InforMS The Quarterly Newsletter of Ayrshire & Arran Branch of The Multiple Sclerosis Society
Chairman’s Winter Report I hope everyone enjoyed reading our yearbook published this summer. We rightly acknowledged the support and contribution of our many volunteers. As a result of suggestions made we have produced a guide which contains a variety of useful information including helpful points of contact. We are also organising first aid training for some of our volunteers. Jacqui Downs has just called me to confirm that Lindsey Collins, specialist MS nurse, will join the team on 19th November. Excellent news. Our commitment to develop a training course for carers is almost ready to be launched. I am grateful to some of our members who met recently to discuss the content of the programme. We have scheduled a meeting of interested parties in October and plan to launch the programme before the end of the year. We also hope to firm up plans to establish a young carers group. Please take time to look at our website and get involved in the campaign. Nick has placed information on the Society’s ‘Hardest Hit’ report – ‘The Tipping Point’. It reveals how the Government’s changes to the welfare system will hit some of our members the hardest. Sadly Jean Howie has finally decided to retire after countless years of service to the yoga class at Biggart Hospital. Plans are being made to ensure the service continues and we hope to roll out yoga classes to other parts of Ayrshire and Arran. Betty Harvie has resigned as a volunteer from the social section. We are all very grateful to her for the enthusiasm she brought to that role and thank her for all she has done for members. The Xmas Social Night will go ahead as planned and we are grateful to Krys, Kim and Mari for making the arrangements. We would welcome any ideas from members on the future format of social events. We know that research is important to all members. I am therefore pleased to confirm that your committee agreed to send a cheque for £15,000 to Edinburgh for research In Scotland. This will complement the magnificent sum of one thousand pounds gifted by the New Cumnock group. This is a magnificent achievement from one of our local groups. Well done! The October edition of Team Spirit confirmed the good news that Gilenya, the new MS pill, has been approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium for the treatment of adults with highly active relapsing-remitting MS. Finally I would wish you all the very best of health over the festive season. George McLachlan Branch Chairman Our Resource Centre at 84 Main Street, Kilwinning will close for the Festive Season from Friday 21st December until Monday 7th January 2013. If you need urgent assistance during this time please contact the MS National Helpline on 0808 800 8000. We would like to thank all of our volunteers, supporters and members and wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Kyle Coffee Club
Fundraising
Summer seems a long time ago - was it 10 days at the beginning of May? Now officially summertime ended with the clocks going back. We did have five lovely days of sunshine with frosty nights recently Autumn?, and now we are going into winter. When you see the devastation superstorm Sandy has done, we have to be glad we are not in its pathway.
Goodwill to our Branch
Some of us have just returned from holidays in the sun, building up on Vitamin D. George in Fuertaventura, Susan and Jim in Benidorm and Morag and Sam off cruising. We had a visit recently from three gentlemen from Mauchline Masonic Burns Club with a donation for the Branch. As friends of Sandy and Frank Brodie, I think they enjoyed talking to members of the group, finding out about the Branch, and enjoying the coffee! Time to think about our Christmas Lunch at Dobbies on the 12th December. It is a lovely end of the year with good food and good company. Dobbies look after us throughout the year with a smile and warm welcome come rain or shine and we appreciate all they do for us. I am sad to say that Carolyn has decided to step down as treasurer of the group due to other commitments and I would like to thank her for her constant support since the group began. She will of course continue to come along as before. Cheryl has been persuaded to take on the role so it will be business as usual.
As we approach the festive season, it is very gratifying to see how much goodwill there is throughout Ayrshire and Arran towards our Branch and the MS Society. Over recent months, we have benefited greatly from this high regard. Individual members and friends assist us with donations and b assisting in our fundraising efforts. It is much appreciated. By the way, have you chipped in by buying Branch Christmas Cards and /or Festive Raffle Tickets with its £100 cash prize ??? Just as significant are the very substantial sums we have received over the last few months from Ayrshire firms and organisations who clearly value our efforts. Bridgend Motors in Kilwinning (£800), Ladbrokes in Prestwick (£750), Mauchline Masonic Burns Club (£1,002) and the Kyle Hotel in Coylton (£1,132) are just the latest examples which add to our long time regular supporters. The continuing efforts by family and friends to support the Robbie Dickie Fund is well worthy of special note. I do believe this goodwill is largely due to the high profile the Branch strives to maintain through local press and media. It does of course build on our basic concept of a Scottish registered charity run by volunteers with no paid staff. That goes down very well as does the commitment that the monies stay in Ayrshire and Arran. We must not forget of course the principal objective of all these efforts is to allow your Branch via our Support Committee under Ann Barnes and her team to consider applications for local individual grants, speedily and discreetly, to those affected by MS. With your help we will keep up this good work. Donald McNeill Chief Fundraiser
If you would like to come along and join us on the last Wednesday in the month at Dobbies Garden Centre at 10.30am, we would love to see you. For more information phone Irene on 01292 478962. Irene MacLean
Contacting Us If you need to contact MS Ayrshire & Arran Branch please telephone our office on 01294 558866 or email msayrshire@talktalk.net A full list of committee members and contacts appears on the ‘About Us’ page of our branch website www.msayrshire.com
Branch members turned out to accept a cheque for £750 raised by staff and customers at Ladbrokes in Prestwick.
InforMS is published by the Ayrshire and Arran Branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. All of the views and opinions in this publication are individual and are not necessarily the view or policy of the charity and its supporters. The Multiple Sclerosis Society is a registered charity in England and Wales (1139257) and Scotland (SCO41990) and a company limited by guarantee (07451571).
