Founders, Stuart Bates MBE and Richard Brailsford set up Artists Against MND with one focus. To raise money to cure MND. All art is donated free of charge, and the founders do not take a wage. Money raised goes directly to MND charities. These are Darby Rimmer MND Foundation and The Mel Evans MBE Foundation. Please read on to understand more about Richard and Stuart’s stories and links to MND.
Richard Brailsford
Richard’s Dad, Chris died from Motor Neurone Disease in 2013, after a savage 9-month illness. Richard’s obsession since then has been to find a cure for MND. From an awful situation, Richard, his sister Lorna and wider friends and family formed The MND Army. He and Stuart have united behind a shared passion to cure MND. They have a strong bond and friendship. The MND Army focuses on physical challenges or creating enjoyable, fun, and meaningful events, whilst making a difference. Richard and his The MND Army have raised over £125,000 to date.
Although certainly not an art connoisseur, Richard is an art lover. Working with Stuart, the wonderful artists and art experts, Richard shares the Artists Against MND objective of art being a force for good and to fund research.
A cure isn’t a wish, it is an obsession. Richard says he just wishes to remove one word from a sentence. “There is NOT a cure for MND”.
Richard and Stuart share the same aspiration for Artists Against MND. Richard is incredibly excited and grateful for the support from artists and those who purchase these works of art".
Stuart Bates MBE
Stuart has been a passionate fundraiser since his hero and older brother Spencer, known to all as Spenny, was diagnosed with MND in 2009. Upon Spenny’s death in 2011 he promised to keep raising funds and awareness until a cure was found.
He has been the driving force behind many high profile fundraising ventures, most notably Spennylympics in 2021. During the Tokyo Olympics he completed every single one of the 102 events over the 17 days of the games. This was covered across the world with TV appearances in over 50 countries.
In 2022 he was immensely honoured to attend the state funeral of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the British fundraising community.
In 2023 he was awarded an MBE for services to the Motor Neurone Disease community.
Through their shared experiences Stuart and Richard have forged a brilliant friendship and an even deeper desire to rid the world of this cruellest of diseases.
Stuart has many passions, with art being one of them.
Stuart and Richard have been humbled by the generosity of time, spirit and sense of community that the art world has shown since the inception of Artists Against MND. They truly believe that together they will all bring the reality of a cure that little step closer.
Rob Burrow, icon print (unframed)
Due to the feedback on his work, Paul Jennings has agreed to produce prints of this impactful art. Paul is an incredible artist, and decided to draw this beautiful picture of Rob Burrow out of respect for him; as a player, human being and transformational advocate for Motor Neurone Disease fundraising. As you can see below, Paul has his own devastating experiences with MND.
In his own words:
“I am Lancashire based, and produce pencil portrait art using mainly graphite and carbon pencils on varying types and sizes of paper. I am still developing in styles, form and techniques.
I have lost 3 immediate family members to MND ALS, and want to make a difference, however possible, in supporting charity and raising awareness for MND via producing artwork”.
You can view my work and make contact via my Instagram – instagram.com/pauljennings.drawnart
‘Birds of a Feather’ Country Fashion Print on Paper – A3 limited edition print
‘Birds of a Feather’ Country Fashion Print on Paper
‘. A beautiful limited edition print by Georgie Turner – A3.
Georgie is a colour pencil artist specialising in realistic horse portraiture and equestrian still life. Georgie encapsulates her love for the animals of the British countryside through wildlife drawings. Her originals drawings form the designs for a wide range of homewares and gift products, as well as fine art prints for beautiful wall art.
The Lord of the Rings collage (A2)
This pencil drawing of The Lord of the Rings includes the main characters from this revered trilogy. These limited A2 (42cm by 59.4cm) collage prints will stand out in any room. Unframed and numbered. Chloe is already published 5 times globally and has exhibited, mainly in London and America. Her work will continue to grow in value.
Chloe in her own words:
Hi my names Chloe Alexia, 26, my art journey started from a very young age, probably since I could pick up a pencil. I have a very interesting back story, one of pain and darkness, art is the only thing that got me through.
I became a professional hyper realistic artist in April 2023, and am now proud to hold 5 x global publishings.
I exhibit all my artwork mainly in America, and London.
Hyper Realism definitely is a challenge but there’s a story in every detail on a person’s face and being able to connect that with just a pencil and bit of paper truly amazes me.