Latest news
Keep up-to-date with what's happening at SBH Scotland.
Glasgow biking club vroom into action for a charity first
A group of motorcyclists with a love of the open road organised their first ever charity event, raising over £600 for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland.
Facebook group, the Glasgow Slow Riderz, organised a special scavenger hunt where members were all invited to make a small donation to search for the charity’s cuddly mascot toys, Spiney the Diney. The mascots had been carefully placed in businesses around the west of Scotland ready to be found by their eagle-eyed members! 21 bikers turned out to follow the route setting out from Great Western Retail Park and stopping in Helensburgh, Rest n Be Thankful, Inveraray, The Green Welly and The Drovers Inn.
Steven Morton (pictured in red), an admin of the Glasgow Slow Riderz said, “I first heard about all the great work that SBH Scotland do two and a half years ago and I’m delighted that this great group have been able to raise funds and awareness for them. This was definitely not like our average bike run but we had a great day, made better knowing that doing something we love will help support local children and families supported by the charity.”
With clinical and support workers based across the country, SBH Scotland have, for over 55 years, provided a support and information to anyone affected by the rare, complex disabilities of spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus. They offer a range of services across Scotland including 1-2-1 support in home, hospital and nurseries/schools, a helpline, health and wellness clinics and support groups and outings.
Deborah Roe, Director of Fundraising at SBH Scotland said; “We’re incredibly grateful to the Glasgow Slow Riderz for coming out and showing their support for our charity. The toys which were being sought on the day hold a special meaning for our families. They are the first gift we take for our families in hospital when babies are born and they mark the beginning of a lifetime commitment of dedicated support starting with the special Spiney the Diney Children’s Club. By searching for the toys and raising money this amazing group of bikers are helping us continue this vital support to all those affected by these lifelong disabilities. Thank you so much to everyone who took part and donated.”
If you’d like to find out more about the range of support services offered by SBH Scotland or you’d like to organise your own fundraiser please visit www.sbhscotland.org.uk or contact our fundraising team
Families follow Arthur's lead in overcoming life's obstacles
A children’s nursery in Edinburgh, have been so inspired by one of their children that they decided to organise a sponsored walk to raise funds for specialist disability charity, Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland.
1 year old Arthur MacDonald has spina bifida myelomeningocele. He was the first baby in Edinburgh to have his spina bifida lesion operated on whilst still in his mother’s womb through a pioneering in-utero surgery in Brussels and despite the eventful start to his life he continues to amaze his family every day with his progress. It’s this inspirational story, as well as his cheery disposition, that was the trigger for his nursery to organise a sponsored walk around the outskirts of Fauldburn Park, raising funds for SBH Scotland, who offer support to children and families affected by these disabilities.
The sun shone and over 50 children, siblings, parents and pooches set off on their walk and raising an amazing £2293.60 in the process.
Gayle Sim, Administrator at the nursery said, “Arthur is a lovely wee boy and we are delighted he and his parents chose us as his nursery. We could think of no better charity to choose as our nominated charity for the year than SBH Scotland and this seemed the perfect way to start our fundraising.
She continued, “We’re overwhelmed at having raised such a phenomenal amount and we can’t wait to raise more for this amazing charity throughout the year. A massive thank you to everyone who got involved.”
SBH Scotland provide a lifetime commitment of support and information to anyone affected by the rare, complex disabilities of spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus. They offer a range of services across Scotland including 1-2-1 support in home, hospital and nurseries/schools, a helpline, an adapted holiday cottage, health and wellness clinics and support groups.
Deborah Roe, fundraising director at SBH Scotland said; “We’re incredibly grateful to the nursery. Their generous donation will go towards our family support service which provides key workers who personalise support and run activities and clubs for families like the MacDonald/Milligan’s. Each year we need to raise £1million pounds and without donations like this we wouldn’t be there for families at a time when they need us the most."
If you are affected by spina bifida and would like support or information, please contact us. If you’d like to create your own fundraising challenge like this amazing nursery or take part in a sponsored activity please contact Lynsey Hamilton, Fundraising Manager, on 03455 211 600 or email
Eastfield Primary Stomp into Action for SBH Scotland
A Cumbernauld Primary School took to the playground for a walk with a Jurassic twist to raise funds for locally based disability charity, Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland.
Every year group at Eastfield Primary School took it in turns to participate in their daily fitness mile around their playground with a special guest from SBH Scotland, their mascot, Spiney the Diney! They are the very first school participating in the new Dino-Stomp Challenge run by the charity to raise funds to help run social groups and provide support for local families affected by the lifelong, complex disabilities of spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus.
After a very exciting day, the Primary School announced that the pupils had raised a staggering £3,483.20 which they were only to happy to present to Spiney.
Lesley McPhee, Head Teacher at Eastfield said, “We are committed to the health and wellbeing of our pupils here at Eastfield. What better way to get excited about staying active than getting involved with the Dino-Stomp which has the added benefit of supporting an important charity who are virtually on our doorstep and need our help.
She continued, “We’re overwhelmed at raising such a huge amount and I’d like to thank all the parents, children and staff who got involved.”
With a family support centre based in Dullatur, SBH Scotland provide a lifetime commitment of support and information to anyone affected by the rare, complex disabilities of spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus. They offer a range of services across Scotland including 1-2-1 support in home, hospital and nurseries/schools, a helpline, health and wellness clinics and support groups and outings.
