MS Surrey Newsletter July 2014

WHAT’S INSIDE?

Page: 2 Samson Centre Manager’s Message 3 MS Society Surrey Branch – Chair’s Message 4 Fundraising Stories: Samson Centre 7 Fundraising Stories: MS Society 10 Activities

• Waterskiing • Shooting • Cooking

13 News & Information 16 Committee & Contacts

Multiple Sclerosis in Surrey Newsletter

SUMMER 2014

This newsletter is published by the Surrey Branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society

All views expressed in this publication are individual and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Charity

and its supporters

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Wider horizons but with old friends I’d like to start my message this quarter by welcoming all those MS Society members across Surrey who are getting this newsletter for the first time. This format has been in use in West Surrey for several years, as the MS Society and the MS Therapy Group in Guildford (also known as the Samson Centre) have produced a collaborative newsletter for some time. It helps both organisations keep down newsletter production costs - and saves those who are members of both organisations from having to read the same stuff twice! The new Committee is now a team from across Surrey. Most of us have been on the local branch Committees doing the same or similar roles, but beyond the Committee there are many volunteers continuing to do work to raise funds and support people. I’ve had the chance to meet many of you but for the others out there I’ve not yet spoken to, thanks for the work you’ve done (and we hope will continue to do) to make things better for those affected by MS. For just a sample of recent and coming activities, see page 7. If you have ideas for things we should do (or important things we’ve done in the past but don’t now, or that you’d like to be sure we don’t stop), you can phone, text or email us – see the MS Society Contact details on page 16. Finally, we need to check that a paper newsletter is a good way of communicating all this information with you. Many of us enjoy a paper copy that we can dip into as and when, while others find handling or reading paper difficult compared to using a computer. The purpose of the newsletter is to get information to you, so we also supply it as a pdf file or a link to Issuu, the digital magazine publishing site. While there are advantages to all of us in not producing unneeded paper copies (every one we don’t need to print means more money to spend on other services) it’s important that you get the information you want and need in a way that you can use, so we’ll assume a paper copy is preferred unless you tell us otherwise. If you’d like to receive it differently, please send an email simply stating your preference - PDF or ISSUU - with your name and preferred email address to [email protected] Helen Bell Chair, MS Society Surrey Branch  

Articles for next newsletter Is there something you have done, somewhere you have been, something you love, something you find useful, something that has helped you mange your condition that you want to share with other members? Then please write an article, no matter how short or long, send it to me and I will make sure it gets included in the next edition. Hilary Next deadline: Friday 3rd October Send articles to: [email protected]

Chair’s Message

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Centre Manager’s Message

Dear all, Like some of the other working Mums at the Centre, it has been an interesting time at home lately with my son doing GCSEs and daughter taking her A levels. Working at the Samson Centre has been a good distraction! There have been some great fundraising activities taking place since the last newsletter came out. These include the following: 1. We had 29 runners take part in the British 10k race in London on 13th July and they have

raised just over £11,000 with more still to come in 2. Steve Birkinshaw (Hilary Birkinshaw’s brother) has undertaken an amazing event by fell

running all 214 of Wainwright’s Fells over 7 days. He has raised just over £10,000 for the Samson Centre. Just incredible!

3. 16 of John Hambly’s rugby mates are undertaking a canoe ride down the Thames over the August Bank Holiday weekend and have already raised over £11,000 towards their target of £25,000

4. Please support the Open Garden event in Wonersh on Thurs 31 July organised by Jenny Hardy and friends. 10am – 12.30pm. Flyers are in the Centre and on the noticeboard in the Centre

5. We have 4 cyclists taking part in the Pru Ride 100 Cycle race on 10 August, which is great news. I will update you on their fundraising activities as more news comes in.

