Supporting local charities and community causes

1.jpg (2)

Caring for people with Multiple Sclerosis in Aylesbury

A £5,000 donation has been made to the Chilterns MS Centre by the Shanly Foundation to help fund support and care for people with Multiple Sclerosis in Aylesbury and the surrounding areas.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a devastating neurological condition that can lead to crippling disability and affects around 1 in 600 people in the UK, most of them working-age adults. The Chilterns MS Centre is a local independent charity that provides a number of therapies and treatments to people with MS, as well as offering support to their families and carers. Established over 30 years ago, today the Chilterns MS Centre treats up to 330 patients each week, to help them gain greater control over their symptoms and empowering them to lead happy and healthy lives. 

The Chilterns MS Centre is the only place in the local area to provide free long-term physiotherapy. Physical therapy makes a huge difference to the health and wellbeing of people with MS. By adopting a personalised approach, the therapists at the Centre can target specific symptoms and improve problems with balance, walking, muscle and joint stiffness, co-ordination and incontinence. This can increase independence and mobility and reduce the risk of falls, enabling people to continue working and enjoy family life and social activities.

With the help of donations from organisations like Shanly Foundation, the Centre is able to provide a hydrotherapy pool, two large treatment areas and three gyms equipped with adapted exercise machines and track hoists for people with mobility problems.

Robert Breakwell, CEO at the Chilterns MS Centre said: “The generous donation from Shanly Foundation will enable us to fund over 142 hours of physiotherapy which will allow several of our members to reach their own personal mobility goals.

“We receive less than 10% funding from the NHS, and therefore we rely on funding and donations from our local community. This money will ensure that we can continue to provide the ongoing treatment and support to those living with this incurable disease in Buckinghamshire and the surrounding areas.”

Sue Cloke, a member whose quality of life has been improved greatly by the work of the Chilterns MS Centre said: “Thanks to the fantastic physiotherapy I have received at the Centre, I was able to appear in my daughter’s wedding photos without my walking aids. A year ago this wouldn’t have been possible, so I can never describe how much this means to me. Everybody at the Centre is amazing and I thank them for being a lifeline to me and so many others.”

Tamra Booth, trustee of Shanly Foundation comments: “We hope our donation will ensure that the Chilterns MS Centre can continue to provide highly valued physiotherapy to their members. The Chilterns MS Centre offers services that are so vital to families and carers of people with MS.” 

To keep treatment and support going, the Chilterns MS Centre needs to raise over £1 million a year. For more information on the Centre, and how to donate, please visit: chilternsmscentre.org