Yesterday evening, we heard the very sad news of the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II. On behalf of the MS Society, I want to extend our deepest sympathies to The Royal Family and all those affected.
Her Majesty the Queen has been a prominent figure in our lives for a very long time. She has dedicated years of her life to public duty and I know she'll be deeply missed by many of our staff, volunteers and the wider MS community.
The MS Helpline service will be closed on Monday 29 August due to the Summer Bank Holiday. It will re-open on Tuesday 30 August 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.
This week saw the launch of a new supporter-led campaign called ‘MS Must Stop’. It's led by Sara Weller from our Stop MS Appeal Board and she's brought other volunteers, community members and supporters on board.
Whilst the overall aim of their campaign is to raise money to fund vital research for breakthrough MS treatments, we’re honoured that the MS Society has been chosen as the beneficiary. More specifically, any money raised will be donated to our Stop MS Appeal.
Calling all dog lovers! Give your dog walks purpose and sign up for My MS Woof. Walk, roll or stroll 130km with your pooch throughout the month of October to represent the 130,000 people living with MS in the UK.
And if you think 130km might be too far for you or your furry friend, you can set your own distance. We advise you to do whatever is within your ability but is still challenging so people will be more likely to sponsor you. So, whether you take the lead and set your own pace and distance, or you go for the ultimate challenge of 130km, you’ll be helping to Stop MS!
As an organisation, one of our key goals is finding effective treatments, on a journey to ultimately prevent MS. Our ambitious Stop MS Appeal is on its way to raising £100 million to fund the groundbreaking research that will make this happen.
We pride ourselves on only funding the best research, according to the priorities chosen by people with MS. Our Research Team work hard to ensure that any research we fund supports our goals and is of high quality. It needs to meet the conditions of the grant application, and be peer reviewed by other researchers.
Our quarterly Coffee & Chat sessions are open to group volunteers from across the UK. They're a quarterly opportunity to connect with others in our local group network.
Whether you’re located in a small rural village or a bustling city, our Coffee & Chat sessions will provide a space to come together for an informal catch-up — to share updates, challenges and ideas, and meet with members of the Volunteer Support Team.
At the end of June, we let you know that GoodBox, our supplier of devices for contactless donations, is in financial difficulty. If you missed what we said, you can read about it here.
Since then, an Administrator has been appointed, and they have six weeks to provide a timeline on what will happen next. So we won’t know anything more about the future of GoodBox until then.
When our last Community Networks Accountant left in March, we took the opportunity to review the finance support we provide to our groups. As a result of this, we developed two new roles with slightly different focusses:
A fixed-term, part-time, Finance Assistant - to respond to and resolve volunteer queries
A Community Networks Business Partner – to look at some of the bigger challenges we need to address, such as processes that need improving
The MS Society’s Lifeline Appeal was broadcast on the BBC on 26 June. Chef Tom Kerridge presented the film, which focused on three people with MS (Sasha, Stuart and Val) and their stories about our MS Helpline, research and local groups.
Back in March, we were delighted to tell you about the launch of our new volunteer Impact Awards. These replace our Shining Star programme and will spotlight how the invaluable contribution of our volunteers creates impact in all areas of our work.
We received over 30 nominations in the last three months, which is a great reflection on our growing culture of recognition – but there’s always room for more!
