News archive

November Newsletter

Please click here to view our latest newsletter, packed with information this month. A huge thank you to everyone who has suggested ideas, and we simply ran out of space. Look in the next one for even more, and keep your ideas and requests coming in.

Christmas and New Year Opening Hours

The Centre will be closed from the 24th - 26th December 2011, and on the 2nd - 3rd January 2012.

It will be open for reduced hours on the 27th - 30th December, and open as normal on the 31st. The oxygen sessions have been altered during this period to ensure that all pressures are available - please click here for full information.

The MS Therapy Centre Lothian is carrying out a survey of people with MS and would like to invite you to take part.
It should take around 10 minutes to complete. The closing date is the 11th December 2011.

Please click here to access the survey.

Donation Board

Bank Of Scotland Foundation, Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Trust, Albert Hunt Trust and many more.

Click here to check out the new names on our Donation Board!

Charity Fundraising Night

Charity fundraising night to raise money for the MS Therapy Centre Lothian and the Edinburgh Sick Children's Hospital will be held on Friday 28th October at the Radical Road Pub, 229 Willowbrae Road.

If anyone fancies a night out, it looks like great fun! Entry is free, and the organisers would be delighted to have you there.

Click here to see the poster.

MS Therapy Centre Lothian is recruiting

The MS Therapy Centre Lothian is recruiting for a receptionist for six months. This post is funded by the Scottish Government under the Community Jobs Scotland initiative, which will create 2000 jobs for people who are unemployed. The role is being advertised at JobCentrePlus, and full details can be found here.

HBO schedule

Click here to view new HBO schedule.

Video of young people discussing their experiences of volunteering

Click here to watch Andy Robertson, one of our Wednesday night volunteer HBO operators, talking about the Centre. This is part of a collection of videos of young people discussing their experiences of volunteering. Andy has now left to do a degree in Medicine at Glasgow and we're missing him lots!

September Newsletter

The September newsletter has just been published: click here for a copy.

Transport Sharing Scheme

Do you find it difficult to get to the Centre? Could you offer a lift to someone? MSTC Lothian are delighted to announce the launch of a Lift-Sharing Scheme for members. Click here for full details.

Christmas Cards

The MS Therapy Centre Lothian Christmas cards are now on sale. Click here to see the designs and download an order form.

200 Club

The 200 Club is open for new players in September. Click here for more details and an application form

Motorrad Extreme Challenge Weekend

The MS Therapy Centre is due to benefit from Scotland's first Motorrad Extreme Challenge Weekend, taking place this weekend at Knockhill.

Click on these links for full information and to read about why the Centre has been chosen to benefit from the event:

www.events-in-edinburgh.co.uk/event-detail/Motorrad-Central-Scotlands-Extreme-Challenge-Weekend-520
www.s1cowdenbeath.com/news/fife-biking-event-to-raise-money-for-mstc-charity.html
www.edinburgh247.com/eventlistings.asp

Coffee Morning

Edinburgh Marathon Festival

The Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2012 is open for pre-registration. Register in August to ensure a place when general applications open in September. MS Therapy Centre Lothian is an affiliated charity - entrants can choose to support the centre to help it continue providing therapies and support to people with MS.

Click here for more information.

Ben Moran conquering the Firth of Forth!

Ben Moran is to have another go at conquering the Firth of Forth on the 23rd August at 9.30am. Follow his progress on Facebook. He's promising (or threatening) to appear in a Borat mankini if he hits his target of £3000!

You can support him here.

MS Therapy Centre Facebook page

Don't forget to sign up to the MS Therapy Centre Facebook page here.

Assistant Administrator

We are looking for a responsible, motivated and committed individual who can work flexibly and effectively with volunteers. Under the direction of the Centre Manager you will be responsible for the management, operation and supervision of our Barochamber. The post will entail administrative duties therefore a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office is essential. Full training will be given in the operation of the Chamber. Click here for more details.

July Newsletter

The July newsletter has just been published: click here for a copy.

Key highlights: reflexology, stamps, motorbike racing and calendar girls, physiotherapy and THE RAFFLE!

Complementary Therapies

"After any treatment I feel much more calm, relaxed and more in control generally and this feeling lasts for about four days."

Click here to see other testimonials and to read more about complementary therapies.

Donations Board

Our board has been updated to show some of our donors. Our very grateful thanks to them all. Click here to see the updated Donations Board.

