Help the MS Society establish local support

Did you know that there are an estimated 600 plus people in the Lancaster, Morecambe, and Bay area living with Multiple Sclerosis? The MS Society is reestablishing its local support group for those people and they need volunteers to help them make a difference.

MS is a condition that affects your brain and spinal cord in which the coating that protects your nerves (myelin) is damaged. MS can affect people in various ways, for instance, it could cause fatigue, muscle spasms, blurred vision, and difficulty in thinking and coordinating, amongst others. With MS, these symptoms may worsen, or come and go. Because of this, it can be difficult for people to come to terms with an MS diagnosis and learn how to manage and cope.

It isn’t just those living with MS who are affected, it is also their friends, family, and carers. Recent workshops, held at The Trimpell Sports & Social Club in Morecambe, and The Storey in Lancaster, showed that people with MS would like to get involved with local social and exercise activities, and find out more information on how they can be supported in general.

This is why the MS Society is bringing volunteers together to offer a local support group, which aims to provide people with local and social opportunities, and access to specific advice on benefits, employment, housing, and counselling. We will also be working alongside existing local support groups and organisations to jointly provide support to people with MS.

Presently they are looking for Administration, Activities, and Communications volunteers to help them to signpost and deliver their services at a local level, so that they can make a real difference to our local communities. If you would like to learn new skills, develop existing ones, and meet new people, all while making an enormous difference to the lives of people living with MS, the MS Society would love to hear from you. You can contact Claudia Mok by email at [email protected] for more information and a chat about the roles, or you can apply via Lancaster District CVS’s Volunteer Centre.

If you or your organisation would like to know more about how you can reach out to and support people with MS please contact Paul Smithson [email protected]