Growing with the MS Society
Pat’s been volunteering with us for almost 40 years! As we celebrate the MS Society's 70th anniversary, Pat tells us about how she’s grown with our charity and how things have changed for the better.
Unlike many people who volunteer for the MS Society, I don’t have a personal connection to MS. However, caring has always been in my nature, and I’ve always been involved in charities. I was also a hospital medical records officer, so I’ve had administration training.
I started volunteering for the Ballymoney Group almost four decades ago, and it’s been wonderful to see how the MS Society has changed during this time. As you can imagine, it was very different back then!
At the time, the Chair of the Ballymoney Group (which we now call the Group Coordinator) caught wind of my skills and kept asking me to join them. After a year I gave in and joined as the group’s Secretary. That’s where my volunteering journey with the MS Society began.
Ballymoney Group beginnings
I feel honored to have been part of the Ballymoney Group for so long. It’s one of the society's longest standing groups. It’s been going for over 60 years! It was started by a lady with MS who recognised a lack of support in her area. She and some others decided they wanted to start a group.
However, it was a group for fundraising at first – not a group as we know it today. But they got started. They raised money and just as importantly, they raised interest!
When I joined around 20 years later, they’d started social gatherings and had a bus to transport people to and from appointments. The group was run by a wonderful group of ladies who had kept it going.
What’s worked for us?
When I joined as the group Secretary, we continued the social gatherings, as we still do today. We started exercise classes and physio. My role within the group expanded and I’m now the Support Volunteer.
We’ve tried and tested various types of support over the years. For example, we trialled a self-help group, but it wasn’t something people in our area wanted.
I think that’s something I’ve learnt. Just because something may work in one area, it doesn’t mean it will in yours.
I’ve given talks on behalf of the local group to raise awareness and encourage fundraising. And we’ve also raised lots of money through some incredible events. We’ve had an amazing flower talk and demonstration by one of the world’s leading flower arrangers, whose son had MS. We’ve had big fashion shows and specialist craft fairs, to name but a few.
Volunteering beyond the Ballymoney Group
I’ve fundraised for the MS Society in a personal capacity too. A few years ago, as I was nearing my own 70th birthday, I did a parachute jump and raised £9,500. I’ve also abseiled down Belfast Castle, which raised over £4,000.
I’m proud that my efforts have helped to raise the profile of MS. Being that bit older, the press are usually interested in my story. I’m quite a shy person but when I’m doing it for charity, I’ll let the papers write whatever they like about me – as long as it’s true!
As well as the volunteering I do specifically for the group, I’ve supported the MS Society more widely as an organisation too. I’ve been on the Northern Ireland Council twice, once as their Vice Chair. I've been a trustee. I’m in the Impact Awards Coproduction Group and on the judging panel. I’m in the Grants Working Group.
In my various roles, I’ve learnt a lot about how the charity works and how it’s wonderfully moved forward. I feel very proud to be part of it all.
Changes I’ve seen over the years
I think what’s become apparent over the years is people’s need for social connection. The way people communicate has vastly changed since the days I joined the group, when everything was done by phone or mail (at a huge cost!). And this has increased opportunities to support people with MS much better.
There’s a range of support to suit everyone. Whether someone wants to meet face-to-face, talk to a Befriending Volunteer on the phone, or connect with others further afield via social media. I think the MS Society’s doing a fantastic job of ensuring no one has to face MS alone.
By raising awareness and sharing the stories of people living with MS, I think a lot of people have more hope now than they used to. They have better access to information and treatments, and can see others living well with MS. More people are empowered to speak up about their MS.
I've seen a noticeable difference in the diversity of MS Society’s community. Younger people are reaching out to me and my group more often. A big part of that is down to the awareness raised about MS and its symptoms. People are going to their doctors sooner and many people are getting diagnosed earlier.
Some of my favourite moments
Some of my most enjoyable volunteering moments have been while raising awareness and meeting new people. These include meeting Mrs Cameron and Theresa May while representing the MS Society at 10 Downing Street on separate occasions. I was also representing the MS Society at a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in 2016 when I met the late Queen. Then, when the Queen turned 90, she visited Northern Ireland with her late husband Prince Philip. I was selected to sit next to him at a special lunch and we enjoyed nonstop, delightful conversation. I highlighted the work of the MS Society - he was well aware of it and knew of people with MS.
While I may not have been able to call the Queen and Prince Philip friends, I’ve made so many true friends in my different volunteering roles over the years. My journey has kept going and I’ve grown with the MS Society. I feel so privileged to have been part of it for so long. It’s become almost like family to me.
I’m really proud of the things I’ve done and continue to do. But my greatest achievement is how I’ve managed to keep the Ballymore Group going. Hopefully when I step down, someone will step in to keep it going for another 40 years!
