memBerS - Multiple Sclerosis Society

Southampton and District Branch newsletter
winter 2013
www.mssociety.org.uk/southampton

welcome
Content
1 – 2 Chair’s Letter
3 Transport
4 Volunteers
5 Finance
Information
6 Events
7 – 8 Local news
9 – 10 Members
11 Useful Information
Thank You
Dear Members,
Following our Annual Meeting I would like to extend my
thanks to some very important people:
You, our members, for your continuing support
The committee members for giving their time
unstintingly in their various roles:
Claire Morrison – newsletter editor
Debbie Magill – website editor
Chris Osmond – treasurer
The National Centre and David Light, our Local
Support Development Officer, for crucial guidance
and backup for the Branch’s work
Exercise group and fundraising volunteers without
whom we could not continue:
Julie Simmonds, Ann Elford, Pam Husk,
and Chris Forsyth
The professionals:
Owen Hedicker: muscle activation, Tuesday group
Jessica Grainger: physiotherapy, Thursday groups
It was a pleasure to be able to report that progress has
been made in many areas and that our Branch is in a
healthy financial position.
All views expressed in this
publication are that of the
individual and not necessarily
the view or policy of the MS
Society.
1
We have helped individuals not only through offering
physical exercises in various forms but through helpline
support and financial backup based on our grant and
transport policies.
And finally, the first spend proposal for the use of funds
from the Margaret Evans Legacy has been approved by
National Centre (see page 7 for more details).

THANK YOU
We are moving in the right direction and are looking forward to building on our
experiences and successes, keeping communication channels open and broadening
accessibility to our members.
We are planning and looking forward to our Winter Treat and Pamper Fair on 2nd
November. We are hoping to hold this event annually at different venues in our Branch
area.
You will also find the Christmas Lunch invitation with this newsletter. Please note that
this event is also at a different venue this year: Southampton City College.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you at these social get togethers and our
exercise groups.
Renate
Casting a wide net
We wanted to remind everyone what a large area the Branch covers. This will also be
useful for anyone considering using our new transport policy as the Branch can help
you reach all of our events within our boundaries (read more on page 3).
2

TRANSPORT
Are you unable to attend MS Society
events due to lack of transportation?
3
Do you want to attend more events
but can’t?
The Southampton and District Branch
of the MS Society has the answer. We
have a new transport policy aimed at
helping more people, like you, to be
able to come to our events. This support
is open to everyone living with MS*
within the Southampton and District
boundaries who do not have access to
suitable transportation.
How much travel does the Branch
cover?
We cover 70% of the total cost to and
from the event. You will need to pay just
30% on the day to a MS representative.
Please do note that the Branch will
only cover travel within our Branch
boundaries (see page 2).
How do I arrange transport?
Simply call our support line 07917558613
at least one month before a Branch
approved event**. Tell us:
• where you live
• which event you want to attend
• on what date
• what time you would like to be picked
up
• your telephone number
We will then get back to you to confirm
that it has been booked for you and tell
you how much you will need to pay.
Is the transport wheelchair-friendly?
Yes, we are currently working with a
company called Transmobility who can
take one wheelchair and one walker in
their cars. Where possible we will try to
pair you up with someone else who is
local to you to help keep your costs down.
What if I’m unwell on the day?
Don’t worry, we know that your MS
means that you will have both good and
bad days. We will cover the full cost of
the transport. If you continue to cancel
regularly we will have a chat with you
to see if we can come up with a better
solution for your needs.
What do I have to do on the day?
Be prepared at least 15 minutes before
you are due to be picked up. Also make
sure you have the agreed amount with
you to pay the Branch representative
when you arrive at the event (please
don’t pay it directly to your driver). This
will make everything run smoothly. Then
you can just sit back and enjoy the ride!
For full terms of the policy, please find the
policy enclosed or visit our website www.
mssociety.org.uk/southampton
* Excludes carers, friends and family.
**See full policy enclosed for details.

