Our autumn 2013 newsletter

LEEDS
& DISTRICT
Autumn 2013
Branch Newsletter
Information Day
Welfare Rights
Christmas Party
Helpline: 0800 111 4324
Registered Charity No: 1139257
Contents
This newsletter is available
From The Chair
3
by either:
Introducing our new Vice Chair
4
* Post/email (contact the
Fundraising News
5/6
Research
7
Christmas Party
8
Activity Sessions
9
Information Day
10/11
Welfare Rights Unit
12/13
Just For Fun!
14/15
Financial Assistance
16
Equipment Available
17
Socials
18
MS Chat
19
Contact Numbers
20
The views expressed in this publication
are individual and are not necessarily
the view or policy of the charity and it’s
supporters.
We do not endorse
any goods or services that may advertise in this publication.
newsletter editor -see back
page)
* Download at
www.mssociety.org/leeds
The Multiple Sclerosis
Society of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
MS National Centre,
372 Edgware Road,
Staples Corner,
London.
NW2 6ND
Tel: 020 84380700
Visit the website:
www.mssociety.org.uk
Front cover: River Wharfe
at Bolton Abbey
2
FROM THE CHAIR
To all Members
As 2013 draws to a close I look back on another busy and eventful
year.
The MS Society celebrated its 60th anniversary this year and we
marked the occasion with our Fun Day at The White Rose in August,
which was a great success. We also held our first ever Information
Day at The Mansion, Roundhay Park in September – another fabulous
day! Many thanks to the committee members and volunteers who
helped out at these two memorable events – they could not happen
without you!
I am delighted to announce that Jason Milner has agreed to become
our branch Vice Chair. Jason brings with him a wealth of experience
from a number of community organisations and has already proved
himself to be a great asset to the branch.
Finally I would like to express my gratitude to both Land Securities and
Dine at the Mansion who have provided invaluable practical and financial support to the branch this year. We can look forward to another
busy and exciting year in 2014.
Jan
E’ Newsletter!!
If any member would like to receive their newsletter by email and help your local branch to
save money, please contact Judy giving your details -
jacbartat@aol.com
3
Introducing our new Vice Chair
Before I properly introduce myself, I'd like to thank both
the committee and the members for the warm reception I
have received during the last few months. Your willingness to take on-board new ideas and thoughts has
formed a large part of my decision to accept the position
of the Leeds and District Vice-Chair.
For those who have not met me, my name is Jason
Milner. I've been in charge of the Leeds and District
online presence for the past 10 months, and I have been
working with the committee on a range of other items.
Over the last 10 years, I have taken on a few communitybased positions, including School Governor, chair for a
local Parent-Teacher Association, and member of the
Community Sports committee with Stanningley Rugby
Club. During my 5 years with Stanningley, I found both a
colleague and friend in Mally Banks, who was instrumental in steering me in this direction and opening my eyes to
a very worthy cause.
I'm very aware that this role will be a challenge, but know
I can rely on both the committee's and the members' support. If anyone wants to contact me, I will make my details available to members through the helpline - 0800
111 4324. If you would rather meet me face to face I will
be making a firm effort to attend as many MS functions
as possible and am looking forward meeting everyone in
due course. Most importantly I welcome any feedback
and suggestions as your needs, wants and goals are the
reason the committee exists.
Kind regards, Jason
4
Fundraising News
Our 60th Birthday Fun Day at the White Rose Centre was a really memorable event. A big thank you to all our volunteers and
to all the entertainment acts: Leeds Children's Circus, Balloon
modeller Lawrence Entertainment, Firefly Street Dance, Stingray Balloon, Rachael Swann School of Dance and sponsors
Country Baskets and C.T.W. Construction. We raised a fantastic
£970.
We also received, with thanks, donations from V. Tate (from a
car boot sale) and Sally Hudson.
Our collection at Leeds Station on 7 November raised over
£800—thanks to the volunteers who helped on the day, and to
Kirsten for coordinating!
Finally Rob Dickenson recently
completed a Screwball Rally in
France and Spain to fundraise
for us, raising over £2400—an
amazing achievement—thank
you Rob!
In addition the following businesses very kindly donated prizes
for our Fun Day tombola :
Hair Station, Wike Ridge Lane, LS17
Therapy, 98 High Ash Drive, LS17
Slaid Hill Newsagents, 14 Slaid Hill Court, LS17
5
Do you want to help raise funds for
your Branch?
