A large motor neurone disease (MND) charity has voted to expand into Scotland after a fellow organisation warned against the move.
MND Association, which operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, voted at a Wednesday annual general meeting to register with Scottish charity regulator OSCR.
The regulator confirmed to Civil Society yesterday that it had received an application from MND Association and that it is being assessed.
Fellow charity MND Scotland previously said the expansion would “dismantle a successful partnership” between “sister organisations”.
However, a spokesperson for the smaller charity said: “Following the MND Association's vote to apply to OSCR to operate in Scotland, we look forward to learning more about their plans and engaging constructively.”
MND Association said the special resolution to expand was passed to best serve Scotland’s distinct needs.
“The reason for extending our services into Scotland is because of the differences between the services available to people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and those available in Scotland,” the charity said.
MND Associated added that it would complement the work MND Scotland does by working in partnership and consulting with them, among other charities.
Prior financial challenges for MND Scotland
Prior to the announcement this week, MND Scotland said in June that it believed the larger charity’s expansion plans were related to financial difficulties the smaller organisation previously faced.
MND Scotland’s total expenditure of £3.65m in the year to March 2025 was above its £2.84m income, and it has reported operating deficits since 2021-22, its OSCR listing shows.
The charity’s chair and CEO left in October last year while it was navigating “an extremely challenging financial environment”.
Meanwhile, MND Association’s income has been above its spending since 2020, with an income of £40.8m and expenditure of £33.9m recorded in 2024.
MND Scotland previously said that its beneficiaries would be best served by a model of collaboration, rather than MND Association becoming its “competitor”.
But in its most recent statement, an MND Scotland spokesperson said: “For 45 years, we have been the only charity in Scotland providing direct, personalised support to the MND community.
“We are committed to ensuring that the community in Scotland is truly heard, represented, and supported at every step.”
