2024, inspired his cousin Ralph Messenger, a Dorset farmer, to complete a 2,500-mile vintage car journey from Land’s End to John o’ Groats and back in a 1924 Austin 12. The two-week trip, undertaken in harsh conditions and limited by the car’s age, raised over £7,000 for the MND Association. Richard’s family, including his children in the Raughton Head Young Farmers, added to the effort by completing a 600-mile challenge in one day. Their combined work, along with a meeting with former rugby player Kevin Sinfield, helped raise nearly £60,000 for MND charities in the north-west region.