MS Christmas Catalogue
In the 2013 MS Christmas catalogue
you’ll find a
fantastic selection of
cards, gifts and stocking fillers. And
you can also raise funds for Leeds and
District branch while you shop!
Simply quote your branch’s unique
‘media code’ when ordering and the
branch will receive up to 25% of your
purchase’s value. What’s more, postage and packing is free on orders totalling £25 or more if you quote your
branch’s code—CMA243
6
RESEARCH
News
Researchers identify 48 new genes linked to MS
Results of a new study into finding the genes that may increase a person’s likelihood of developing MS have been published in September
in the journal Nature Genetics.
This is the largest study of its kind to be carried out for MS and involved gathering data from over 38,000 people, including 14,498 people with MS.
In total, 48 new genes that show links to MS were identified. By combining this with the results of a similar study from 2011, there are now
over 100 genes known to be associated with MS.
Interestingly, most of the genes identified in the study have a role in
the immune system.
Dr Susan Kohlhaas, Head of Biomedical Research at the MS Society,
said: “We need to discover as much as we can about the factors that
may increase a person’s risk of developing MS if we’re to find new
ways of treating or even, one day, preventing the condition. Genes are
one of the key risk factors, so we’re delighted to have co-funded this
work, which has identified several new avenues for MS research to
follow.”
People in Leeds are contributing to this important field of research.
The Leeds MS Clinic is collaborating with Cambridge University in a
large study called “Genetics and MS (GAMS)”, with over 200 people
from the area having contributed blood and saliva samples.
7
Come to our Christmas party!
14
Belle Isle Working Mens’ Club
9th December
7—9 pm
Raffle
Free Buffet
Mu
sic
Bingo
Please call the helpline 0800 111 4324 to book your place
8
M S Society Activity Sessions are now
available for all members. Regardless
of sticks or wheelchairs there’s an
activity suitable for everyone. Every
two weeks.
14th November
28th November
12th December
13th February
“Don’t Let Fear
Stop You From
Having FUN!! “
Armley Leisure Centre
Carr Croft, Armley, Leeds,
LS12 3HB
£ 4.00 including transport.
For information, please ring
07895515471
9
Information Day 2013
The branch hosted its first ever Information Day on Sunday
29th September. The event
was held at The Mansion,
Roundhay Park, a wonderful
venue. It was primarily aimed
at newly diagnosed patients
and was very well attended by
around 60 people.
We were fortunate
enough
to
have
some
memorable
speakers. Dr Helen
Ford,
Consultant
Neurologist at Leeds
General
Infirmary
who many of you will
know, talked about some of the issues faced by people receiving a new diagnosis, and introduced our
specialist MS Nurses Gale and Julie.
10
Dr Anita Rose, a Clinical Neuropsychologist, inspired
us with her talk on Living Empowered. Dr Rose is a
top specialist in her field and described some useful
strategies to help cope with some of the cognitive
problems which can be associated with MS.
After a delicious lunch, some useful information on benefits was presented. Our hard working branch committee
members were also on hand to provide information on
branch activities and support.
Our sincere thanks go to all the staff at Dine at The Mansion for their generous help and support—the day would
not have been possible without them!
11
Welfare Rights Unit
The Welfare Rights Unit is part of Leeds City Council’s
Customer Services Team. They offer free, confidential
and impartial advice and support on a whole range of
welfare benefits.
• Advice and information on a variety of Welfare
Benefits and appropriate services and schemes
• Help with completing claim forms
• Guidance and support when making appeals
If you would like to speak to a Welfare Rights Worker
you can:• Call the advice line - see below for details
• Make an appointment to see one at an advice surgery
• If you would find it difficult to get to a surgery they
may be able to see you at your home - to arrange this please contact them
By Post - 322 Harehills Lane,LS9 7BG
By Telephone - Leeds 0113 3760452
By Email - Welfare.Rights@Leeds.gov.uk
Monday to Wednesday 9.00am – 4.30pm
Thursday 9.00am – 3.30pm
Friday 9.00am – 4.00pm
12
13
Just For Fun!!!!
Can you find 15 words associated with Christmas in
the tree below?
14
Answers to Summer’s Word Wheel.