Cunninghame MS Drop In The Cunninghame MS Drop-in Centre held a very successful 21st Birthday Party at the start of September. Two of our members were awarded shining stars for service not only to the group, but the Branch. Mrs Lilian Hay and Mrs Margaret Shuttleworth were the recipients. Our holiday in Benidorm also proved to be a success so much that we have started to fund raise for the next one hopefully in two years time. Come along on a Thursday 12-3p.m. for a chat, have a yoga lesson held between 12 and 1 - not forgetting your lunch. Sometimes it is pie and beans (or peas) or sausage on a roll. You never know what you are going to get. Alternatives for vegetarians are always available. Plus there is as much tea and coffee that you can drink all for the princely sum of £2.50. For more information please phone me on 01294 471066. Iris McKenna
Eglinton MS Support Group The new Eglinton MS Support Group has successfully started and I feel it is making a difference to all involved and hope it continues. We meet in Kilwinning and all are welcome. It’s a great opportunity to be heard and ask questions or just to socialise and is an ideal chance to meet with similar people with this condition and realise you’re not alone with it. I am a great believer in social interaction and it can only be a good thing. If you would like to come along and join us for a chat or a cuppa then please contact me. Meetings take place in Taylors Hotel (formerly the Claremont Hotel) at 68-78 Byres Road in Kilwinning on a Monday afternoon. Feel free to attend anytime from12 noon until 3pm. It will cost anyone who attends £2.50 which will cover the cost of refreshments. For more details about any of the above, please call 07809 373884 or email liz.crozier@hotmail.co.uk Liz Crozier
Henderson Group The group meets from 1.30 - 3.30 pm on the first and third Tuesdays of each month in the Scout Hut behind Henderson Church in Kilmarnock. Please call Catherine on 01563 539537 for further information.
New Cumnock & District Support Group This Group was started on 27th January 2009 with 14 people attending the first meeting. We now have around 90 members with, on average, 45 attending each monthly Social evening. Over the last 4 years, the group, along with families and friends, have raised funds in the region of £15,000, recent examples being £1300 from Tesco can collections and £400 generated at a local Treasure Hunt. Our group has just donated £1,000 to MS Scotland and a further £1,000 to the Douglas Grant Unit in Irvine. We meet at 6.30 on the last Tuesday of the month at the Lochside House Hotel in New Cumnock. Please call me on 01290 333846 for further information. Thanks again to all our members and supporters. Caroline Duncan
Resource Centre News After 3 months in the position of Branch Secretary, I am pleased to say that the Resource Centre is going from strength to strength. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all volunteers and fellow committee members for their support over this period of transition. In particular, Krys Inglis and Mari Matheson have set up and are administering the sale of any “high value” items that are donated to the shop on the PRELOVED website. Frank Reid has agreed to take on the role of Health & Safety Officer. We are currently in the process of clearing the “quiet room” to make it available as a ‘drop in centre’ for advice on various subjects. The room will also be used for alternative therapies such as Reflexology and Indian Head Massage.
Liz Crozier has set up the newly formed Eglinton Support Group. I wish her well, and, Branch Website along with other support groups affiliated to As usual, from early December, our branch website will feature a the Ayrshire & Arran Branch, she can be festive theme over the holiday period. Log on at www.msayrshire.com assured of our continued support.
In addition to the festive pages, the website will continue to feature all of its usual information and news.
Brian Farmer Branch Secretary
Festive Matters Our Christmas Craft Fair takes place on Sunday 2nd December from 11am-4pm at Eglinton Country Park in Kilwinning. There will be a wide variety of craft stalls on show, including home made preserves, wooden items, baby goods, books, DVDs, clothing and jewellery, as well as games and competitions. Santa will be there too. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
The Branch Christmas Social Evening will be held at the Menzies Hotel in Irvine on Thursday, 6th December beginning at 5.30 pm with entertainment being supplied by ‘Music Box’. Tickets costing £10 each, which includes a three-course dinner, can be obtained from the MS Resource Centre: 01294 558866.
It’s almost time for our popular Branch New Year Lunch which will be at the Carlton Hotel in Prestwick again this year. The date for this event is Saturday, 12th January. More details are enclosed along with this newsletter.
There’s still time to buy your Christmas Cards in support of MS Ayrshire & Arran, with 10 different designs to choose from. These quality cards are priced at between £3-25 and £3-50 for a pack of 10. You also have time to get your tickets for our Festive Raffle. These cost £1 each with a top prize of £100 and many other prizes. Both cards and tickets can be obtained from our Resource Centre (01294 558866) and all money raised goes to help local people affected by MS.
The next edition of InforMS will be the Spring 2013 issue. Please submit any articles for inclusion by emailing them to nicksmalley@btinternet.com on or before 14th February 2013.
Allison Mitchell (left) of Bridgend Motor Group presented us with a generous donation of £800 at their Kilwinning showroom recently.
MS Society turns 60 Next year is our 60th anniversary. We expect the national centre to announce a "theme" very soon. However we would welcome any views on the content of an information day to celebrate our successes. Some ideas suggested so far include: Ÿ Information Day Ÿ Welfare Reform Ÿ Independent Living Fund Ÿ MS National Services Ÿ Branch Services Ÿ NHS - Douglas Grant Ÿ Local Authority Services Ÿ Research Suggestions on speakers and format for the day would be welcome. Please forward ideas to the Brian Farmer, our secretary or any member of the committee. George McLachlan Branch Chairman
Ayrshire & Arran
FREE ADMISSION
Christmas Fair CRAFT STALLS COMPETITIONS TOMBOLA SANTA AND MUCH MORE 11am - 4pm on Sunday 2nd December 2012 The Racquet Hall, Eglinton Country Park, Kilwinning, Ayrshire