My name is Andy McKenna. I was a professional mountain bike guide and ‘This Way Up’ is a 2017 documentary about living with Multiple Sclerosis and my quest for an active path to health.
In 2022, the follow up film 'Evolution' was released - this became a catalyst for the 'Evolution Stories' series which included 'MS Makes Me' (released 2023).
Please ENJOY and share the filmS.
MS MAKES ME (2023)
EVOLUTION (2022)
THIS WAY UP (2017)
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Why am i so stoked on ms?
I'm not really 'stoked' on MS but I do appreciate the irony. Plus it's a decent way to kick start an important conversation about an ugly disease. I have been living with MS without use of pharmaceutical MS medication (until the longterm benefits of pharmaceuticals are proven to me, I'll stick to this personal path) since 2007 and I am proof that there’s a way of leading a healthy, productive life. To this day I still operate my mountain bike guiding business (Go-Where Scotland) with my wife Aneela and I get outside into the mountains on my bicycle as often as I can as part of my therapy. In 2018/19 we raised nearly £70, 000 for the unsung hero charity Overcoming MS and here's a recent podcast they kindly asked me to contribute to.
MS is an ‘incurable’ degenerative and disabling neurological disease affecting the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves of almost 2.5 million people worldwide. It usually causes attacks of neurologic symptoms including vision loss, paralysis, numbness, bladder problems and walking difficulties.
It’s still a mystery why it happens but it’s caused when the body’s own immune system attacks and damages the Myelin, a complex substance that surrounds and insulates nerve fibres, and reduces the ability of the brain and spinal cord to transmit signals. There is no medical cure for MS.
But all is not lost! There’s a growing community living with MS who believe there is an alternative way of managing the disabling effects of MS. It is not simply a pill or an injection - it’s an outlook, a set of lifestyle changes and holistic strategies that have been thoroughly researched, tried and tested. A set of changes that will help the healing power of the mind and body to work together.
STOKED ON MS is a way of creating dialogue with people about agency, autonomy and alternative ways of living well in the face of uncertainty. Overcoming MS (OMS) is the charity established to promote a positive lifestyle programme that aims to help people with MS live long, healthy lives. OMS is committed to improving the lives of people with MS by providing the tools to enable recovery.
WATCH THE BBC INTERVIEW
WATCH THE BBC INTERVIEW
SANTA CRUZ BRONSON BIKE RAFFLE
Thanks to everyone who has entered the raffle to win thIS Exclusively designed Santa Cruz mountain bike raffle to raise funds for the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis (OMS) charity. The raffle has now closed and we HAVE JUST ANNOUNCED THE WINNER - CIARON WALTON FROM CHESHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM.
IMPORTANT STUFF
BIKE RAFFLE RULES
THE STOKED ON MS BRONSON RAFFLE
Thanks to everyone who has entered the raffle to win the exclusively designed Santa Cruz mountain bike raffle to raise funds for the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis (OMS) charity. The raffle has now closed.
HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT THIS BIKE?
If you’re already convinced you want this bike and understand the entry rules, go buy your raffle tickets by hitting donate right now...but please come back to the site, watch the film and read why this is about more than a sweet bike.
Up for grabs is a one-of-a-kind, unique, custom-painted, fully-specced Santa Cruz Bicycles Bronson mountain bike in aid of my 'Stoked on MS' charity Overcoming MS. It’s a 150mm travel, 27.5 wheeled mega machine. This is the crème de la crème of mountain bikes.But hold on, there's more. A lot more actually. It features awesome suspension and dropper post by Fox Racing Shox, Shimano's tried and true XT drivetrain and brakes, and Wilderness Trail Bikes tyres, grips and saddle. Also included is an EVOC backpack and ENDURA have created a custom MT500 jersey to match this beautiful Bronson bicycle.
Check out the detail, it’s incredible!
HOST A CHARITY SCREENING
Shortlisted by Vancouver and Kendal International Mountain Film Festivals, The full 25 MINUTE film is being screened across the globe as part of THE ‘Stoked on MS’ fundraising campaign.
:: ARE YOU interested in hosting A charity screening of 'THIS WAY UP' documentary? ::
MONIES RAISED GO TO the two unsung heroes who helped ME AND MANY OTHERS gain control of this disease by looking beyond the dominant MS treatments, to investigate the possibilities of managing MS through diet, rest, exercise and lifestyle changes - these GLOBAL charities are: The Swank Foundation and Overcoming MS (OMS).
HOST A SCREENING :: HOW IT WORKS
Film festival, SPORTS, corporate, community event or a bunch of friends in your living room - THE FORMAT IS totally up to you
1Share your ideas
2Guidelines & press pack
3TELL THE WORLD
We'll help promote your event!
