On Wednesday 5 October, we held our Volunteer Impact Awards event to celebrate the impact our volunteers make and recognise outstanding individual contributions.
Due to the MS Helpline conference, the MS Helpline will close on Thursday 29 September at 3pm. It will re-open on Monday 3 October at 9am.
Information about MS is available on our website at www.mssociety.org.uk. There will be a recorded message on the Helpline directing people to NHS services if they have a medical matter, and to Samaritans for emotional support 24/7.
Whilst The Royal Family’s formal mourning period continues now that Her Majesty the Queen’s funeral has taken place, we’re slowly returning to business as usual so we can ensure we’re still here for those that need us most. No one should face MS alone.
For any local groups who wish to continue with their own events and activities this week, we encourage you to be mindful that people will have been affected by the news differently. Please do seek any support you may need from our staff teams and be sensitive to those around you.
Many thanks to everyone who nominated volunteers either for our previous Shining Stars, or for our new Impact Awards. Across the four nations, and in so many different ways, our volunteers have made a huge difference to people living with MS. And, over the months, the Panel have been truly inspired by reading the nominations.
This is a tough time for everyone, but people with MS are being hit especially hard by the cost of living crisis. This has been caused by years of benefits cuts. Government neglect has forced many to make devastating choices between essentials like food, heating and medication.
A survey we ran earlier in the year found that:
Over a quarter of people with MS who took part in our survey don’t have enough money for food, with 1 in 20 telling us they’ve had to use a foodbank in the past year.
We always want to simplify our risk management paperwork where we can, and to explain processes clearly. So we’ve made a few changes and added some resources:
COVID-19 process updates
The COVID-19 guidance sheet HSV: 921b has now been withdrawn from our paperwork. Our guidance and risk assessment forms have all been updated accordingly.
Due to the bank holiday announced for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, the MS Helpline will close on Friday 16 September at 7pm and re-open on Tuesday 20 September at 9am.
Information about MS is available on our website at www.mssociety.org.uk. There will be a recorded message on the Helpline directing people to NHS services if they have a medical matter, and to Samaritans for emotional support 24/7.
