Money is being raised for Sophie Ward, diagnosed with the condition at just 26-years-old. Personnel at HMS Collingwood are marching around the camp for 26 hours to raise money for her. JustGiving page - https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/26forsoph
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01:43Sophie Ward is a colleague of ours a musician in
01:47Collingwood band
01:48she plays the flute in the saxophone and
01:51In January this year. She was diagnosed with motor neurone disease
01:54So quickly members of the band service her friends and colleagues
01:58Wanted to find a way of supporting her and her family and the charities that have been helping them
02:02So we've launched the 26 or so for campaign
02:06To raise money for that and the 26 being the age. She was when she was diagnosed
02:11So we're all doing 26 somethings for Sophie and have been for the last couple of months
02:16So for example, I've attempted to climb 26 mountains. I've only done 21 of them so far
02:22People have been running for a mile a day for 26 days, for example
02:26Or did a 26-hour sponsored silence and today we've got the Corps of Drums here doing 26 hours of
02:33Drum marches around the base. The news must have been quite a quite a shock for you naturally. Yeah a really big shock
02:39She's so young and so I joined up with Sophie in 2020. So she's quite a good friend
02:45Really shocking to receive that diagnosis at that age and it's completely changed her and her family's life
02:51And what do you think of the response from the other personnel?
02:55They're being able to organize all these events to support the charities that are supporting her and her husband. It's absolutely amazing
03:01People that obviously there's people close to her from her troop that naturally wanted to do something to help
03:06but it's also people from across the whole band service and complete strangers and other people in her life in her life that
03:13I've got on board with this and joined in because they they just value what it is to be a member of the Royal Marines and
03:19They can put themselves in her shoes and imagine how this is affected. So the main benefactor of the campaign is the Royal Marines charity the RMA
03:27Because they've been providing financial and personal support to the family
03:31So 70% of the money we raise is going to them and then 15% is going to Dorothy House Hospice Care
03:37Who have been providing respite care and at-home nursing care to Sophie and her family
03:43And then the final
03:44Beneficiary is the Motor Neurone Disease Association
03:48And although they haven't directly supported Sophie and her family
03:50They fund really valuable research into finding a treatment and cure to MND
03:56And have you heard from Sophie or her husband at all about about the work that you guys are doing if they give it?
04:00Yeah, send their thanks and so on. Yeah, absolutely. I'm in fairly regular comms with Rich, Sophie's husband
04:07And they've absolutely loved watching the challenges that we're doing
04:10So not only I'll be raising money for them
04:12Sort of keeping them entertained at this difficult time
04:15I've got social media accounts that Sophie's able to access through the technology that she's got to use
04:21So yeah, they've been following along and bringing them some morale, I think
04:25And you said you went through your training with her
04:27So it must mean an awful lot to basically support her in some way and coordinate all these activities you guys are doing
04:32Absolutely. Yeah, I think those of us that joined up with her and those of us that work with her can
04:38relate to
04:39Starting out your career. She's only been in this career for four years
04:43Having an amazing career ahead of you and all the exciting things
04:49That poses and that's been taken away from her
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06:09So guys you've just done your first up with the of the many laps you guys have been doing for the
06:15Soviet 26 campaign
06:18Yeah, it was it was good it was
06:23Yeah, I think one lap is we worked out just about 22 minutes
06:28So if we're doing an hour, we need to do three of them almost
06:32The weather's not too bad. It's a bit humid, but we're hoping that the rain holds off because I might make it a bit more difficult
06:37Yeah, the rest of the personnel looking forward to joining in as well, even though it would be quite boring doing it almost simultaneously
06:44Yeah, I think so. Yes
06:50We know that's worth it for the campaign as well, so there's a reason why we're doing it
06:54We're not just you know doing it for the sake of it. We've got a reason reason to do it
06:58Yeah, and what sort of things that you guys specifically been doing for the campaign because I've heard that some of the personnel
07:04Climb mountains and
07:08We did the 26 press up challenge, which was held by Nicola Perry down in
07:15It's during the Edinburgh tattoo, but she's from CPC bond
07:18And our challenge was basically do 26 push-up today and got different members of the band service
07:23Doing them with her basically and videoed them
07:26Put them on a tick-tock and her Instagram
07:28So I think that's been the main one that we've been
07:32The whole band did one on the same one. I did a walk
07:35There was one of my friends who's doing a walk around 26 locks in Scotland's of 26 lakes in Scotland
07:41Yes, I joined her for one of them. So yeah, we've been but we always have this idea
07:48Help with the others as well
07:51And what made you guys want to jump in with supporting the campaign?
07:54Did you know so for self or she a core member of the unit you guys were in?
07:58Yes, we did. Yes, we joined up with her in 2020 and said four years ago now and
08:05She came to Conor it on our first draft the same as us. Yeah, so we've kind of followed each other around
08:13Yes, obviously when when we heard the news we thought it was devastating for us as we know personally as well
08:18But also it's nice that we've been able to do something for her as well to be able to do the
08:24Rich as well. Yeah, who was also coming about so it's nice to be able to do something for them like a charity event for them
08:32And what do you guys think of the amount of money you raised so far because currently it's as it stands
08:36Four seven thousand pounds for three charities that will support so from rich in the best way they can
08:40Yeah, it's really good actually. It's surprising
08:43I think how quickly the money's being raised really because it's only campaigns only be going for three months maybe something
08:51It's been amazing how people have come together they support Sophie and rich and raise the money towards these incredible charities
09:00It sounds like the units are fully impressed it embraced it as well. Yeah. Yeah, definitely
09:04It's been nice to see all sorts of people get involved no matter what rank if they knew Sophie or not
09:08It's nice that we've been able to come together and support it for her and rich as well
09:12Yeah, and what have you guys got planned for the future of the campaign? What other stuff is going to be going on?
09:18I'm not sure. Yeah, we'll see how this goes first and then
09:22Yeah, I go from there. I think you guys forget about more the more laps. Are you gonna be doing?
09:27Yeah, there's quite a few
09:31It's all worth
09:34And apparently so for Richard been in touch and as he prays on you guys
09:37How does that make you feel that that they're really touched by what you guys are doing?
09:41Yeah, I think they've been touched by what everyone has done, but they have got in touch with us as well
09:46This is great, you know to see it's probably nice to them see so many people supporting as you know, as I think we should
09:57Yeah, absolutely
09:59And finally for those who haven't met so far
10:01Would you describe her and her husband because they sound like very cool or core members of the unit still? Yeah, they're a lovely couple
10:08Yeah, they are a lovely cup
10:09Sophie's very good
10:12Yeah
10:14They've always been really easy to get on with
10:17Before
10:18Yeah before they were married and moved into their house around the corner. They were living on board the same as us
10:24So we used to see him quite often and go out for meals and stuff as a group and they were part of that
10:30Cool. Yeah in lies group that we had but also as part of the band as well. They were
10:35Great great for the band. Yeah
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11:11Think
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