SCREENINGS
More dates & locations being added regularly - please check back
events
- Kendal International Mountain Film Festival, Kendal, 17 - 19 November 2017
- Santa Cruz Bicycles Factory, California, USA, 1st December 2017
- Peebles Outdoor Film Festival, Peebles, 28th January 2018
- Colorowdies Denver Screening, Colorado, 7th February 2018
- Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, 10th - 13th February 2018
- Innerleithen Union Club, 23rd February 2018
- Velocity Cafe Bicycle Workshop, Inverness, 23rd February (incl. food!) [UPDATE: 2nd screening on 24th February]
- Fat Bikes 4 MS (After Party), Cloverdale, Edmonton, BC, 25th February 2018
- Llanidloes, Mid-Wales, 3rd March 2018
- Braemar Mountain Festival, Braemar, 3rd March 2018
- Applecross Community Hall, Scotland, 17th March 2018 [UPDATE: Postponed]
- Mugdock Country Cycles, Glasgow, 23rd March 2018
- 'Cockermouth Bike Night, in support of Stoked on MS', Cumbria, England, 21st April 2018 (details to follow)
- Cream o’ the Croft, Comrie, Scotland, 15th June 2018
- Utflukt 2018, Trysil, Norway, 21 - 24 June
- Naughty Northumbrian, Northumberland, 24th August
- Alpkit Weekender (Hathersage), 25th August
- Alpine Bikes, Aberdeen, 29th August
- Alpine Bikes, Perth, 5th September
- Dukes Weekender, Aberfoyle, Scotland, 8 - 9 September 2018
- Alpine Bikes, Glasgow, 19th September
- Alpine Bikes, Edinburgh, 26th September
- The Tonic Tribe Gathering, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, 13th October
- New Zealand, Date TBC
- Fife, Scotland, Date TBC
- Bike Park Wales, Date TBC
- The BlogThoughts, musings, and ruminations.There are no published blog posts yet.
MAILING LIST
STAY STOKED ON MS
SOCIAL FEED
Check out the latest...
BIKE RAFFLE TERMS & CONDITIONS
Name: Stoked on MS Bronson Bike Raffle for Overcoming MS
Small societies lotteries registration No. LC201812-31528
Charity: Overcoming MS
UK Registered Charity No. 1157579
Registered as a Company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No. 9044459.
Address: Thame House, Thame Road, Haddenham, Bucks, HP17 8HU, United Kingdom
- Participation in the Stoked on MS Bronson Bike Raffle for Overcoming MS costs £5 per ticket.
- You may purchase more than one ticket in advance of the draw date.
- Any payment received after the draw date will be treated as a donation.
- No tickets can be sold to, on behalf of, or for a person under the age of 16 years. If a ticket is sold unknowingly to, on behalf of, or for a person under the age of 16 he/she will be exempt from the raffle and will forfeit his/her prize and the stake will be returned.
- Stoked on MS Bronson Bike Raffle for Overcoming MS is open internationally, to everyone over the age of 16.To purchase raffle tickets online entrants must make a donation at https://www.justgiving.com/stokedonmsbronsonraffle and make a minimum donation of £5 or multiples thereof for additional tickets.
- Please don't forget to note your name and email, and consent to be contacted. If asked, once your donation has gone through, tick the box alongside “I'm happy to be contacted by Andy Mckenna ". Justgiving can then share your contact details with me so that your name is entered into the prizedraw. Without these details, the organiser will be unable to allocate the prize. IF YOU ARE A GUEST USER (I.E. DO NOT HAVE A JUST GIVING ACCOUNT) PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO STOKEDONMS@GMAIL.COM WITH YOUR JUST GIVING DONATION REFERENCE NUMBER ALONG WITH YOUR PAYMENT RECEIPT AND YOU WILL BE MANUALLY ENTERED INTO THE RAFFLE PRIZEDRAW. IF YOU DON'T CLICK THE CONSENT BOX OR IF YOU DON'T GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR DETAILS THEN IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO ALLOCATE RAFFLE TICKET/S AND YOUR ENTRY WILL BE TREATED AS A DONATION.
- Any ticket entries received after the closing date may miss entry into the draw and therefore will be considered as a donation to Overcoming MS.
- The prize-winning raffle ticket will be drawn randomly on April 15th.
- The result of the raffle draw is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
- Where the organiser is unable to contact a prize-winner so that a prize remains unclaimed for six weeks following the first attempt to notify the prize-winner, the prize will be allocated to another ticket drawn at random.
- The winner may be required, where deemed appropriate, to provide proof of age when requested.
- In the event of an error, howsoever caused, whether a printing error or otherwise and whether obvious or otherwise, which affects the competition in any way, the organisers reserve the right to administer the raffle as though the error had not occurred.
- Where the organisers deem it appropriate and/or feasible the organiser will notify entrants of the error.
- Failure to comply with any of these rules may result in the disqualification of the entry.
- The organiser reserves the right to disqualify any entry at their absolute discretion.
- Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails.
- Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
© 2019