volunteers
Renate Dollimore
The MS Society annual Shining Star
Award is presented in recognition of
outstanding individual contribution to
one volunteer a year per branch. The
Southampton and District MS Society
Branch committee and David Light, our
Local Support Development Officer,
wanted to give this award to Renate
Dollimore as she deserves, more than
anyone, a huge Thank You for all her
dedication and tireless hard work over
the last three years.
Renate wrote her letter of Thank You
before she received the award at our
committee meeting on Monday 30th
September. When she did there was
much excitement, many hugs, and lots
of smiling.
For any of you who don’t know, Renate
has done everything to keep the
Branch running since 2010 – which is
no small achievement. She recruited
volunteers to build a new committee,
kept the exercise groups going – and
expanded them, continued to fundraise
and provide information to members.
She was supported by Janet Apps, who
sadly passed a year ago. Renate was
by her side at the end.
Renate is so strong and is always thinking
of others rather than herself.
She is incredibly organized,
driven and hard working. She
runs a friendly, approachable
and inclusive branch as well
as making sure everything is
done professionally. Renate
embodies everything that this
growing branch aspires to be.
This year alone she has
been the driving force behind
our legacy business plan
including keeping in contact
with the local CAB and
finding transport providers for
our new transport support,
introduced massage and
chiropody to our exercise groups, found
a new venue for a new group and
organized the annual Winter Treat and
Pamper Fair.
Renate gives her all to the branch. She
is truly an inspiration to us all.
Article by Claire Morrison
4

FINANCe information
MS and Home Alterations
Normally if you have work done to your
home, for instance a new bathroom,
you have to pay VAT at 20%. So if the
builder quotes you £1000 then you will
pay £1200 in total.
If you have a disability, such as MS,
however the following items can all have
VAT charged at 0%. But there are some
important things to remember.
Ramps, doorways and passageways
As long as the work you do is to help
a disabled person go in and out of their
home or move around inside it, you can
zero-rate the VAT.
Bathrooms, washrooms and lavatories
You can zero-rate the work if you install,
extend or adapt a disabled person’s
bathroom, washroom or lavatory. But
the work must be necessary to suit the
disabled person’s condition.
To receive the 0% rate, here are the
definitions that the rooms must adhere to:
• a bathroom includes a shower room
• a washroom means a room that has
a toilet or a washbasin (or both) but
doesn’t have a bath or a shower, or any
cooking, sleeping or laundry facilities
• a lavatory is a room with a toilet and
maybe a washbasin
Building a ramp includes:
• raising a floor level to match an
existing floor so that steps can be
removed
• reducing the angle of a slope
• creating a slope
Widening doorways and passageways
includes:
• widening a room that a disabled
person goes through to get to another
room; for example a bedroom with an
en-suite bathroom
• widening an existing path across a
disabled person’s garden; but not
building a new path
However building a new doorway or
passage is not included in the 0% VAT.
5
When you install, extend or adapt a
bathroom, washroom or lavatory and build
additional accommodation (such as a
bedroom or kitchen) at the same time, the
additional accommodation is standardrated.
So you’ll have to apportion your
work between the parts that are zerorated
and those that are standard-rate
VAT.
How to get zero-VAT
To be able to take advantage of this
then a simple declaration needs to be
signed and given to the builder to confirm
eligibility as a disabled person. If in doubt
always seek professional advice from
HM Revenue & Customs, a professional
accountant, or your local Citizens Advice
Bureau.
Written by Chris Osmond, a chartered
accountant and the Branch’s treasurer

EVENTS
Winter Treat & Pamper Fair
Please join the Southampton and District Branch for our second annual
Winter Treat & Pamper Fair on
Saturday 2nd November
at the Valley Park Community Centre,
Pilgrims Close, Chandlers Ford, SO53 4ST
at 10am to 2pm
There will be
Facials * Reflexology * Muscle Activation * Boozy Cakes * Jewellery * Manicure
Pedicure * Massage * Homemade Soup and much, much more...
Tickets: £1 Children: Free
Spread the word to friends and family – treat yourself and those you love this autumn
Do remember that if you don’t have access to transport and would like to come to the
Winter Treat and Pamper Fair we can now provide transportation (see p3)
THE SOUTHAMPTON AND
DISTRICT CHRISTMAS LUNCH
The Christmas lunch this year will take
place on Thursday 28th November
from 12.30pm to 3pm. We will be having
a delicious three course lunch for just
£14.
The lunch will take place at Aspire
Restaurant and Brasserie, City College,
Chapel Road, Southampton, SO14
5GL. There is secure on-site parking in
the college’s Chapel Road car park and
disabled parking is available. Entrance
to the restaurant is via the main entrance
to the college hub.
Everyone is welcome – members,
families, friends, carers, and nonmembers.
Book early with your menu
choices. Fill in the form included with
this newsletter, then either pay Renate
at one of the exercise groups or return
your booking forms and payment to:
Claire Morrison, 118 Alexander Square,
Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 4BX by
Monday 11th November.
Your tickets can be picked up on the
door on the day.
Cheques are to be made payable to:
MS Society Southampton and District
Branch
6

