FAMILIES living with a debilitating illness are being invited to send their messages to loved ones soaring into the sky.

The Northumberland Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association Group has launched a fund-raising drive to organise a kite-flying fun day at the Sill, near Bardon Mill, in June 2020.

Group volunteer Andrew Greaves, who lost his son David to the disease in 2016, is spearheading the event which will invite local schoolchildren and families affected by the illness to write personal messages on a kite and send them flying. It is the group’s aim to raise as much funds as possible to purchase the kites for people interested in joining in.

Mr Greaves said: “Flying kites is quite an uplifting and life-affirming thing to do, and it’s a link to the people we have lost to MND. This is reaffirming our commitment to support the association to one day find a cure for this devastating illness.

“We want to give people an experience to come together, all those who may have a personal connection to MND, in an uplifting, social occasion which will help raise the profile of the association.”

To get the ball rolling with the fund-raising, the Northumberland branch of the MND Association will be looking for the public’s help in the Tesco Bags of Help initiative throughout May and June in the supermarket’s Hexham and Amble stores.