Dunfermline: Vegas-themed ball raised £20k for wee Jamie Tierney

The annual fundraiser took place in the Glen Pavilion in aid of the five year-old who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in 2022 at the age of three.

With a Vegas theme, an array of entertainment was on offer with music, casino tables, an aerialist, fire eaters and an auction all part of the line-up.

Wee Jamie's mum, Bobbie, was delighted with how the evening went.

"We are honestly over the moon," she said. "It was much more than we expected. I don't think it has sunk in on how much we raised. It gets harder to raise money as you go on so we were just so happy. We are still buzzing.

A total of £20K was raised at a charity ball to help with treatment expenses for wee Jamie Tierney. (Image: BlackSquid Photography) "We just went as big as we could this year. We had a live auction and a silent auction and that was absolutely crazy. Thankfully everything came together and it ended up being a really good night.

"We had Paul John Dykes hosting it and so much support from everywhere. Without them, we would not have managed to achieve anywhere near as much.

"This year it was so hard to get things like raffle and auction prizes and so many people came through for us. A massive thank you to everyone that came through and helped us with prizes and the event."

A total of £20K was raised at a charity ball to help with treatment expenses for wee Jamie Tierney. (Image: BlackSquid Photography) Bobbie and husband Jamie's lives were turned upside down in March 2022 when they were told Jamie had DMD.

There is no cure for the illness, which is found mainly in boys and affects all muscles, including lungs, heart and the brain, but treatment is available which could slow down its progress.

Since the diagnosis, the couple, along with their network of family and friends, have worked tirelessly to raise funds so the youngster can travel to America and other places around the world for vital infusion treatment which, it is hoped, will slow down the debilitating disease.

He is due to travel in the coming months for his next bout after the family ruled out the possibility of gene therapy.

Jamie Tierney (Image: Contributed)

"We still don't have the next date for his treatment. It could be November but it could be January or after the new year. We don't know for sure what the next step will be," explained Bobbie.

"We had been following the gene therapy in America and originally we were quoted £6.9m and then it was £3.2m. This is the biggest break through and the best thing that has come about in the world of DMD for a long time.

"We have been following it very closely and were in talks that it could be a potentially thing but Jamie is on a good treatment plan, the best we believe for him at this moment. When we were looking at it (the gene therapy), there were not enough results coming back. The companies had not released enough data.

A ball to raise funds for Wee Jamie Tierney's treatment was held at the Glen Pavilion on Saturday. (Image: BlackSquid Photography) "Every night we are just constantly reaching out to different doctors all over the world and different people for advice. People who have been through different situations. We try and network everywhere and do everything we can.

"The things with DMD is there is not much in Scotland so we have to look everywhere."

Bobbie said their boy, who has just started primary one at Pitreavie Primary, continues to make progress.

"Jamie has been doing great," she added. "He is in primary one now and he is enjoying it. He is running about the playground and playing with his friends. A lot of his nursery friends are at the school so he has a good bunch of friends."