Raffle tickets on sale

Click here to see the prize list, including vouchers to Martin Wishart's Cook School, tickets to Go Ape, and much more, kindly donated by local companies. Contact the Centre to purchase tickets.

Chamber available at low cost

Unfortunately, the centre in Grimsby which was one of the first ones providing oxygen treatment in the community in England closed end of May. It would be very sad to see a perfect chamber which could help so many people go to the scrapyard.

The chamber has to be moved out of the centre within 6-8 weeks (around mid July). It has been fully serviced in April by Diveline and the centre only wants to be paid for the dismantling costs. The chamber and all the equipment itself was valued at £30,000 but only having to pay the dismantling and transport costs would be a great bargain.

Please let us know as soon as possible if you are interested and can provide this lovely chamber with a new home.

Click here to see photos of the chamber.

HBO Operators

We are looking to recruit HBO Operators, for more info follow the link.

Links section updated

Take a look at our updated Links section. We've also added a new link to Stairlifts which is a helpful guide to stairlifts, comparing different models and offering practical advice.

***THIS WEEKEND***

Dr Neil's Garden Opening 21st and 22nd May

Garden Opening from 2-5pm. For full details on activities, location, parking and entry click here.

Please note that due to the Edinburgh Marathon Festival there are road closures and parking restrictions until 1pm on both days. Full information can be found here.

Great Highland Hike

Next month, MSTC volunteer Neil Comfort is taking part in the Great Highland Hike = a 23 mile odyssey fighting off midges from Glen Nevis to Glencoe. It's a near marathon in hiking boots - though as he says "it feels a lot longer when your feet are as flat as mine!"

The hike takes place on Friday 10th June and Neil's team (the Midgical Mountaineers) are aiming to complete it in about 10 hours - so they can have plenty of time at the barbecue before the bus leaves for Edinburgh!

The team are aiming to raise at least £1000 in sponsorship, which will be split equally between the MSTC and the Scottish Community Foundation. Any help in reaching that target would be greatly appreciated! Neil's team can be sponsored at:

www.greathighlandhike.com

The centre will be closed on Friday 29th April

Ben Moran is swimming the Forth

Ben Moran, a member of the Centre, is swimming the Forth on the 1st May to raise money and awareness for the Centre and for research at the MS Society Scotland. He will be departing from the Rail Bridge at South Queensferry and swimming 2.25km to North Queensferry. As well as overcoming his own condition, he is racing against time: he has to complete the crossing in less than 1 hour, otherwise the tide will turn and sweep him out to sea...

He is aiming to complete the crossing in 45 minutes and raise £5,000. To sponsor him, please click here.

Ben is training hard and is about to leave the safety of the swimming pool for the open water off Portobello. To follow his progress on his Facebook page, please click here.

Click here to read about it in the Scottish Field.

Dr Neil's Garden Opening in aid of MS Therapy Centre Lothian

The MS Therapy Centre Lothian is holding the annual opening of Dr Neil's Garden in Duddingston on the 21st and 22nd May. There will be Children's Crafts, Plant Stall and tea.

Visit a colourful, inspirational garden on the shores of Duddingston Loch... click here for more details.

The Rivals 4 Charity football match

The Rivals 4 Charity football match has raised £8,272 for MS Therapy Centre Lothian (and £909 each for Cash for Kids and Asthma UK)! This includes the money raised at the Gentleman's Dinner in February and is more than we'd hoped for! Congratulations to the Hearts fans who won by 8 goals to 1 (click here to read the full account of the match and watch the highlights), and our very grateful thanks to Scott Moncrieff and his friends at Rivals 4 Charity, to IME for sponsoring the event, to everyone who voted for the Centre to benefit, and (last but by no means least) to Bruce, Lewis, Ian, Nick and Linda who helped out on the day with programmes and operating the turnstiles.

March - April Newsletter

The March/April newsletter has just been published: click here for a copy.

The Rivals 4 Charity football match

The Rivals 4 Charity football match is taking place on Sunday 27th March at Tynecastle. Come along and support the teams and MS Therapy Centre Lothian

200 Club

Our mini-lottery, the 200 Club, is open during March for new players. If you would like the opportunity to win £10 each week
or £50 / £250 twice a year, please download an application form from here and return it with a cheque for £16. (Please telephone 0131 555 0809 if you wish to pay by cash or credit card)

Nominations for the Management Committee

Nominations for the Management Committee are now being requested. If you would like to stand for election, please email info@mstc-lothian.org.uk for more information or to request a nomination form.