We will be organising a few presentations to members and supporters over the next couple of months or so, to explain the plans for the building extension project and how we need your help and support. We have a huge task ahead if we are to improve the facilities and space at the Centre. Sam Smith, who led the organisation of the ABBA concert at G Live in May 2013, will be working for us 2 days a week from home from September in order to organise some of our larger fundraising events for us. Sam is organising our next G Live concert, which will be for all you Queen fans out there. Saturday 13th September is the date to put in your diary and Rhapsody are the Queen tribute band who will put on a great show for us. Tickets are already on sale at G Live. Please gather all your friends and family for what will be a great evening. A reminder that we will be closed w/c 18th August and w/c 25th August for the summer closure at the Centre. No physio, gym or classes during those two weeks. Some oxygen therapy will be available – dates to be advised. Enjoy the summer Best wishes Jackie Samson Centre Manager  

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Wainwrights Run (Samson Centre) By Hilary Birkinshaw My brother Steve Birkinshaw completed an epic run in June, covering all 214 Wainwrights fells in The Lake District in as fast a time as possible. Running the equivalent of 2 marathons and 4 climbs up Ben Nevis a day all on rough Lake District fells this was no walk in the park. Averaging only 3 hours sleep a night, suffering major blisters and asthma problems, and pushing his body to the complete limit he ran (yes he was still running) into Keswick High Street, after 6 days and 13 hours taking a whopping 12 hours off the record. Whilst predominantly doing this “because it was there” he also took the opportunity to raise money for both the Samson Centre and MS Society. Donations now amount to around £10,000 for Samson Centre and the same amount for MS Society. I am writing this as a very proud sister, both for his physical effort and choosing to raise such amazing amounts money for our two charities. If you want to learn more then take a look at his blog. http://stevebirkinshaw-wainwright2014.blogspot.co.uk/

Quiz Night July 4th (Samson Centre) On a warm summer evening in July, around 100 keen quizzers congregated at the Samson Centre to test their brain power. With the bar open and a lovely ploughmans supper at half time, it was not just about the quizzing but a great social evening aswell. With raffle tickets on sale and a fabulous table of prizes the evening raised just over £1,000. Thank you to all those involved in arranging the evening and in particular our quizmaster Peter Eisenegger, his wife Beryl and friend Jane who did the scoring who donated their time for free, and Peter Morley (one of the Wey Kayak Club coaches for preparing the food.

Cake Sale April 30th (Samson Centre) Many thanks to everyone who contributed in some way to the cake sale at the Centre. To Heather Ashton, again, for a huge amount of baking and several others including Ros Houchin, Laura Farrell, Gilly Denyer, Jim and Sheila Buntin, Ross Ludgate, Linda Broughton, Maddie Gooding, Linda Eburne, Caroline Bicheno, Carol Kitching for some lovely cakes and/or help on the day itself. Total amount raised was a brilliant £320.

Fundraising Events Samson Centre

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easyfundraising (Samson Centre) We registered with www.easyfundraising.org.uk back in Feb 2012 and since then it has raised us nearly £1,700 just as a result of people doing their shopping online. Once you have registered with the above website and put Samson Centre as your chosen cause, you just need to go to the easyfundraising website and click on the retailer you want to buy from e.g. Amazon, Sainsburys etc and then do your shopping. A percentage of your purchase price will be donated directly back to the Samson Centre. If you haven't already signed up for this, please do so and try and encourage your friends and family to do the same. More and more of us are shopping online and this is a very effective way of getting some regular donations coming into the Samson Centre.

Charity Auction May 3rd (Samson Centre) John Hambly organised a really successful charity auction at Milford Village hall. It was lovely to see a hall full of people and it was a really fun evening with Tim from Ewbanks doing a great job leading the bidding process on the night. The auction raised a total of £5,500, which will be split between St John's Church, Milford and the Samson Centre. A huge thank you to John for doing this - no mean feat, and to all who donated items, went along on the evening and helped out.