local news
Legacy update
It has been a year since the Branch
asked you, the members, how you
would like Mrs Margaret Evans’ legacy
to be spent. From this consultation, the
Branch identified two key areas:
1. To extend its current physio and
exercise provisions
2. To offer transport provision to
members who can’t attend Branch
events
A third scheme was identified from the
consultation which was to part-fund an
MS nurse. This has been put on hold as
further investigation and information is
required.
In addition to the areas above, the
committee also voted to utilise some
of this money to help finance local
information events and projects, as the
need arises, such as the family day,
which took place in September, and to
explore the possibility of partnering with
the local Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB)
to provide a part time MS advisor.
Here are more details of our progression
in each area of the legacy spend:
Extension to current physio provision
The Branch ran a trial of a regular
massage therapist and a chiropodist
every two months at the Chilworth
exercise group. The trials were well
received, so a proposal was submitted
to national centre to access legacy funds
7
to continue these services for the next
three years. We are pleased to announce
that the proposal was approved and we
now have the funds available to continue
this popular and beneficial service.
As you will also see on page 8 we are also
trialling a new exercise group in Curdridge.
This will allow more members access to
our exercise groups. Once the trial has
been completed, the committee will vote
on whether to continue the service based
on member and user feedback.
Provision of Transport for People with
MS
The committee has recently approved
the transport policy which means that
the Branch will cover 70% of travel costs
to and from Branch approved events
(see enclosed policy). The legacy will
allow us to offer all members access to
transportation. We hope that more of you
will be able to attend our events.
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
Renate Dollimore has been working
tirelessly with the local CAB on a number
of proposals for the committee to assess.
The decision to which solution will benefit
most members will be selected in the
coming months. The major benefit for
you as a member will be a dedicated CAB
advisor who understands MS.
We will continue to keep you updated on
our progress and successes regarding
Mrs Evans’ legacy.
Article by Claire Morrison

LOCAL NEWS
EXERCISE GROUP UPDATE
On Thursday 10th October, the Branch
launched a new exercise group with a
trained physio at Curdridge Reading
Rooms, Reading Room Lane, SO32
2HE. It will take place on alternative
Thursdays from 10.30am to 1 pm. Each
session will cost £5. This will be a trial
and if it proves popular will continue into
2014. This new class does mean that
we have had to change the dates for
the Chamberlayne Leisure Centre. See
the enclosed timetable for full details of
these exciting changes.
CAKE BAKE FUNDRAISER
On Tuesday 3rd September, Claire
Morrison, our newsletter editor, and
her colleagues at Palgrave Macmillan,
book publisher, held a cake sale for the
Branch. At 11am, staff descended and
purchased cakes from salted carmel
cupcakes to victoria sponge, from
banana muffins to vanilla and chocolate
butterfly cakes and Rocky Road.
The bakers raised £77 on the day which
Palgrave Macmillan have matched.
Including extra donations the total raised
for the Branch was £161.50.
BRANCH GRANT SUPPORT
We would like to remind members that
the Branch can help support grant
applications. We have reviewed our
grant support policy and we have funds
available to help with such costs as home
improvements; specialist equipment;
respite and more. If you would like
information please contact the National
Centre 0808 800 8000 or the Branch via
our support line 07917 558 613.
FAMILY DAY AT MARWELL
A fun time was had by all who attended
the MS Society Family Focus Day
at Marwell Zoo on Sunday 22nd
September. The event which was paid
for in part by the Southampton and
District Branch was a great success with
18 families taking part in total. The day
was an informal opportunity for families
to meet others in a similar situation,
find out some information about local
support and above all enjoy a fun day
out as a family.
In the morning adults had a chance to
explore how MS affects their lives by
taking part in some discussion groups
while children had fun with some
craft activities. A barbeque lunch was
provided before families were free to
discover the sights, sounds and smells
of Marwell. David Light, Local Support
Development Officer for the MS Society
in Hampshire, said; “We had a great
time and feedback from guests was
very positive. Families appreciated the
opportunity to get together with other
families and understand how other
people deal with living with MS. We are
very grateful to the Southampton and
District Branch for helping to fund this
event and we hope to be organising a
similar event for families next year.”
8

