AWARD-winning North East artist Lucy Pittaway, daughter of Middlesbrough FC legend Willie Maddren, has announced a charity partnership with the Motor Neurone Disease Association which will see her raise funds for the organisation throughout 2025.
This year marks the 25th anniversary since Lucy lost Willie, the club’s legendary former player and manager, to Motor Neurone Disease. Throughout the year Lucy, her team from her Richmondshire headquarters, and colleagues from across her galleries in Yorkshire, Cumbria, and the North East, will all embark on a range of fundraising activities for the MND Association.
Those will include a collection here at the Riverside and an original painting which when sold, proceeds will be donated to the charity.
Lucy’s work includes iconic creations including a homage to the felled Sycamore Gap tree. Her Dad Willie was a Boro legend, spending his entire professional career at the club, first as a player between 1968 and 1979, before going on to manage the club from 1984 to 1986.
After being diagnosed with MND in 1995, Willie became a campaigner for MND research, raising over £200,000 including £40,000 from his autobiography Extra Time. In 1996, a benefit match was arranged here at the Riverside Stadium between Middlesbrough and Internazionale.
Lucy said: “This year marks the 25th anniversary of my father passing away. Anniversaries, especially ‘milestone’ ones like this, are always difficult for families who have lost a loved one and we wanted to honour his memory throughout 2025 by choosing the MND Association as our charity partner of the year.
“My Dad set such a wonderful example through his own campaigning and fundraising for MND research during his lifetime, I hope our fundraising activities 25 years on can both raise valuable funds but also raise awareness.
“So many people and their families are affected by MND and the work the MND Association does to fight the condition, through research, campaigning, and helping people access care, is vitally important. Throughout the year the Lucy Pittaway team and I will be honoured to raise funds in memory of my Dad and to support MND in its essential work supporting those impacted by the condition today and in the future.
The funds raised will be used by the MND Association to support those living with the disease and their families, ensuring that people living with the terminal illness have all of the help and support possible. It will also be used to fund research to try to find treatments and ultimately a cure to the disease.
Speaking about the fundraising, Regional Fundraiser for the North East Dominic McDonough said: “We are so excited to have Lucy and the team on board this year and this is an incredible opportunity to raise money and awareness. Lucy knows more than most about the devastation that MND can cause and I hope that together we can bring hope to those living with the disease and their families.”