Street Collections By Carol Kitching (Samson Centre) Guildford 6th June £1,506.25 Sainsburys Burpham 13th – 15th June £2,426.19 (over 3 days) Cranleigh 12th July £624.88 Godalming 19th July £602.95 Upcoming Collections: Waitrose, Goldsworth Park 9th August Thank you to everyone that volunteered an hour (or two) of their time for these collections they really are a very important source of funds

Golf Day 12th May (Samson Centre) A very successful Golf Day at Puttenham Golf Club raising £3,500, organised by Sam Smith. With the usual warm welcome of bacon butties, a fabulous round of golf (and luckily the rain more or less held off), and a lovely dinner participants were treated to a great day. Thank you to all that contributed to the event either playing, organizing and donating items to the raffle and auction.

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G Live Concert (Samson Centre) 13th September

Get your tickets now! Don’t miss out on the event of the season

Open Garden (Samson Centre) Thursday July 31st

10am – 12.30pm Please put this date in your diary for a lovely Open Garden at: Oak Cottage, Mellersh Hill Road, Wonersh Park GU5 OQJ. Plants for sale, cakes, refreshments, raffle and of course a lovely garden to admire. Proceeds split between the Samson Centre and Parkinsons UK.

Garden Party (Samson Centre) Wednesday August 20th 10.30am – 4.00pm Lyn & Alistair Gray invite you to a Combined Charities Garden Party to be held at: Willow Green, Hook Hill Lane, Mayford Woking GU22 0PS Raffle, Bring & Buy, Crafts and Cake Stall. Enjoy tea, coffee & cake and support 3 local Charities : - Samson Centre - Harrison's fund fighting duchenne muscular dystrophy - Surrey DOLPHINS Swimability  

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Bookham May Fair (MS Society) A sale at Bookham saw MS Society benefit from half of the money raised and received £650. £500 of that has been sent direct to research, the remainder has gone into local funds.  

Fundraising Events MS Society

Reigate Wheel and Walk and Kingswood social evening 10th May (MS Society) Despite some very changeable weather, a band of MS Society members from the Reigate area risked sunburn followed by soaking to take part in the Wheel and Walk for a mile across Colley Hill and along a section of the North Downs Way, taking in bluebells and some amazing vistas of the Surrey Hills. Meanwhile the Hashers, a local walking club, took on a more ambitious 10 mile route. (They may have been persuaded by the fact that the route took in at least one of the areas many fine pubs – after all, they do describe themselves as ‘drinkers with a walking problem’). Later on Kingswood Village Club, many of whose members are Hashers, hosted an evening of entertainment along with a raffle and auction in aid of the MS Society. In the end the day raised over £700. Thanks to: • All the Hashers who took part - particularly Clive Appleby and Angie Steers who not only

marked out the Hashers 10 mile course in the morning but went and walked the whole thing again in the afternoon.

• Kingswood Village Club for hosting the evening, and the members of the Club who raised funds by getting sponsorship.

• First-Aider Barbara, who attended the walk but fortunately didn’t need to break her first aid kit out for anyone

• Chris Knight and his family for manning the Wheel and Walk Registration point at Margery Wood.

• Nicola Amaral and Liz Barham for providing items for the raffle. • Bill Barham for an excellent photo-route map for the Wheel and Walkers. • Corner House Hotel for donating a dinner for two and an afternoon tea for two to the auction.

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If you can help out at these events, or know of any other MS Society fundraising activities we could promoting or help find support for, please email

[email protected]

Golf Day Merrist Wood Guildford 16th May (MS Society) Supporters in the Woking area organised a charity golfing day which raised £2,927. Added to this was a further donation of £700 from Santander staff through the Santander Foundation, bringing the total to £3,627 Many thanks to Elizabeth White for co-ordinating, to Trevor Gregg for organizing the golfing day and to Merrist Wood for hosting the event.  

Addlestone Cake Break 14th June (MS Society) Attendees at the Church Street Hall in Addlestone were treated to some tasty cakes courtesy of Jean-Luc Michaud and his helpers. The event raised over £500, not to mention the blood sugar levels of the enthusiastic participants.

The Garlands Charity Sunday Lunch (MS Society) The Garlands Pub in Brighton Road, Redhill raised £137 in a raffle for the MS Society. Thanks to Landlords Stuart and Lesley and all the staff and customers involved.

