Victoria Walford-Fitzgerald

Victoria Walford-Fitzgerald held a quiz night in a local pub to raise money for Labrune Syndrome research

Why did you decide to fundraise for your chosen cause?

My son Thomas is 9 years old and has a smile that can light up any room.

Thomas has Labrune Syndrome (Leukoencepalopathy with calcifications and cysts), a progressive disease of the white matter in the brain. It can manifest at any age which can be even more devastating after being asymptomatic. We have had to watch Thomas gain skills and then lose them again which has been heart-breaking. He no independent mobility, is non-verbal and has seizures every hour amongst other complex needs.

Professor Yanick Crow and his team at the University of Edinburgh are carrying out research into the causes and treatment of Labrune Syndrome. This research gives us comfort that one day other families won’t have to go through this.

How did you raise money?

My parents regularly take part in quizzes at a local pub, which led to the pub offering to host a charity quiz night for us free of charge. We contacted family and friends, advertised on Facebook, put up posters and fliers, and advertised in our local resident’s association magazine. We also organised a raffle to boost our fundraising. 

We were delighted with the support we received on the night. We sold 114 tickets and we even had to turn some supporters away as the venue was at capacity. There was a lovely buzz in the pub and everyone was very generous supporting our raffle. We had lots of positive feedback and supporters had a fun night out.

We also set up a JustGiving page for anyone who could not attend the quiz but still wanted to donate. This was a resounding success too – people were very kind. Overall we were delighted at the amazing support we received and might even run another quiz night soon! 

Fundraising wisdom

If you're nervous about putting on an event then start small. We chose a free venue so we wouldn’t be out of pocket if nobody turned up! Pubs are a good option for this as they may be happy to host your event free of charge in the hopes of increased food and drink sales on the night. If you're planning a raffle then ask local companies and friends to donate prizes to help maximise your fundraising.

Related Links

Yanick Crow Research Group