In the last volunteer update, we told you about the autumn phase of our ambitious Stop MS Appeal. We can see a future where nobody needs to worry about their MS getting worse, so we’re raising £100 million for research into treatments.

We’re already halfway there, but we need more MS Champions so we can reach our target by 2025.

What does an MS Champion do?

As an MS Champion, you can support the appeal by;

• Encouraging people you know to raise funds and awareness

• Networking to enthuse local fundraisers and community groups

At the end of such a difficult year, we want to get our community into the festive spirit by spreading some joy and laughter, whilst continuing to support people affected by MS.

So, we’re delighted to bring you a festive programme of carols, with readings from Emilia Fox, Robert Powell and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Viewers will have the chance to share videos, ask questions to our celebrity host and take part in a special raffle.

By 2025, we want to have raised £100m to fund research that will lead to breakthroughs in MS research and treatment. We launched the appeal publicly in 2019 and have already secured an incredible £54 million to support our fight to beat MS.

During the pandemic, we’ve had to come up with new and innovative ways to continue fundraising, such as My MS Walk, MS Walk Live and 100k Your Way. Now it’s time for a final push in 2020, to raise as much as we can to keep research and clinical trials moving.

Like many charities, our research programme has been affected by coronavirus. When we surveyed our grant holders at the beginning of the pandemic, more than 70% who responded reported significant disruption to their work. Clinical trials staff adapted so they could carry out follow up visits by phone. Lab workers analysed results and wrote up findings from home. And MS researchers across the world kept in touch and shared ideas virtually.

The social care system has been hit hard by the pandemic. In June, our community told us they were struggling to stay physically active, felt lonely and isolated, and often couldn’t get the care and support they needed.

We’d like to share some news with you about a change to our Executive Group. Emma Whitcombe, our Executive Director of Engagement and Income Generation, will be leaving the MS Society in December.

Emma has been with us for six and a half years, but will be moving on from the organisation to make an exciting step overseas to Sweden.

With autumn firmly upon us (don’t forget to put your clocks back tomorrow night…), we would normally be preparing to bring group volunteers together for our November Forums. This year, with so much change within the organisation on top of the pandemic, we’re having to do things differently.

As we’ve previously communicated, this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be hosted virtually on 5 December. Over the last couple of days, we’ve been busy sending out information on how to vote or attend the upcoming AGM, to all of our 26,000 members. And voting is now open until 3 December 2020.