Street Collections (MS Society) Haslemere 10th May £280.35 Reigate 24th May £283.43 Cranleigh 14th June £359.42 Dorking 12th July £319.07  Upcoming Collections Tescos Haslemere (Lion Green) 29th August Farnham Town Centre 13th September  

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GET LOUD about your local MS Society Events The section above holds a summary of MS Society events that have taken place or are coming. If you know of other social or fundraising events we haven’t mentioned, please be loud and proud about them. If they are yet to happen we want to be sure they get as much attendance as possible (we can make sure they appear on the MS Society’s Near You events page) and if they have already happened, we want to make sure all the hard work gets the appreciation it deserves in the next newsletter! Email [email protected] to tell us more.  

Prudential Ride London (MS Society) For those of you who know Jackie Drake who used to be on the Guildford Committee, her son-in-law is doing the 100 mile Prudential Ride London on Sunday 10th August. The course runs much of its way through the Surrey Hills, reaching down as far south as Forest Green. If you, your friends or family want to support him, his justgiving page is at https://www.justgiving.com/andrew-jones48. If you're into cycling and want to watch, the course and spectator information can be found in the festival guide at https://www.dropbox.com/s/9lqclntot68qgmq/Prudential_RideLondon_2014_Festival_Guide.pdf

Samson Centre Barbecue 29th June Supporters in the Guildford area ran the regular Summer Barbecue, hosted by the Samson Centre and organised by the MS Society. Around thirty guests enjoyed a sunny afternoon by the River Wey, enjoying a barbecue provided by Nick, Maurice and William Wills and Helen Bell. A small raffle raised £65. Unfortunately the planned Wheel and Walk across the Riverside Nature Reserve and Stoke Park didn’t go ahead, but some walkers still plan to do sponsored walks on their home patches.  

A BBQ so good everyone wanted to join in….

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Blind, Lame but still Waterskiing By Karen Willson I first went along to Herons Lake to try out waterskiing with Sportability last summer. This charity gives disabled people opportunities to try out adventurous sports. I loved sailing on ponds, rivers and at sea but my deteriorating eyesight made it difficult to navigate my way home without a sighted assistant. Waterskiing provided an opportunity to get out onto the water, go fast and have fun, whilst being safe. It was also a chance to learn a new skill. The British Disabled Waterskiing and Wakeboarding Association (BDWWBA) was a great place to learn with retired professional water skiers and the centre had a variety of equipment to teach any ability from children to paraplegics. One summer's day i went to Herons Lake when the sun was shining and there were white, puffy clouds slowly crossing the sky. It was a perfect day to ski at this beautiful oasis near Heathrow airport. There was a small group of us who met there and sitting in the sun outside the Centre chatting, we nervously anticipated the next few hours. In the Centre there were changing rooms, a bar, kitchen, coffee area, ice creams and comfy chairs. It was a real home from home , which even has bedrooms which you can hire if you have a long journey to get there.

Once kitted out in a wet suit, lifejacket and helmet borrowed from the Centre I was almost ready to go. All I now needed was a ski and a suitable seat to fit my bum. I was learning to do seated waterskiing as this seemed the safest way to start. The frame of the seat was tricky to get out of but I was taught the basics: wriggle until free; or if stuck leaver myself out with my arms. It was almost time to walk to the lakeside and I felt a wave of anticipation rise. As I was going to be in this wetsuit for a while, I had a final visit to the small room, just in case, before I was zipped into the wetsuit. Now all zipped in, I walked down to the water's edge and I sat in the bucket shaped seat on my bright yellow ski with a slot to rest the rope. Once sat comfortably I was slid down the ramp into the cool water, which was refreshing as I was getting hot under the sun wearing black neoprene. We got our balance and I linked up with the 2 assistants. The ropes were thrown out from the boat to us with a splash. Grabbing hold of the handles a signal was given to the driver of the speed boat to get in gear. We prepared ourselves and the order was shouted to the boat to hit it. We accelerated forward, rising on top of the water and we were waterskiing. I didn't know what to do, anxiety rising as I wobbled but with assistance I gained my balance. The boat turned and we drew an arch behind it. Then the water got choppy crossing the wake of the boat. I wobbled again, panicked and fell in. Boy it was cold.  