Deborah Roe, Director of Fundraising at SBH Scotland said; “We’re incredibly grateful to Eastfield Primary for putting in such a tremendous effort and for smashing the Dino-Stomp Challenge! We are truly overwhelmed by the money donated and thank everyone who generously gave. The past couple of years have been incredibly difficult for us and as things start to open up again the demand on our support services continues to grow. In order to raise over £1million this year we need help more than ever and having the support of the local community means everything to us.”
If you’d like to get involved with a Dino-Stomp or if you’d like to take part in a challenge for SBH Scotland please visit www.sbhscotland.org.uk or contact our fundraising team.
Sharon's Rolling Challenge raises over £750
SBH Scotland member, Sharon Mottram, has been inspired to take on a 177 mile challenge for our charity, Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland whom she says came into her life at just the right time.
Sharon has the complex condition spina bifida and has always been a member of SBH Scotland. However, 4 years ago a chance communication with us changed Sharon’s life for the better.
Sharon explains, “Just over 6 years ago I had an accident which left me in a wheelchair. It was a big change to my life at a time when I was already going through a lot of other issues. Everything got too much for me and I was left feeling anxious and really low. I was at the point where I didn’t even like to leave the house. Then one day a letter came through the door inviting me to an SBH Scotland event. I couldn’t go to the event but when I called the support worker, Wendy, asked if she could come to visit me instead, and the rest is history!
She continued, “They’ve been a massive part of my life ever since; offering a lot of home support, getting me to join their adult social groups online and offering an SBH Scotland counsellor. It’s no exaggeration when I say If it wasn’t for SBH Scotland, I don’t know where I’d be today.”
It was this level of dedicated support that put the wheels in motion for a sponsored challenge. Sharon decided that for 40 days she would try to cover as many miles as she could whilst raising money for the charity she knew were facing a tough challenge this year financially. By the start of May she’d covered a tremendous 177 miles with some tricky challenges en route and visiting Whitehills, Portsoy and other coastal routes.
Sharon added, “Most of the time I really enjoyed it but one day I tried a different route and found myself rolling down a very steep embankment. I stopped only when I got stuck on a grass verge – it was quite terrifying! And on a few occasions I wasn’t feeling well enough to continue so my fabulous friends Nathan and Sarah along with my son Haydn, stepped in to do a walk for me on those days, for which I’m very grateful.”
Lynsey Hamilton, fundraising manager at SBH Scotland said; “We’re incredibly grateful to Sharon for all the effort she put into this challenge. We need to raise over £1 million each year to provide our range of dedicated support services to children, young people and adults across Scotland. Sharon’s amazing donation is so far totalling £755 and will go towards support for other charity members like Sharon so a massive thank you to all those who donated to her.”
For information on spina bifida visit our information online.
Would you like to speak to one of our Support Workers, or do you need information? Email our team now.
Fancy creating your own challenge for SBH Scotland, contact our Fundraising Team today.
Chisholm Hunter offer Glimmer of Hope to SBH Scotland
Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland (SBH Scotland) has received a generous donation of £30,000 from long-standing supporter Chisholm Hunter, following the cancellation of our biggest annual charity event due to Covid.
For three decades, Chisholm Hunter have been staunch supporters of SBH Scotland with a focus, most recently, as headline sponsor of our annual “A Question of Burns” supper; one of the West of Scotland’s most successful Burns supper events, typically welcoming 500 people each year to join in an evening of poetry, performances and dining.
Since its launch in 1981, the event has raised over £1 million which has been used to provide personalised support to thousands of children, young people and adults across Scotland affected by the lifelong, complex conditions of spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus.
Last year, the charity was able to bring the festivities online to host the World’s Biggest Burns, where viewers were treated to performances from a host of famous faces. Due to the continued impact of Covid on the Scottish charity, the planned ‘in person’ event had to be cancelled entirely this year.
However, thanks to the kind donation from luxury jeweller and diamond retailer Chisholm Hunter, the charity has managed to fill the funding void left by the cancelled event.
Harry Brown, Managing Director of Chisholm Hunter, said: “SBH Scotland are a wonderful charity, and their work makes a real difference to the lives of over 3,500 individuals in Scotland who live with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus.
“We understand how hard the third sector has been hit over the last two years and we’ve been truly inspired by the charity’s tenacity during this time. Chisholm Hunter’s relationship with SBH Scotland celebrates its thirtieth year in 2022 and we weren’t going to let the cancellation of an event interrupt the vital support services so many families rely on in Scotland.
“I hope our donation goes some way in helping the charity to continue support for those who benefit from their fantastic services.”
Dr Margo Whiteford CBE, Chairperson of SBH Scotland, said: “We could not be more thankful for the generosity and kindness shown by the team at Chisholm Hunter. We have to raise over £1 million each year and losing the Burns Supper event for this year was a big blow.
“Thanks to the donation from Chisholm Hunter, we can continue to provide our dedicated services, including 1-2-1 support in homes and hospitals, health check clinics and support groups to those affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus in Scotland.
“We’re already looking forward to next year’s “A Question of Burns” supper, but more importantly we can’t wait to build on our relationship with Chisholm Hunter which has such a positive impact on the services we can offer our charity members. It is always a pleasure to work with their lovely team who have always gone above and beyond to help us throughout our thirty year relationship.”
For more information on Chisholm Hunter,
visit their site or to find out why their donation is so important please visit SBH Scotland
SBH Scotland
RSSSupport us
Because of you we provide a lifetime commitment of support. Please continue to support us or donate today. Thank you.
Make a donation