MEMBERS
Up, Up and Away...
Not in “my beautiful balloon” BUT in my
WHEELCHAIR!
In June 2013, I decided to take part in
a great adventure. The Jubilee Sailing
Trust (JST) has two custom-made
adapted Tall Ships specifically made to
provide adventurous sailing for the ablebodied
and disabled working together
with the small professional crew,
however this was something else.
Going with the JST from Southampton to
Rouen, France was not a “holiday” in the
usual sense as we shared in running the
daily affairs of sailing the ship: cleaning,
cooking, maintenance, steering, logging
the route, regular watches and four hour
stints where everyone was responsible.
Before I went, I was a little nervous.
Could I really trust people I’d just met to
haul me and my wheelchair on ropes to
the mizzen mast? Would I be confident
enough to try to tie up the sails and
dangle precariously to fasten them in
place?
The amazing thing is that I overcame my
anxieties and took on challenges that I
could hardly believe myself capable of
doing. And it was the same for everyone
on the Tenacious.
Everyone was securely assisted; safety
and challenge went hand-in-hand. If you
could not complete a challenge, there’
was no shame; you only did what you
9
felt comfortable with.
Climbing the mast, setting the sails,
helming the ship were part of my
adventure and challenge.
That’s not to mention the great fun we
had, including meeting two school parties
of Irish teenagers who entertained us
with singing and dancing.
Our trip took us from Southampton
Docks with no wind to fill the sails, into
a bitter and fierce north-east wind that
pushed us along to Cherbourg. A short
land stop, a meal, a visit to the D-Day
Museum, and then up the River Seine
to join the 40 Tall ships from different
countries moored at Rouen.

members
It was an amazing and busy experience
with fireworks, an official reception, TV
crews, sunshine and holiday crowds
looking over the Tall Ships, I was left with
very little time to explore the town apart
from a quick visit to Rouen Cathedral
before it was time to go home! I didn’t
have time to look at the Joan of Arc
museum... next time perhaps?
Would I do it again? A resounding YES.
Tough at times, but the experience and
all my new friends will be a permanent
reminder of what I achieved. The JST is
great. Why don’t you try it too?
Article by Roma Barnes
See more of Roma’s extraordinary
photos on p.11.
If you would like to find out more about
the Jubilee Sailing Trust call 023 8044
9108 or visit www.jst.org.uk
heartfelt farewells to two volunteers
The Branch would like to give a special big thank you to Julie Simmonds. We
are sad to announce that Julie is unable to continue volunteering at the Tuesday
exercise group. Julie’s hard work and sunny nature have been a delight for all of
us who have had the pleasure to work and volunteer with her. We would also like
to bid a fond farewell to Catherine Osborn, our minutes secretary.
10

USEFUL INFORMATION
The Southampton & District
branch contacts
Renate Dollimore 07917 558 613
Chair
David Light 020 8438 0780
Local Support Development Officer
National contact information
MS Society
MS National Centre
372 Edgware Road
London
NW2 6ND
020 8438 0700
National MS Helpline
0808 800 8000
More photos from Roma’s sailing
adventure
THANK YOU TO:
Aspect Press
for printing the MS Society
Southampton and District
newsletter
www.aspectpress.co.uk
If you have any comments or
questionsabout the newsletter
contact Claire Morrison
claire_morrison3@hotmail.com
Multiple Sclerosis Society; a registered charity in
England and Wales (1139257) and Scotland (SC041990),
and a company limited by guarantee (07451571)
Photos at Chilworth group using
wrist weights and doing
Theraband work