Activities

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Surfacing I recovered my ski and checked I still had my glasses. Then I clambered onto my ski, after submerging it to do so. Once set the boat circled and they threw us the ropes. We prepared ourselves and the driver of the boat hit it. We were up on the water again speeding across the lake. I was told to follow the boat with my eyes and we arched round smoothly. This time I was expecting the choppy wake and splashes so I stayed upright. This was exhilarating with the splash of the wake and we sped off. I was gaining confidence and soon I was skiing on my own down the straights until the corners when the helper grabbed hold to stabilise me. This was fun. Soon I started to tire and when asked I decided to quit whilst I was ahead and go in. There would be another time. As we turned past the last corner and went past the launch area the helper counted to three and on three we let go of the ropes. The boat left us and the ski slowed before sinking under my weight. I eased out of the seat and I headed for dry land. I'd done it. All I had to do now was wait for the next time. If you want to give Waterskiing a go call: BDWWBA Herons Lake on 01784 483664.  

Try Target Shooting Saturday 6th September The National Shooting Centre in Bisley, Surrey, is hosting a Disability Target Shooting Taster Day. If you're aged between eight and 80, have a disability and want to try something new, why not have a go at this fantastic sport.There will be lots of different activities available on the day to try, including: clay target shooting, air rifle, crossbow, acoustic shooting To register and for further details visit britishshooting.org.uk contact Liz Davidson [email protected] 07931 775 214. Instruction and equipment will be provided on the day and family members and carers are welcome to attend. The cost of the session is £5, payable in advance  

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Summer Recipes By Julie Newnham

A lot of curries tend to be very rich, but this one is thickened with half-fat coconut milk and is full of flavour to enjoy on a rainy day, with freshly cooked basmati rice. Also a new twist on the usual crumble and very quick to make, which is good with most summer fruits, such as cherries, raspberries or strawberries available very cheaply on market stalls. Coconut Prawn Curry 2 tbsp medium curry paste 2 tbsp cold water 1 medium onion finely sliced 1 yellow or orange pepper 1 tbsp mango chutney 200mls half-fat coconut milk 3 large tomatoes quartered, 200g cooked peeled king prawns deseeded and cut into 3cm chunks 2 tsp cornflour 100g baby spinach leaves - Put the curry paste, 1 tablespoon of water, onion and pepper in a large non-stick frying pan - Cook over a low heat for 4-5 minutes stirring regularly until the onion has softened - Add the mango chutney, tomatoes and coconut milk and bring to a simmer - Cook for 4 minutes stirring until the tomatoes are soft - Mix the cornflour and 1 tablespoon of water to make a smooth paste and add this to the

coconut sauce, stirring until the sauce thickens - Stir in the prawns and spinach leaves and cook for 3 minutes or until the prawns are hot and

the spinach softened - Serve with cooked basmati rice Peach and Blueberry Soured Cream Cobbler 3 ripe peaches 350g blueberries Juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tbsp plain flour For the cobbler crust: 150g plain flour Pinch of salt 2 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp caster sugar 40mls sunflower oil small pot soured cream - Set the oven at 200C or Gas 6 - For the cobbler crust, put the flour, salt, baking powder, oil and sugar in a food processor and

blitz for a few seconds, then tip into a bowl - Slice and stone the peaches and drop the fruit into an ovenproof dish. Toss the peaches with

the blueberries, lemon juice sugar and flour - Mix the soured cream into the crumb mixture to make a soft dough - Break off walnut sized pieces and flatten them slightly, and lay on top of the fruit. - Dust the rounds with sugar and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until the cobbler is golden

brown and the fruit is bubbling - Serve with creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream

