GOODNEWS LEADS TO COMPUTER GRANT for ms sufferer
18/01/2008

The Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Middlesbrough has received £3,750 from GoodFund following a chance read of their charity lottery newsletter.

Jean Johnstone, Treasurer at the MS Therapy Centre, has been a player of the People’s Postcode Lottery for a few years.

“As a player, I got a newsletter in the post regularly telling me which charities my ticket sales were going to.  I thought only the larger charities could receive funding, however I had a closer look and realised that some of the charities featured were just like ours so I thought I would give it a try.”

Jean applied to GoodFund, the charity beneficiary of the People’s Postcode Lottery, via their Charity of the Month fund, which provides funding for charity projects between £500 to £10,000, located anywhere in the North East.

“A few weeks later and here we are with brand new IT equipment that otherwise would have taken us months to raise the funding for.”

Linda, a user of the Centre, said:

“I have been coming to the Centre for around 2 years.  I was diagnosed with MS about 15 years ago although I have probably had it a lot longer than that.  I suffer with fatigue, aches & pains, have problems with my balance and I have difficulty walking.  Coming to the Centre has been a great way to meet other people in the same situation and having these new laptops means we can chat to other people online as well as access information on our condition via the internet.  At the moment, I am using the computer to write a newsletter for the people who come to the Centre to keep them up to date with all the facilities available.”

“My mobility isn’t too bad however I do suffer with balance problems and sometimes have difficulty writing.  Having access to the computer means I can use the keyboard to write letters to friends.  One of my friends is quite ill with MS at the moment so can’t make it into the Centre.  This way I can send her a quick email to let her know we are thinking of her, and keep her up to date with all the goings on.”

“We also use the internet to do grocery shopping online.  In the past I have had to rely on my daughter taking me to the supermarket when she can, so being able to click on a website and have my shopping delivered to my door has been wonderful.”

Mike Horsley, Development Officer at the Centre, said:

“We are open from Tuesday to Sunday and can accommodate roughly around 30 people per week.  As well as the new IT suite, we also offer oxygen therapy, physio, exercise machines, diet & nutrition advice and the great thing is, it’s a completely free service for anyone suffering from MS.”