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THE ‘F’ WORD - FUNDING! We are so indebted to our loyal band of stalwart members who provide extremely varied, ongoing and continued support to the Centre. We benefit from those people undertaking all sorts of sponsored tasks, buying raffle/tombola tickets, saving pennies, uplifting collecting cans, donating goods to sell/raffle, initiating/helping out at fundraising events, making jam/tablet/cakes, donating talent, money, time and expertise etc etc. Without these people we would struggle to exist - to quote Churchill ‘so much is owed by so many to so few’ !! As a ‘self-help’ group, remember we receive NO statutory funding whatsoever, all members who benefit from attending the Centre are part of the ‘self’ and, therefore, potentially part of the ‘help’! Realising that not everyone has the physical ability nor financial stability to readily participate, one of our Committee members put in a great deal of time and thought to devise the Supporters Club, whereby it is not for members, but friends and family who can take out a Standing Order for as little as £5 per annum, to help swell our coffers, however, the uptake of this inexpensive and easy way to help keep our charges and recommended donations to an affordable level has been poor. Application forms are available – just ask – or please give some thought as to what else you can do to help!! Selling the enclosed raffle tickets would be greatly appreciated!! |
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TYPICALLY……. CANDLE-LIGHT WAS NOT SO BRIGHT!! On the afternoon of 31st May 2008 I attended a fund-raising event ‘Party Lite’ at the M S Therapy Centre. Those who attended had a good time listening to the presentation and buying candles. However, apart from Mary Archibald, the Fundraiser, Judy Murray, who organised the event, and her Family, there were only 6 of us present and at least two of those were carers. People put a lot of time and effort into organising fund-raising events and without funds there would quite simply be no M S Therapy Centre. Please consider this thought and show some support at future events! Winnie Cameron (Member) |
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WHAT A SUCKER!! One of our members bought a ‘robotic’ vacuum cleaner from QVC (shopping channel) for £180 and thinks it is marvellous! About the size of a dinner plate it zooms under beds etc and apparently does a marvellous job! |
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NO GO – LET US KNOW!! We are very aware that there are many and varied circumstances where no, or very little notice can be given to cancel an appointment at the Centre. However, we are also very aware that there are many and varied circumstances where plenty notice can be given and isn’t! Please note that with sufficient notice of cancellation fellow members are delighted to benefit from using the free slot and consequently the Centre loses no revenue!! We have been forced to take the decision that if any one member fails to cancel on more than two occasions, then they can no longer enjoy appointments pre-booked in advance and instead must book weekly. |
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HOLIDAY TIME!! There is now a website - www.disabledholidayinfo.org.uk. - specifically designed to search for accessible accommodation and includes almost 300 properties throughout Britain detailing specific needs (e.g. ceiling hoists, profiling beds and right or left hand transfer to beds and toilet) from a tick list of disability related criteria as well as a chosen radius of a geographic location. All the accommodation included will have wheelchair accessibility with at least level/ramped access and wetroom/wheel-in showers. |
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M.S. SPACE This is the M S Society Scotland’s free national information day for people with MS their families, carers and friends. This year it will be held in the Concert Hall in Perth on Saturday 8th November from 10am – 4pm. MS Therapy Centres (Scotland) has been invited to host a stand and accepted, and as the locally situated MS Therapy Centre, we have also agreed to have representation. Any members willing to volunteer some time at our stand to chat to people and explain what goes on at the Centre would be greatly appreciated and should contact Colin Armour to arrange this. |
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YOGA – GIVE IT A TRY! The Monday afternoon sessions of Yoga are proving both enjoyable and beneficial for those who attend and it has been pointed out that the exercises are certainly geared for people with MS or other disabilities as well as those who are a bit fitter! There are places available if you are interested. |
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HEAR HEAR! Listening Books, the national listening library charity is offering free membership to a limited number of qualifying individuals who live in Dundee. Free membership will be on a first come first served basis and can be cancelled at any time. There are no hidden costs. Leaflets containing all the information and the application form for membership can be obtained from any Dundee library or by visiting www.listening-books.org.uk or by emailing membership@listening-books.org.uk. |
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CRAZY COURSES!! Back in June – remember that rainy month? – there was an article in one of the Sunday papers relating the tale of a Council, somewhere down South, which had banned the use of the term ‘brainstorming’ in case it offended epileptics. Despite protestations from a major Epilepsy Charity that this would not be the case, the Council was adamant and insisted the term ‘thought showers’ be used instead AND declared that members of staff had been sent on a course to this effect!! Council tax well spent??? |
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A GENTLE HAND We are fortunate to have the services of Red Cross volunteers, Christine at present, who are willing to provide neck and shoulder massage through clothing, hand massage and manicure ( please bring your own preferred nail polish unless pink is O.K. ). Christine can be recognised by the Red Cross ‘pinny’ she will be wearing. If you are interested please ask Aileen for details. |
