A TETBURY community group has donated £500 to a charity that supports sufferers of a disease that can leave them unable to walk, talk or feed themselves.

Motor Neurone Disease is a rapidly progressive disease with no cure and no real treatment, which can affect any adult at any time.

Having learned about the Motor Neurone Disease Association and the help it gives to sufferers of the disease, their friends and family, the Tetbury Lions Club was moved to donate £500 to assist with the valuable work they do.

Dr Jean Waters, chairman of the Gloucestershire Branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association said: The Association has the sole aim of serving those in the community who are affected by Motor Neurone Disease - sufferers, carers, family & friends. We support around 60 people living with Motor Neurone Disease throughout the county. It is through donations such as this from Tetbury Lions that allows us to extend the support we can offer to those affected by the disease, and raise vital awareness of a disease that little is known about. We have the ongoing hope that one day we can stop it in its tracks. A huge thank you to Tetbury Lions for their generosity, you are making a huge difference to Motor Neurone Disease sufferers and their families in their final months, days and hours together.”

The cause of disease is unknown and around 5,000 people in the UK have Motor Neurone Disease at any one time. It kills five people every day in the UK, with half of those with the disease dying within 14 months of diagnosis.