I didn’t know anything about MS but I used my experience as a teacher to help my local group grow and improve.
Using my skills to help people with MS
When I retired from teaching in 2007 I wanted to give back and do some volunteering. I didn’t know anything about MS before I joined my local group. They were looking for someone to help young people, so my teaching experience was perfect.
I was the Chair of the group for six years, and have helped with lots of different things over the years. I now run the group's newsletter which comes out four times a year.
Adapting to what others need
Each day is different and the work is varied – it’s quite a full time role! I work with other local groups, MS nurses and the regional teams from the MS Society. The needs of the group are always changing, and so does my role.
We had a lunch club, but the venue wasn’t very accessible so I changed where we held it. People with MS have lots of different needs and we want everyone to get involved so I do what I can to make this possible.
There’s lots of different events, from social lunches to information days. I think the most important thing is to run events people want to go to. For the groups anniversary we help a big cake event which was lots of fun, and we have coffee meetings every month to catch up. We’ve already started planning our Christmas lunch with a special dinner.