I am delighted to be helping to raise funds for MS Positive by climbing Mount Etna in October, together with Toni Krok. I have arthritis in my knee and the idea of climbing an active volcano fills me with dread but that kind of excuse doesn't wash with Toni, who was diagnosed with MS 10 years ago.

MS Positive is Toni’s brainchild. She is determined that her MS should not stop her being herself. In response to her own experiences, she has set up MS Positive to help other families impacted by MS. She is very much aware of the advantages that she has had, which have given her access to high quality support and advice, and wants others with MS to have the same opportunities and life chances, whatever challenges they face.

MS Positive will place families at its heart, focusing on the individual not the illness, because that’s what Toni does. It aims to provide really practical support from healthy living and bespoke exercise regimes, to emotional support, networking groups and a hotline. It will complement rather than compete with existing MS charities because it is human-sized, and so is to work with individuals and families to understand their very specific circumstances and needs.