Three generations to scale two peaks in memory of Harrogate mum

Three generations of the same family have pledged to climb two mountains back-to-back to raise money for research into multiple sclerosis. 

Clare Ellison, her dad Michael, 72, and daughter Jessica, 11, will be tackling the epic hike up Whernside and Ingleborough in memory of Clare’s mum, Julia, who lived with the disease for nearly 40 years before her death last year. 

Julia was a Harrogate resident and an active member of the Harrogate branch of The Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Clare said: 

“It was my daughter’s idea. I took her up her first mountain, Whernside, last week and when she saw some people climbing it for a charity she asked if we could do the same in memory of my mum. I thought it was a great idea, so we’re hoping to raise £300 for the MS Society, which mum was a very active member of.” 

The father, daughter and granddaughter will set off on July 1 to trek 14 miles (22.5km) in total, climbing over 1,000 metres along the way. Whernside and Ingleborough are the two highest peaks in Yorkshire.

Clare, who revealed her family’s fundraising plan during MS Awareness Week (April 24-30), said: 

“Multiple sclerosis is such a cruel disease. If you imagine your nerves to be like electrical wires, MS strips away the plastic coating, causing the nerves to short-circuit, producing spasms, or even die off altogether. 

“Mum was diagnosed with it when she was about 35. She had to use a wheelchair for nearly 20 years, and eventually had to move into a nursing home for the last few years of her life, catheterised and unable to swallow. 

“I think it’s really important to help stop people from experiencing what my mum had to experience. It’d be great if we could help fund research that eventually led to treatment to stop MS in its tracks. Any donation at all will make a difference to the lives of people affected by the disease.” 

Readers can sponsor My MS Walk – Double Yorkshire Mountain Climb via its JustGiving page. 

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‘Customer service is key’ to improving disability access on Harrogate trains

This week Northern pledged to spend £250,000 on improving disabled access on its railways. The Stray Ferret asked one wheelchair user from the district what he thought of the service.

The train operator is asking charities, local authorities and community groups to bid for accessibility improvements to stations in their area.

Andrew Newton from Sharow uses a powered wheelchair after being diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis 12 years ago.

Before the pandemic he took trains from Harrogate station once or twice a week.

Mr Newton said customer service was key to improving his journey as he relies on the staff to help him on and off the train.

He said the staff at Harrogate station were “fabulous” and helped him as much as they could but more training could be done with newer staff.

Mr Newton’s experience, he said, could be vastly different depending on customer service:

“Customer service can help cover building inadequacies if there is someone dedicated to helping me it helps my overall experience.”

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He also said the disabled toilets at Harrogate train station needed improving. Currently the size of the cubicle does not allow him to fully turn round meaning the interior door of the cubicle has to be left open.

Mr Newton was keen to say that customer service is “key” and encouraged the train operator to consult with people with disabilities to fix any issues.

Northern’s Accessibility Fund is a first for the UK rail industry. It will be led by the independent Northern Accessibility User Group (NAUG) and supported by Northern.

For bids to be considered, the proposed project or scheme must be scheduled for completion between April 5 2021 and September 30 2022.