Helpline: 0800 111 4324

LEEDS
& DISTRICT
Summer 2013
Branch Newsletter
Carers’ Week
Fundraising News
Summer Events
Helpline: 0800 111 4324
Registered Charity No: 1139257
Contents
This newsletter is available
From The Chair
3
by either:
Fundraising News
4
* Post/email (contact the
Forthcoming Events
5
newsletter editor -see back
Research
6/7
Be Active
8
Activity Sessions
9
Cake Break
10
Dine at the Mansion
11
Carers’ Week
12/13
page)
* Download at
www.mssociety.org/leeds
The Multiple Sclerosis
Society of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
MuMS UK
14
Just For Fun!!
15
Financial Assistance
16
Equipment Available
17
Socials
18
London.
MS Chat
19
NW2 6ND
Contact Numbers
20
MS National Centre,
372 Edgware Road,
Staples Corner,
Tel: 020 84380700
The views expressed in this publication
Visit the website:
are individual and are not necessarily
www.mssociety.org.uk
the view or policy of the charity and it’s
supporters.
We do not endorse
any goods or services that may ad- Front cover: River Wharfe,
Burnsall
vertise in this publication.
2
FROM THE CHAIR
To all Members
Thank you for your membership this year and a special thanks
to those who attended our AGM in May.
We have a busy summer ahead! After fundraising at Leeds
City Station on June 20 we have a funday at The White Rose
Centre on 24th August. We are also holding an information
day on September 29th at The Mansion in Roundhay Park—
details can be found in this newsletter.
I am pleased to introduce the recent additions to our committee— Kamila Webb will be supporting me, Jorge Pimentel is
our new treasurer and Jason Milner is our IT expert. There is
lots of information online on our Facebook page and on the
branch website so please go online and take a look!
I look forward to seeing you at these events this year.
Kind regards
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
Fundraising News
We are immensely grateful to Dine at The Mansion, Roundhay Park who have nominated us as one of their charities of
the year—please see page 11.
They are also supporting our Information Day in September.
Donations
The following have kindly made donations to the branch:
Mr and Mrs Quinlan
Mr A Goodchild
S J Wood
Mahood Marquees Ltd
Anita Massarella Design Ltd
Mrs VA Sykes
Leeds Commercial Ltd
Able 2 Help
Allerton Congregational Church
Mr P Conroy (in memory of Susan Lydia Conroy)
Judy Cunningham (in memory of Wendy Susan Field)
4
Forthcoming Events
We are holding a Summer Family Fun Day at
The White Rose Centre on Saturday 24th August from 10 am to 8pm. Face Painting, balloon sculpting, clowns, Builder Bear plus
much more.
Please volunteer an hour or two to help man
the stand or just come down for some fun on
the day!
Leeds and District Branch
We are hosting our first Information Day at The
Mansion, Roundhay Park on Sunday 29th September.
The day is aimed primarily at people recently diagnosed with MS and will provide useful information from both medical professionals and also
from support services. Tickets are £5 (to include
lunch) and booking is essential.
For more information please call our helpline on
0800 111 4324
5
RESEARCH
News
Research in Leeds to help people with MS stay
employed
14 Sept. 2012
A £155,815 grant from the MS Society has been awarded to Dr Helen
Ford at Leeds General Infirmary to explore what can be done to help
people with multiple sclerosis (MS) stay in work.
Dr Ford will lead the three-year project, which started this spring,
which could lead to a better understanding of ways in which people
with MS can be supported so they can remain in employment.
People are usually diagnosed with MS in their 20s or 30s but recently
published research from the MS Society has shown that only 25% of
people with MS who are of working age are in employment.
The charity’s survey of more than 10,000 people with MS across the
UK also found that only a quarter of all working age people with MS
who needed support to find employment received it.
Dr Ford has already led research in this area to develop a tool which
helps to show when someone’s job may be coming under threat.
6
In this latest study, 200 people with MS will complete a set of
questionnaires four times over a period of two and a half years.
The surveys will look at the ongoing issues people with MS have
when staying in employment.
Ed Holloway, Head of Care and Services Research at the MS Society, said: “MS typically affects people of working age who are
often prevented from carrying out their jobs by the unpredictability of their condition. This can be very frustrating. We are delighted to be funding this research, which could make a significant difference to the quality of people’s lives.”
Dr Ford, Consultant Neurologist at Leeds General Infirmary, said:
“We aim to identify psychological issues which make working
more difficult then we can look at interventions to help people
with MS stay in work. The results will also help employers to understand the daily issues their employees with MS face in the
workplace.”
She continued: “In our MS clinics in West Yorkshire people with
MS frequently raise their concerns about trying to stay in work.
We think this is an important area for further research and clearly a high priority for people with MS.”
7
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust provides a
wide range of community healthcare services for adults
and children across Leeds.
To help provide the best possible care to every community in Leeds, people are invited to get involved and be
active in having a say in local community healthcare
services. Membership is free and you can get involved
as much or as little as you like.