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Samson Centre Summer Closure w/c 18th August & w/c 25th August No physio, gym or classes. Some oxygen therapy available Mon 1st September - Centre re-opens for all therapies

Have you thought about Oxygen Therapy? Mark had his first oxygen session in January 2010. He had been well known in the running world as a super long distance runner and was the youngest person to complete marathons in all seven continents. His MS meant he had to give up his running and his optic neuritis interfered with his work as a Tutor to students studying English. Fairly soon in his oxygen treatment, Mark’s optic neuritis completely cleared up and gradually he began to feel more healthy and energetic. He now started to miss his exercise but his balance remained poor so he could not go back to running. Instead, he joined the Guildford Rowing Club where they had boats that were adapted for use by people with balance problems. Mark very quickly improved his fitness and actually changed his physique. He went from a very slim long distance runner shape to a man with muscular shoulders and arms and strong thighs. He began competing in serious rowing events and graduated to the normal boats and was soon rowing at the very highest standard in the country for people with disabilities. Mark has shown that the combination of oxygen therapy and exercise is a very effective way of preventing his MS from progressing and it has helped him to return to a fully active family, career and sporting life. He so impressed his rowing coach that he (the coach) is now one of our oxygen chamber operators. Ask Jackie in the office at Samson Centre for information and bookings

Elizabeth Gradwell Drop in Clinics Samson Centre 10.30am – 12.30pm Mon 28th July Tues 12th August Wed 17th September No appointment necessary. Just turn up.

100 Club  Congratulations to Jane Searle the winner of £25 in the June draw

News and Information

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Meet the Committee: John Herbert, Support Lead I am now aged 60, having been diagnosed with MS when 36. I have two beautiful daughters of the age of 29 and 25, together with a grandson of 18 months. I live in a ground floor apartment in Addlestone, Surrey. Hobbies: I enjoy driving, meeting people and watching local and Premier league football matches. Experience: I had a number of enjoyable years working with a very active Woking MS Branch committee in a variety of roles. I now focus on support work across Surrey and direct a small but hopefully growing support team I believe it is important to have a positive mind when living with MS. In most of my meetings with others with the MS Condition, I find strength in seeing how people can live full and positive lives. Whatever kind of support you’re looking for, in my role as Support Lead for Surrey, I will look to help whenever possible. Just call or email me: details are on page 16.

Does your family share caring duties?

If you and your family share the job of caring for someone, a mobile phone and computer app by Carers UK may be of use in organising care. Jointly allows group text messaging, holds to-do lists, medication lists, a calendar and useful contacts. Anyone can download Jointly for free but as the app runs on the basis of ‘circles of care’, one person will need to set up a circle (at a cost of £2.99) which the other carers then join, again free of charge. If you’d like to try it out, visit https://www.jointlyapp.com/#welcome where a video clip will explain more. The National Centre would like to hear from anyone who does sign up to use Jointly so they can do some user-based evaluation of it. Please contact Natalie Pink on 020 8438 0805 or email [email protected].  

Publications from the MS Society • Managing bladder problems (fifth edition, February 2014)

Looking at how the bladder works, the types of problems that occur with MS and ways to manage them.

• Claiming Employment and Support Allowance (second edition, April 2014) Our guide to ESA, the benefit people can claim if they are unable to work due to their MS.

• Getting the best from social care services (third edition, April 2014) An update to the guide, covering England and Northern Ireland.

• Residential care and your options (fourth edition, April 2014) This is a download only guide

These and a host of other downloadable factsheets can be found at the MS Society online shop (http://shop.mssociety.org.uk), or for paper publications call the orderline 0300 1000 801 to request a free copy.

