The ScotRail Alliance has donated more than £33,000 to MND Scotland in a bid to find a cure for the terminal illness.

The news comes after ScotRail Alliance staff took part in a zip slide across the River Clyde on Saturday (26 August) to raise funds for the charity.

ScotRail Alliance staff have raised more than £14,500 through fundraisers – including dress down days and staff donations through payroll – and the business has donated almost £19,000 through ‘in kind’ support. ‘In kind’ support includes providing advertising space at train stations free of charge.

In March, the ScotRail Alliance announced a three-year partnership with MND Scotland. The goal is to raise £150,000 over the course of the three years.

Client and Communications Director Rob Shorthouse, who took part in the zip slide event, said:

“MND Scotland is a charity that is really close to my heart, particularly since we lost my friend Gordon Aikman to the illness earlier this year.

“We are very proud at the ScotRail Alliance to have a three-year partnership with MND Scotland, and we’ve made a great start. I can’t pretend that I particularly enjoyed the zip slide across the Clyde, but it was all for a good cause.

“We have managed to raise a lot of money to find a cure for motor neurone disease and to raise awareness of this illness.”

Morag McGown, Corporate Partnerships Manager at MND Scotland, said:

“The zip slide was a great day and we were thrilled to see so many ScotRail Alliance staff getting involved.

“This is the first big event of the three-year partnership and we cannot believe the team managed to raise so much. These funds will go towards helping us support people across Scotland who are affected by motor neurone disease and fund more research to find a cure for this devastating illness.

“Next up is our Firewalk on 13th October, at Hampden Park, where more staff will brave the flames and walk across 20 feet of fire burning hot enough to melt aluminium.”