An Award Winning Week

What a week at MMT!  The reception for Clarins Most Dynamisante Woman of the Year 2008 was held on Tuesday evening at No 11 Downing Street.  Maggie Darling was in attendance and it was a great pleasure to meet her and such a privilege to be at No 11.  The award, in its 7th year in the UK,  was presented by Olivier Courtin-Clarins and Robin Vincent. Guests included many of the media and representatives of Clarins and You Magazine, as well as past winners and finalists for the Most Dynamisante Woman of the Year award. My own guests included celebrities Lorraine Chase and Rula Lenska, who have supported a number of my fundraising events, Professor Brian Neville, the 1st Chair of Paediatric Epilepsy and Professor Michael Gleeson, my surgeon.

It was an honour to meet the past winners and finalists, all truly amazing women who have gone on to achieve even greater things since their nomination. I am particularly impressed by the way in which Clarins has remained close to all of these women in their ongoing endeavour to help children. This is truly a very special award that reaches the coal-face, in terms of children's needs.  Even more commendable is the fact that Clarins now make this award in 12 countries in the world, the most recent being Russia.  I am Clarins 52nd winner of the Most Dynamisante Woman of the Year award!

Following our exclusive feature in You magazine on Sunday 22nd June, Clarins will be pursuing PR for the Muir Maxwell Trust in every possible way.  The exposure for MMT is beyond anything we could possibly have imagined and we could not achieve any of this without Clarins.  This is an award I would encourage women across the world to pursue.  The accolade is wonderful but it is what happens for the Trust from here on that is so amazing. It has given me renewed vigour. It will enable the strategy for MMT to change and hopefully, that will extend our reach as a charity.

The £30,000 prize money will allow the Trust to employ its first full-time fundraiser - indeed, I think we may have found her already.  She will be responsible for raising £160,000 in her first year, which will support the purchase of epilepsy alarms and her year two salary.  It will be great to have a new team member and company for us in our Musselburgh office.  Indeed, an exciting year lies ahead for us.

Thank you Clarins and You Magazine, from the bottom of my heart.

With best wishes,

Ann Maxwell

Volunteer Fundraiser MMT