Short films highlight work of The Leanne Fund

The films, created by Liz Macbain and Ged Yeates and produced by MG Alba, will be shown online over the coming weeks.

The first in the series of films has been released and can be viewed online: here.

It tells the story of Arienne from Fort William and her family and shares their experiences of life with Cystic Fibrosis.

Teenager Arienne and her parents Annette and Darren talk candidly about living with Cystic Fibrosis and also about the support they have received from The Leanne Fund.

Outlining her daily treatment routine, Arienne described the affect it has on her day to day life: “My favourite hobby is photography, but CF affects what hobbies I can do, I would love to do contact sports and I used to do shinty all the time in primary school but I had to stop.”

Through support from the Leanne Fund, Arienne has received special treats such as family outings and items such as a laptop and a trampoline.

Dad Darren says the all round support from The Leanne Fund has been invaluable: “Arienne asks ‘why’ a lot and she has a right to ask, but trying to explain why is incredibly difficult as a parent.

“When your child is born with Cystic Fibrosis, you live with it every day. The Leanne Fund look after the parents as well as the children which is really special.”

He outlined support for parents such as stress relieving therapies had been very helpful to them as a family.

Chrisetta Mitchell, Development Manager at The Leanne Fund said: “We are so grateful to Arienne and her family for sharing their experiences and we hope that people will watch and share her story.

“The Leanne Fund is going through a phase of expansion thanks to funding from The Big Lottery Fund and these short films help to raise awareness of the challenges faced by those affected by Cystic Fibrosis.

“We are also very grateful to the film makers Liz Macbain and Ged Yeates for their hard work in bringing these stories together.”