Well the past 3 or 4 months have certainly been a challenge for us all, however I am sure you can all appreciate that during these past months of the Covid, charity organisations like the Grampian MS Therapy Centre have struggled with funding.

With this in mind,  and given that I have MS and have been managing to get out and about on my e-bike at times, during lockdown,  I thought it would be a great idea to enlist some willing volunteers to join my team to take up the above challenge.

Together we intend to cycle / travel the equivalent distance of John O’Groats to Lands End cumulatively.    So each of the team members
will rack up some miles, locally in our own areas and these will count towards the overall goal of 874 miles. We will use the “Strava” app,  to track and log our miles on a weekly basis,  and this will prove useful in collating and reporting our progress weekly.

For those that are not familiar with the Grampian MS Therapy Centre at Dyce,  let me provide you with a little insight.

The centre opened 36 years ago, to primarily provide oxygen to people living with MS,   It is a charity organisation, and is 100% supported by donations and funding from within the community.  There is no funding from the NHS or other institutions.

Oxygen Treatment – simply involves breathing oxygen, with a mask in a chamber under pressure or in the oxygen treatment room at ambient pressure,  however during lockdown the centre like many other organisations has been closed and this treatment has been unavailable to all members.

Oxygen treatment is designed to optimise the oxygen uptake in the blood, and so aid healing and reduce inflammation,  for many people living with MS, this centre provides great relief and support.  The aim of centre is to improve the quality of life for people living with MS and other neurological conditions and allow them to have as normal a life as possible.

The centre also treats other conditions, including fibromyalgia, cancer, burns, stroke, sports injuries, crones and many others.  The centre provides support and advice to all who attend the centre, their families, and carers.

MS is a progressive neurological condition where the immune system attacks the central nervous system.  The disease is very unpredictable and symptoms can vary in intensity from patient to patient.   It can in many patients be a hidden illness.  Many people don’t actually know much about MS or recognise the symptoms of many of us living with this condition.

Some people have mild symptoms,  some experience severe symptoms:- fatigue, numbness, tingling.  MS can cause loss of vision,  slurred or slow speech, loss of hearing, walking and mobility issues, balance problems,  bladder & bowel problems,  diminished brain function amongst other symptoms and can lead to paralysis.

So walking for any distance is difficult,  sometimes we struggle and stagger believe me at times its like trying to move with weights tied around your ankles.   So this challenge is a big ask, its an aggressive target for me and my very small team to achieve.

I personally know how important the centre is to people like me living with MS and I would like to ask you all for your help by providing support and generous donations to our just giving page and to share it with all your family and friends to help us achieve our goal.

Let me introduce the team,   there is me and my sigma power assist bike,  their is Lynda Simmers and her mobility buggy,  we have some help also from Marian Joyce, a reflexologist who helps at the centre,  Bryan Wood also an MS member at the centre Julie Wilson who works at the centre.

All donations are greatly appreciated and if you see any of the team out and about on our challenge give us a cheer, or toot your horn for support.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.