Each time somebody new comes on board, we get stronger
Fiona is the Group Coordinator for our South and West Cornwall Group. She tells us about restarting the group from scratch and taking it from strength to strength.
I retired five years ago from my job as an Area Manager for Arcadia. When we went into lockdown, I found myself getting bored and in need of something to keep me busy. I tried out being a Samaritan, but felt I needed something that used skills from my work and focussed on finding solutions to problems.
Starting up a new group and raising awareness
I realised the South and West Cornwall Group had closed down before the pandemic and thought this could be the perfect role to get involved with. I’d been a part of the MS Society twenty years earlier and remembered Sandra from the Volunteer Support Team. I had to build up a team first, finding two people to start the group with. I met Claire, a recently diagnosed staff nurse, in my village. And, after speaking about the new group on a Zoom call hosted by MS nurses at the hospital, I was contacted by Steve. He very helpfully has a background in banking and became our Finance Volunteer and the third member of our founding team.
We’ve now grown to a team of nine, with 40-60 people attending our events. We’re a great team of positive people. Everyone brings skills and strengths from their professional background. Each time somebody new comes on board, we get stronger. Everyone’s valuable and our volunteers have fantastic commitment.
The biggest challenge when we launched was getting the word out there. But once we made ourselves known, people came to see us. Local MS nurses were brilliant at spreading the word about our group. We’ve done radio interviews and put up posters, and we keep in touch with people over social media.
Our community and activities
We serve people from all over Cornwall, ranging from newly diagnosed people in their twenties, to people in their eighties who’ve been diagnosed for many years. We try to bust the myth that people affected by MS are always older. We have a great following on Facebook. People often watch our social media posts from a distance for a while, then get in touch when they feel confident to do so. We can support and empower people who’ve not yet told their family about their diagnosis.
We put on a whole host of activities for our community, ranging from bingo to flower arranging! We have a guest speaker once a month, the next of which will be a nutritionist. We also focus on leisure and sport, holding boxing classes and accessible games of bowls. In the summer, we even go on accessible sailing trips! On Mondays we have a stretch group at the leisure centre. We always meet for coffee after that — but no cake as we feel it rather defeats the object! At our coffee and chat sessions, though, there’s always plenty of cake.
We’re lucky enough to have a community space we can use at no cost, with great disabled facilities. They also kindly give us the tips from their café to go towards our funds.
Hospital handbook advert success!
A recent achievement for us was putting an advert into a hospital handbook that’s handed out to patients in Cornwall hospitals. We were asked if we’d like to advertise in it after we put posters up in local GP surgeries. The advert will help to get the word out and find people in need of support.
What volunteering does for me
It’s important for me to stay busy. I went from a busy job managing 60 shops and their teams, to having nothing to do during the pandemic. Being a Group Coordinator allows me to keep occupied and use my managerial skills. I love this role because I get to dip my toe into everything the group does.
If you’re thinking of becoming a volunteer for the MS Society, do it! It opens up a whole new community. Our group isn’t made up of members — we call it our MS family. There are people you can talk to whenever you need. Everyone will be there to answer.
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