Visit www.leedscommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk.
Calling all members in the Otley//Lower Wharfedale area!
A social group meet on the first Thursday of the month
from 6.30 at the Horse & Farrier in Otley. No need to book
- just come along and make new friends!
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 from
11th July 2013
11am to 12 noon
“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
Cake Break 2013
Yet again you have all come up trumps! Our second Cake
Break event was held at Crossgates Shopping Centre on
11th May and raised a fantastic total of £725.87.
A massive thank
you to all who
helped, either by
baking or on the
stall — we couldn’t
do it without you!
There also were Cake Break events held in MS Week at
The White Rose Centre which raised over £600—thank
you to Land Securities and to all those who helped on the
Awareness Stand.
10
Dine at The Mansion, Roundhay Park
The lovely people at Dine at The Mansion have chosen the
Leeds Branch of the MS Society as one of their charities of
the year.
Jan and Kirsten were delighted to attend a spectacular
fundraising ball at The Mansion on 26th April and were
even more delighted to receive a cheque for £6655!
Thank you to
M i c h a e l
Gledhill and
his wonderful
team for a
memorable
evening!
11
Carers’ Week
New research from Carers’ Week of over 2,100 carers
has revealed that many carers lack support and information when they first take on a caring role, and were
unprepared for all aspects of caring.
The findings from the report, “Prepared to Care?” show
that support is not being made available to new carers.
With around 6.5 million carers in the UK and 6,000 people taking on a new caring role every day, the charities
within the Carers Week partnership – including the MS
Society - are calling for the government, GPs and
health and social care professionals to ensure that
more support is given to carers from day one of their
caring role.
Results of Study
Released as part of Carers’ Week 2013, the findings
show that:
75% of carers were unprepared for all aspects of
caring
81% of carers say they were not aware of the support available
35% believe they were given the wrong advice
about the support on offer.
12
The report shows that carers often struggle to balance
work and caring responsibilities, with 45% of carers
saying they had to give up work. It also highlights how
carers’ physical, emotional and mental wellbeing can
be affected. 61% of carers have experienced depression and nearly all carers surveyed (92%) say they
feel more stressed because of their caring role.
Celebrating and supporting carers
Sue Allison is strategic lead for carers at the MS
Society:
“Families and carers have told us that because MS
can be a fluctuating condition, it is really difficult to feel
prepared to care. There are times when an MS relapse can mean that the person they support may
suddenly have increased care needs which can tip the
balance of being able to cope with increased caring
responsibilities alongside work and other family commitments.
“Carers Week gives us the opportunity to celebrate
the role that they play alongside a person with MS as
well giving information about the support and information available to them.”
A Prepared to Care Guide (June 2013) is available
online at the MS Society Website.
13
is a support group for mums and mums to be
with Multiple Sclerosis.
We are an online group who discuss all areas
of pregnancy and parenting, whilst travelling
together on our MS journeys.
If you have been diagnosed or are under investigation for Multiple Sclerosis and are a
mum, mum to be or planning on starting a family, then please join us on Facebook or contact
us on muMS_UK@aol.co.uk.
14
Just For Fun!!!!
Answers to Spring’s What’s Cooking word search.
BAKE, BARBECUE, BASIN, BOIL, BRAISE, BROIL,
CAN OPENER, CHEF, CODDLE, CONDIMENT, COOK,
CUPS, FORK, FRIED, FRYING PAN, GRILL, HEAT,
KNIFE, MARINATE, MICROWAVE, MIXER, OVEN,
PEPPER, PLATE, POACH, RECIPE,
RELISH,
ROAST, ROLLING PIN, SALAD, SALT, SAUCE,
SAUCEPAN, SIEVE, SKILLET, SPATULA, SPOON,
STEAMED, STEEPED, STIR FRY, TIMER, TOASTED
Word Wheel
How many words can you make from the letters in the
wheel? Each word must contain the hub letter I. Can you
find a 9-letter word and at least 20 other words of five letters or more avoiding proper nouns?
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
No social in July
Monday 12 August
Monday 09 September
7—9pm
(Belle Isle WMC, Belle Isle Road, Leeds. LS10 3PE)
18
M/S CHAT
July Diary Dates
Friday
5th
12 - 2
GET TOGETHER AND
MAKE NEW FRIENDS,
Friday 19th 12 - 2
YOU’LL BE AMAZED
August Diary Dates
Friday
TO FIND YOU’RE NOT
ALONE !!!!!
2nd 12 - 2
Friday 16th 12 - 2
Friday
30th 12—2
September Diary Dates
Friday
13th 12 - 2
Friday
27th 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
VACANT— can you help????
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
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
Website
St. James Hospital
Jonathan Stone
0113 2433144
W Yorks Therapy Centre
0113 2504528
William Merritt Centre
0113 3055288
0113 2320143
Committee Member
Kamilla Webb
Committee Member
Any committee member can be contacted
via 20
the helpline - 0800 111 4324
All committee members are CRB
checked.