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Your support can make a BIG difference! MS Society Surrey Branch We are looking for new volunteers to join our team across Surrey so that we can provide more support, activities and information to people affected by MS in the local area. It’s a rewarding experience, with plenty of opportunities to develop your own skills and knowledge as well as meeting other people. You receive an induction pack full of useful information and will be fully supported in your role by the Leads and other Committee members, not to mention regional and national staff. Volunteers’ expenses are paid so you need never be out of pocket when you’ve already been generous with your time. Whatever your availability, there are ways you could help. If you can help regularly, you could make support visits or host drop-in sessions at one of the Surrey County Council Hubs, helping signpost those affected by MS to the appropriate MS Society and local services. If you only want to commit to one event at a time, you could put together a social or fundraising event; or if time is very short you could do a lot of good through an hour helping at a fundraising event, writing an article for the newsletter, or adding your thoughts to our Twitter feed or Facebook account… Some roles will require DVS clearance and specific training; for others it’s a more relaxed approach with more guidance than training – but in all cases there’s help to fall back on. Two key committee roles are still needed: a Fundraising Lead and a Communications Lead. While they will need a little more commitment in time and travel, they are both great jobs for anyone who wants to take on a bit more challenge – and for those wanting to develop their careers it can make an eye-catching addition to your CV, as many of our volunteers have already discovered. Fundraising Lead: To help us provide the support that local people affected by MS need, we need a committee member to help develop, agree and manage an annual fundraising plan. You’ll also support new and existing fundraisers with their events, be it providing fundraising materials or advice and guidance, and you’ll help the branch to recruit additional fundraisers and set up new events. A range of fundraising materials are available to help and inspire you with your fundraising. Communications Lead: if you find you pretty much live on Facebook and Twitter, or maybe you have web or other media publishing skills, then you’ll feel at home as our Communications Lead volunteer. Gathering information from other Surrey volunteers, the Surrey Committee and sometimes the National Centre, you’ll be expected to keep the local web pages up to date, promote coming events and even generate local press releases. Part of the role is to coordinate with the Fundraising and Support Leads; the former to ensure that the fundraising plan is marketed and promoted in order to bring money in, and the latter to make certain good news gets out about all the support we are able to give. This role is preferably but not necessarily a committee role – with your communications skills you’re sure to find other ways to keep the Committee updated and get a steer on what’s needed next! If you would like a no-commitment chat about volunteering with us, please contact Kate Dorff weekdays on 020 8438 0876, or email [email protected]  

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Chairman: Mr Martin Dent [email protected] 01483 572 175

Vice Chairman & Fundraiser: Mr John Hambly [email protected] 01483 459 220

Hon. Treasurer: Mr Charlie Crowther-Smith [email protected]

Committee Members: Hilary Birkinshaw [email protected] Colin Griffin [email protected] Mrs Pene Jelley [email protected] Mr GrahamJelley [email protected] Richard Marshall [email protected] Mrs Julie Newnham [email protected] Joseph Rogers [email protected]

_________________________________________________ Samson Centre Manager:

Jackie Payne [email protected] 01483 459 120 Samson Centre Patron:

Chris Dugdale – Magician www.thinkofacard.com MS Clinical Practitioner:

Mrs Elizabeth Gradwell [email protected] 01483 782 214 __________________________________________________

The Samson Centre: Waterside Centre, Riverside, Guildford GU1 1LW www.samsoncentre.org.uk   https://www.facebook.com/SamsonCentre

COMMITTEE AND CONTACTS 2014 MSTG(G) at The Samson Centre Registered Charity Number: 1040956

COMMITTEE AND CONTACTS 2014 MS SOCIETY Surrey Branch

Chair: Helen Bell Secretary: Marilyn Majors Treasurer: David Swinnerton Support Lead: John Herbert Committee Members: Bill Barham (also support to Treasurer) Chris Knight Kay Stafford

__________________________________________________ General: [email protected] 07546 246343 07834 456963 Support: [email protected] 07717 359221 Holiday Home Bookings: Church Farm, Pagham 07508 417647 Website: www.mssociety.org.uk/near-me National Helpline (Freephone): 0808 800 8000

__________________________________________________ Multiple Sclerosis Society: Registered charity numbers 1139257/SCO41990 Registered as a limited company in England and Wales 07451571