9-letter word - EDUCATION
Some other words of five letters or more containing
the hub letter I:
actin, adieu, antic, audio, audit, canid, cited, coati,
cutie, dicot, dicta, edict, indue, nicad, tenia, tonic, tunic, unite, untie, action, atonic, auntie, coined, detain,
induce, induct, notice, united, untied, aconite, auction, caution, conduit, noctuid, noticed.
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Branch!
15
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
for PEOPLE WITH MS
Leeds Branch can sometimes help with grants towards the
cost of items to improve the quality of life of those with MS.
Applicants should consider other sources of funding initially. These could include the Community Care Grant, the
MS Research and Relief Fund and the NHS (for wheelchairs etc). HM Forces and some Trade Unions also have
grant schemes to help ex members.
Leeds Branch will consider applications to help buy equipment in the following categories, some of which may be
subject to financial restrictions:
Home Adaptations
Essential Home Repairs
Car Adaptations and Motability Deposits
Wheel Chairs and Scooters
Beds and Chairs
Furnishings, Flooring and Domestic Appliances
Removal Costs
Clinical Aids
Applications will not be considered if you have more
than £16,000 in savings.
16
Individuals can apply to the branch once every 12 months.
The above list is representative of the type of grants available
- if your need is not listed please contact Patrick Boynton
on 0113 232 0143, who will be happy to discuss your needs
in complete confidence and provide you with an application
form. The form can also be downloaded from the National Office Website at www.mssociety.org.uk
Some applications should, where necessary, be supported by an
occupational therapist or social worker.
We also have a number of donated items available – please
see contact details below.
Flexmobil 600 Electric Powerchair. It has 6 wheels, 2 large and
4 small, one on each corner. The powered seat can raise a
person from a sitting to a standing position and is therefore
suited to a person with severe mobilty problems. Please note
that this chair is intended for indoor use only and is not
suitable for outdoor street use although it could be used in a garden. Currently held by Patrick Boynton 0113 232 0143
UltraLite Model 350/355 4 Wheel Scooter, can be folded down
to be placed in a car. Good condition but the new owner will
need to replace the batteries at an approximate cost of £100.
Currently held by Patrick Boynton 0113 232 0143
Stannah Stair lift, a standard 13 step (approximately 13 ft long)
originally fitted to the righthand side of a staircase. It is dismantled, but it will probably require a Transit van or similar,
and is quite heavy. Anyone interested should contact the current owner direct: Nick McLoughlin. Tel No.2590449
17
Monthly Social @ Belle Isle W.M.C.
FOR TRANSPORT, PLEASE RING -
0800 111 4324
11 November
9 December (Christmas party)
7—9pm
10 March
Put your feet up!
Please remember that there will be no MS Chat or
Activity Sessions in January
18
M/S CHAT
November Diary Dates
Friday
8th
12 - 2
GET TOGETHER AND
MAKE NEW FRIENDS,
Friday 22nd 12 - 2
YOU’LL BE AMAZED
December Diary Dates
Friday
6th
TO FIND YOU’RE NOT
ALONE !!!!!
12 - 2
Friday 20th 12 - 2
February Diary Dates
Friday
7th
12 - 2
Friday
21st 12 - 2
Held at:
Centre Integrated Living,
Armley Ridge Road, Leeds.
LS12 3QH
For more information
please contact:
07895 515471
19
Contact Numbers
OTHER
COMMITTEE
MS Society Leeds
Jan Lambert
0800 111 4324
Chair
MS Nurses
Jag Parekh
0113 392 8117
Secretary
MS Neurological Conditions Community Team
Jorge Pimentel
0113 3055082
MS Society National
0808 800 8000
DIAL
0113 2143630
Benefits Enquiry Line
0800 88 22 00
Direct Payments
0113 2143654
Adult Social Care
0113 222 4401
Seacroft Hospital
Treasurer
Patrick Boynton
0113 2320143
Grants boynton241@btinternet.com
Caroline Adams
Support Officer
Kirsten Morley
kirstenmorley@
MS Chat/Activity Class yahoo.co.uk
Joe Waldron
Health & Safety Officer
Judy Cunnington
Newsletter
jacbartat@aol.com
Jason Milner
0113 2648164
Vice Chair and Website
St. James Hospital
Jonathan Stone
0113 2433144
W Yorks Therapy Centre
0113 2504528
William Merritt Centre
0113 3508989
Committee Member
Rachel Coffey-Brittain
Committee Member
Any committee member can be contacted
via 20
the helpline - 0800 111 4324
All committee members are DBS
checked.