You will need a proposer and a seconder, and you will need to be a full or associate member of the Centre. All forms must be returned by the 30th March 2011. Voting will take place at the AGM on Thursday 5th May 2011. Invitations for the AGM will be sent out at the beginning of April.

Membership renewal

All members please note that memberships should be renewed by 31st March. The cost is £7 for full membership and £3.50 for associate membership. 200 Club fees for 2011-12 are also due (£16 for one year).

View the newsletter

Christmas card activities

Click here to find out how to join our Christmas card group or enter the Christmas card design competition.

Rodent Rugby

People are starting to sign up for marathons and half-marathons! Read about Rodent Rugby's training and sponsor them if you wish - they are raising funds for MS Therapy Centre Lothian and Maggie's Centres

There's another one soon: Ben Moran is swimming the Forth in May. More info to follow when he's got his page ready...

New Fundraising page

The new Fundraising Home Page is now live, created by our web manager Wiola Starus. Wiola joined us in December 2009 and manages our website as a volunteer. Click on the link to the right to find out about our fundraising activities.

New HBO session schedules

Please click HERE to view the new HBO treatment schedule.

Trevor Callaway

It is with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Trevor Callaway. Not many of the current members of the Therapy Centre will realise the debt they and the Centre owe to Trevor. Back in 1995 the Therapy Centre was in considerable financial difficulty and it was Trevor who personally negotiated a £20,000 grant for the Centre from Lothian Health Board. Without this money the Centre would have closed, and we still receive this grant each year. In addition to his fundraising expertise Trevor was a great person to have with you in a crisis. His enthusiasm and commitment to the Centre was uncompromising and although he always dealt with matters in a very serious and businesslike fashion behind this earnest exterior lay a great and, at times, wicked sense of humour.

There is to be a collection at his funeral in support of Leuchie House Respite Centre which Trevor used a lot latterly. This is typical Trevor, fundraising to the last. Our thoughts are with his wife Jeanette.

View the newsletter

Christmas opening hours

The Centre will be operating a reduced schedule over the Christmas and New Year period. Please click here to view the opening times. Further information is available from the Centre

Calling the MS detectives - Herald Scotland | Life & Style | Real Lives

Treasurer vacancy

The Centre is recruiting for a new Treasurer as Alison Ferguson has stepped down due to family illness. Full details can be found on the Vacancies page.

View the newsletter

Papal visit - road closures in Edinburgh on 16th September

Pope Benedict will be arriving in Edinburgh on the 16th September. There will be temporary road closures during the day. Edinburgh City Council has published a map of City Centre road closures and a list of Total road closures during the visit.

The centre will be open, and therapy sessions will start promptly. Members are advised to leave plenty of time for travelling, particularly if coming from the South or West.

200 Club

The 200 Club is open to give new players a chance to join during September. The cost is £8 (half price, as it is halfway through the year). Join for the chance to win £10 each week or £250 / £50 in November. (The small print: renewal will be in March every year, for £16 for a full year) Application forms can be downloaded here.

Skydiving

Click here to watch a video of member Alasdair Kane doing a tandem skydive on the 15th August to raise funds for the Centre.

Christmas Cards on sale

The Centre's Christmas cards are available for sale. Please click here to see the designs and for details on how to place an order.

Will Writing

In the last newsletter, we published details of the Will Writing Company, who wished to highlight the benefits of employing an advisor when writing a will.

In view of the recent BBC Panorama programme, we thought it would be appropriate to publish a follow-up article, which is available in the September newsletter. Links to recent articles on the subject can be found here.

Sponsored events and challenges page updated

Read more...

Volunteer chamber operators required

As our members know, there must be two HBO operators on duty for the chamber sessions to run. We are finding that there are some gaps in the rota and so are looking for new operators. We also need occasional cover when HBO Operators are on holiday. Can you or any of your family or friends join the rota for two hours or so per week/fortnight? Full training is provided. Read more...

View the newsletter

Launch of MS Society Scotland Edinburgh City branch

The MS Society is delighted to announce that the first meeting of the Edinburgh City MS Society Scotland branch will be taking place on Wednesday 28 July. The meeting will be from 5.30pm for tea and coffee, with a start time of 6pm and a finishing time of 7pm. The venue, LifeCare in Stockbridge, is fully wheelchair accessible with a limited number of parking spaces. The meeting will be in the St Bernards Club room, accessible via the car park. This map shows the bus stops in relation to the venue. Read more...

