Hello!
I hope you’re keeping well during what has been an extremely tough start to the year for us all.
I’m David Light, and I’ve recently taken on the role of Head of Community Networks at the MS Society. I have responsibility for our 250 or so local groups and the staff teams who support them. My career background is in teaching, but I’ve worked in the charity sector for many years, specialising in Community and International Development. I’ve been at the MS Society since 2012, mostly in community-based roles providing support for our local groups. So, I have an understanding of the brilliant work groups do to support the MS community, and also of the aspirations and challenges you have as volunteers.
What’s in a name?
You’ll notice that we’re now talking about ‘Community Networks’ rather than ‘Local Networks’. The change is a subtle one, but significant. We know that a great many people find comfort and support in gathering together where they live, and our local groups will continue to play an incredibly important part in enabling that to happen. But we also recognise that technology is allowing people to gather and connect more easily according to their interests or identity. We want to play a part in connecting and supporting a wide range of communities, whether they choose to gather locally or in other ways.
Looking ahead
2020 was a really difficult time for us all, both as individuals and collectively as an organisation. But I’ve been truly amazed and impressed by how many of our groups have adapted, often embracing new ways to connect with and support their communities. Sadly, we’ve had to significantly reduce our staff team, but I do believe we have the right structure in place to support our groups effectively and improve your experience of volunteering for the MS Society.
This year, we want to focus on three things:
- Settling in
Firstly, we need to embed our new staff teams to make sure that you’re getting the help you need to continue to provide support throughout the lockdown, where it’s feasible for you to do so.
- Supporting
Secondly, we want to make available the guidance and support that you’ll need to reopen face-to-face activity later in the year. It’s really important that we’re able to do this safely, and that our groups are clear about what they can start to provide and when. In the spring, we’ll produce an issue of Teamspirit that will clearly set out our expectations for group activity and what you can expect from our staff team in the way of support.
- Communicating
Thirdly, we‘ll focus on improving the ways in which we communicate with and about our local groups. We really want to raise the profile of our group network within the organisation and beyond, to improve awareness of our work and reach more people. And, of course, we owe it to you to properly highlight the excellent work you’re doing in your local communities, so that we can celebrate our achievements together.
We want to create more opportunities for you to come together from across groups to share information and your experiences. And we want to help groups to understand their place in our wider offer of support, helping you feel connected and part of one Society, working together to improve lives within our community.
Working together
All this work is in progress and some things will take time, so I’d ask for your continued patience and understanding as we put our new structures in place and get them working effectively. There are a number of projects already getting started to help us improve our communication. If you’d like to be involved in this work by joining our upcoming review of Teamspirit, then do email us by clicking here. We’re committed to working closely with volunteers to make sure any changes are genuinely going to improve things for you on the ground.
Thank you for all you do for the MS Society.
