About the Chilterns MS Centre
At the Chilterns MS Centre we support over 500 people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) from our purpose-built Centre nestling in the Chiltern Hills just outside Wendover, Buckinghamshire.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a long-term condition that affects the central nervous system (CNS). It impacts the ability of nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain, and this produces the various symptoms of MS. The increasing level of symptoms and disability experienced by many can affect working, family and social life.
But we don't think having MS should define those who our charity supports. We can’t change their diagnosis but we can meet them on their journey, and help to keep life going in the direction they want.
Our Centre offers a number of therapies including physio, Pilates, hydrotherapy, talking therapy and oxygen treatment. It offers people with MS an opportunity to meet others on their own MS journey – and get plenty of advice and peer support.
Our members describe us as their ‘lifeline’ - what we offer is not available to them on the NHS.
Our Vision is for a world in which local people with MS can live life to the full.
Our Mission is to provide the knowledge, tools, treatment and community to empower people with MS to thrive.
Our services make a huge difference to the health and wellbeing of people with MS and their families and carers . People are at the heart of everything we do and by taking a personalised approach, our therapists are able to target and improve specific symptoms and help people to achieve their goals, no matter how small they seem. This can increase confidence, independence and mobility, and can help them to continue working and enjoying family life and social activities. Group exercises and activities have additional social benefits - enabling people affected by MS to support and encourage each other and helping to reduce the stress and isolation that can affect people living with a long-term condition.
This is a really exciting time in our 37-year history when we are revitalising our strategy and piloting extending our service offering to other neurological conditions including Parkinson's and Stroke.
About our volunteers
Our volunteers are the backbone of everything we do and they play a vital role in the running of the charity. We value each and every person who dedicates their time to the Charity and we make sure that the experience is as rewarding and beneficial for the volunteers as it is for us.
We have several areas of the charity where volunteers play a pivital role in the running of the organisations. These include:
If you would like to become a volunteer for the Chilterns MS Centre, see our current opportunities or visit our website www.chilternsmscentre.org
The Chilterns MS Centre was established over 37 years ago to provide advice and support for those with multiple sclerosis (MS) and today this has evolved into making sure we support everyone effected by MS, not just the person living with the condition.
As well as physical and practical support we also believe that social wellbeing is important and we run several social groups for both members and their carers or family members. These range from art groups to local meetings outside of the Centre where people can socialise and chat in a relaxed environment at a time that suits them. We also offer counselling to anyone who needs it and our cafe area is a wonderful place to sit and chat to people who understand what you are going through.
Our fundraising team work incredibly hard to bring in the money needed to run the Centre every year. We receive less than 7% funding from the NHS and so rely on our fundraising initiatives and the generous donations of individuals, local companies and trusts to ensure that we can continue offering our services to the local MS community.
We wouldn't be able to do what we do without our amazing team of clinical staff. They deliver the professional and tailored service to our members and help them to reach their goals. This makes such a difference to our members and we are often described as a "lifeline", something that we are incredibly proud of.