Tickets for the Grand Prize Draw

Tickets are on sale for the Grand Prize Draw to be held at the Coffee Morning on 21st August 2010 in the Centre. Ask in the Centre for tickets to buy and to sell to your friends and colleagues.

MS Society announce decision on Respite Care

Over the last year, the MS Society has been reviewing the provision of respite care. A decision has been reached this week to discontinue the direct provision of respite care in favour of a more personalised system of support.

Read their press release here.

View the newsletter

View the newsletter

New Events!

New events are coming soon! Click here for more details.

Reminder

Annual membership payments are due from all members by the 1st April. Please drop in or send a cheque payable to 'MSTC Lothian' to renew your membership. The address is: MS Therapy Centre Lothian, 40C Swanfield, Edinburgh EH6 5RX. The cost is £7 per Member or £3.50 for an Associate Member.

200 Club renewals are also due. If you are a player in our mini lottery then please send £16 at the same time. If you are not a player - why not? This is the chance to join, as we will close again for new applications until September. Please call us on 0131 554 5384 or ask in the Centre for an application form.

Enewsletter from MS Resource Centre: focus on CCSVI

The regular enewsletter from the MSRC is headlined by news relating to CCSVI (Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency) and they have a new section on their website to keep users up to date. The first preliminary results have been reported by the clinical studies underway and there is a petition to sign asking for research to be carried out in the UK. Users can also register their interest in possible CCSVI scanning at one of Dr Tom Gilhooly's clinics.

This month's edition also includes gardening tips, a receipe, information on the benefits of Shiatsu massage and other bits and pieces! To sign up to receive the newsletter go to www.msrc.co.uk

To view new section on website click here.
To register interest in possible CCSVI screening click here.

Sally Wasp, a postgraduate student undertaking a doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool, is conducting an online survey titled 'Wellbeing in multiple sclerosis: The role of hope, social support and coping'. The research is being supported by the MS Society UK who agreed to put her survey on their UK website.

Click here to open the survey.

She's hoping to get over 100 participants to complete the online survey and wants to raise awareness in regional and local branches about the study.

View the newsletter

Rivals4Charity

We have won!

We are really delighted to report that MSTC Lothian won the voting to be selected as the charity to benefit from the 2010 Edinburgh Charity Match with a massive 45% of the vote. Very very many thanks to everyone who took the time to visit the Rivals 4 Charity website! Over the last four years the event has raised on average £10,000 per year, and this will be a huge boost to our annual fundraising efforts.

The match will be on Sunday 30th May and trials for the teams are taking place later in February. If you know anyone who would like to play for the Hearts supporters or Hibs supporters then go to rivals4charity to sign up! We will need a few volunteers on the day to help sell tickets and man the turnstiles - please contact us if you would like to help.

Rivals4Charity

During the month of December, Rivals4Charity are giving you the chance to decide which charity becomes the beneficiaries of the 2010 Charity match between Hearts and Hibs fans which will be played at Spartans Stadium at the end of May.

Vote for us HERE

Assistant Administrators at MSTC Lothian

Further to last month’s newsletter, other changes to staff in the centre have also taken place as Maya has been replaced by two part-time positions. Alison Shepherd and Carla Flannagan are now filling these positions.

Alison is from West Lothian but is currently staying in Edinburgh. She is in third year, studying biology at Edinburgh University. Alison started volunteering in the centre last February and became a member of staff in June.

Carla is also from West Lothian and is in third year at Edinburgh University studying geography. She started here in September and between her and Alison they will make up the full-time position of Assistant Administrator. Both are very happy to be working here and are looking forward to exciting times ahead.

Christmas Fundraising - volunteer appeal!

Ocean Terminal offer charities the opportunity to run a gift-wrapping service in the run-up to Christmas. This is very popular and a great way of raising funds. This year MSTC will be there on three days: 12th, 15th and 19th December. Volunteers are needed to come along for an hour or longer—can you help? Sign up in the Centre! While paper, tape and ribbon are provided there will be the opportunity to practise in the Centre beforehand if you wish, as the gift wrapping can get quite busy!

Christmas Party time!

Members are invited for Christmas drinks and cheer! Our big party in St Serf’s Hall takes place every two years, so this year instead enjoy a glass (or two) of wine, lots of Festive Food, and perhaps a visit from Santa in the Centre:

When: Wednesday 16th December - 3pm—9pm
Where: The Therapy Centre
How much? £3.00 for drinks, food and five raffle tickets (also available for 25p each or £1.00 for five)

Party and raffle tickets on sale now.