BBC weatherman Alex Deacin presented Tony Collett with his fundraising award

A FUNDRAISER and a researcher from Cambridge have won national awards for their work for the MS (multiple sclerosis) Society.

MS Society award winners Professors Robin Franklin and Charles ffrench-Constant

Dad-of-two Tony Collett, 69, of Great Abington, was presented with the MS Fundraiser of the Year award by BBC weatherman and MS Society supporter Alex Deacin.

And Professor Robin Franklin, who leads the Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair, won the MS Research of the Year award alongside his colleague Professor Charles ffrench-Constant from the Edinburgh Centre for Translational Research.

Mr Collett, whose son Richard, 35, was diagnosed with MS 12 years ago, won the award for organising a fully accessible Wheel and Walk fundraising event.

He said: “I am gobsmacked to win the award, I honestly wasn’t expecting it. I don’t do my work to get awards, I just want to help people affected by MS in whatever way I can.

“I just want to thank everyone who attended Wheel and Walk or supported the event over the years, especially our sponsors.”

MS is caused by damage to myelin - the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres in the central nervous system. Professor Franklin’s centre has a long-term goal of developing treatments that regenerate myelin in people with MS.

He said: “It is a huge honour to receive the aaward from the MS Society. It means a lot to me, Professor ffrench-Constant and all the other people involved in our work.”