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DID YOU KNOW THAT BACK IN THE 1500s????? Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide any lingering body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the sons, followed by the wife and daughters, last of all the babies. By this time the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence ‘Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!’ Houses had thatched roofs, thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence ‘It's raining cats and dogs’ There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up the nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top and four-poster beds came into existence. The floor was dirt, only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence ‘Dirt poor’. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence ‘thresh hold’. Sometimes people could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around chewing the fat’. Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust. |
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VOLUNTEER TO VOLUNTEER and/or COMMIT TO THE COMMITTEE! We are very fortunate to have some dedicated and reliable volunteers and committee members and we thank each and every one of them for their ongoing loyalty and commitment! To ensure we can continue to meet our rising demand, we need more people like them. Do you know anybody who might be interested?? We will need HBO Chamber Operators, Back-up HBO Chamber Operators, Social and Fundraising volunteers. No experience is necessary as all training will be provided – all we need are people willing to give of their time on a regular weekly/fortnightly basis. Our Committee could certainly benefit from some new blood, especially able-bodied people with a ‘useful’ background, who can bring relevant knowledge and experience to assist in the running of the Centre. If you know of anyone who might be interested please run this by them and use your maximum powers of persuasion – thank you! |
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STUFF AND NONSENSE Despite posters entreating people to communicate with Mary Archibald – our Committee Member responsible for fundraising, who is at the Centre on Thursday mornings – she is still drowning in a mountain of ‘stuff’ a lot of which is ‘nonsense’. We cannot, by law, sell electrical items without having them PAT tested (Portable Appliance Testing). This is both inconvenient and costly and would require storing items until there is enough to warrant an electrical firm coming out to do the testing and we quite simply do not have room to do this. We cannot sell, due lack of demand, anything that is less than ‘good as new’ and we simply inherit the problem of disposing of such junk. Please bear this in mind and if you do have suitable items to donate for sale, please contact Mary, who would be delighted to hear from you, before bringing them in. Once again, this is an area where strong, able-bodied volunteers would be such an asset! |
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SALE We are holding a Rummage Sale here at the Centre on 8th November and as stated above will be pleased to receive ‘good as new’ items to sell – also to have volunteers to assist on the day. If you can help in any way, please contact Mary Archibald, who is at the Centre on Thursday mornings. |
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ON THE CARDS! Christmas will be here before we know it and before you rush to buy your Christmas cards anywhere else, please note that this year we have ordered cards complete with our details, to raise awareness as well as adding grist to our mill. They are in packs of ten and priced at £2; £2.25 and £2.50 with 60p; 65p and 75p respectively per pack going straight towards our running costs. Tell your friends — all support would be greatly appreciated!! |
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SOMETHING FISHY GOING ON!! It was a cold winter day, when an old man walked out onto a frozen lake, cut a hole in the ice, dropped in his fishing line and began waiting for a fish to bite. He was there for almost an hour without even a nibble when a young boy walked out onto the ice, cut a hole in the ice not to far from the old man and dropped in his fishing line. It only took about a minute and WHAM! a Largemouth Bass hit his hook and the boy pulled in the fish. The old man couldn't believe it but figured it was just luck. But, the boy dropped in his line and again within just a few minutes pulled in another one. This went on and on until finally the old man couldn't take it any more since he hadn't caught a thing all this time. He went to the boy and said, "Son, I've been here for over an hour without even a nibble. You have been here only a few minutes and have caught about half a dozen fish! How do you do it?" The boy responded, "Roo raf roo reep ra rums rrarm." "What was that?" the old man asked. Again the boy responded, "Roo raf roo reep ra rums rarrm." "Look," said the old man, "I can't understand a word you are saying." So, the boy spit a glob into his hand and said, "You have to keep the worms warm!" |
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BEAR FACED CHEEK! Two campers were hiking in the forest when all of a sudden a bear jumps out of a bush and starts chasing them. Both campers start running for their lives, when one of them stops and starts to put on his running shoes. His partner says, "What are you doing? You can't outrun a bear!" His friend replies, "I don't have to outrun the bear, I only have to outrun you ! |
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If there are new members in the Chamber please make them feel relaxed and comfortable by ensuring they are coping and emphasize the necessity to let the Operator know if they are suffering from sore ears etc. This is essential to prevent unnecessary pain and discomfort, which the Operator can do if informed of such a situation !! |
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CONTINENCE ADVICE Our new Continence Advisor for bowel and bladder issues is Lisa Heary. Lisa is attached to a clinic at Wallacetown and attends our unit 6 weekly. The recent 2 hr information point with relevant literature was a success. Appointments can be one to one or perhaps you would be interested in an afternoon Women’s group to discuss health issues. (details of discussion content, please talk to Aileen ). Lisa also holds a clinic at Perth. |
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I AM SAILING by Chief Meddling – but never Petty - Officer (and Committee member) David Pullar
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Views expressed in this Newsletter are individual and cannot necessarily be endorsed by M S Therapy (Tayside)Ltd |