The Ferrier family hosted a ceilidh in Dunblane earlier this month. Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, gave a speech at the event which saw around 120 attendees of all ages. At the last count, an impressive £2,264.61 had been raised for Cardiomyopathy UK. Morag and Gilbert Ferrier lost their son Callum to cardiomyopathy in 2008. He was 16 years old and enjoyed playing shinty and rugby. Since then, his family have raised over £30,000 for Cardiomyopathy UK through treks, ceilidhs, sky dives, and other events. Cardiomyopathy is a group of conditions that affect the shape of the heart and can make it difficult for the heart to pump blood around the body. There is currently no cure, although it can be managed through lifestyle. Around 1 in 250 people in the UK are affected.
Symptoms can include chest pains, breathlessness, tiredness, palpitations, dizziness or fainting and swollen ankles and/or tummy. Cardiomyopathy can also be genetic and run in families. Cardiomyopathy UK encourages knowing your family heart history so that families may seek genetic screening, even if they have no symptoms. Various charities across the UK also provide screening for young people, often funded by the efforts of bereft families.
For more information about cardiomyopathy and its symptoms, visit www.cardiomyopathy.org
Commenting, Evelyn Tweed MSP said:
‘It was my pleasure to attend this event and say a few words in honour of the memory of a much-loved son and in aid of an important cause. The Ferrier’s work in raising awareness of cardiomyopathy is so impressive, and this event like so many before was a resounding success. I will continue to do what I can to raise this issue in parliament. I’d like to thank everyone who came along to support the event. It was lovely to see everyone have fun for a very worthy cause.
After the event, Morag Ferrier passed on her thanks on to those involved:
“Thanks to Evelyn Tweed MSP for her support and speech; Skelpit Lug Ceilidh Band; Craig Johnstone for purchasing the stock for bar and setting up; Susan and Stuart McIntyre for serving in bar with Sean Ferrier; Irene McKinnon who helped Darren Ferrier serve food; Lukasz Nahajowski for beautiful homemade pizzas and Zoe Ferrier who along with pals Chloe and Gracie raised £136 at the event running a tuck shop; Neil Ferrier for organizing raffle and collecting prizes. Finally, to everyone who came along and supported us.
“Cardiomyopathy UK is a charity dear to our hearts as a family. It keeps our cheery boy’s memory alive. If we can help others, it is all worthwhile.
Charlotte Sills, Head of Fundraising and Marketing for Cardiomyopathy, said:
“On behalf of all of us here at Cardiomyopathy UK, we’d like to congratulate Morag and Gilbert on another successful event and say a big thank you for their incredible support over the years. We are truly grateful that they continue to support Cardiomyopathy UK in Callum’s memory. Their dedication to raising funds and awareness enables us to continue providing support to individuals and their families affected by cardiomyopathy. Thanks to support from people like Morag and Gilbert, we’re able to continue raising awareness of the symptoms so that more people know the signs and seek help early. It means we can continue campaigning for improvements in treatment, educating healthcare professionals to identify cardiomyopathy and working with researchers to develop new treatments, and one day, a cure.”
