Hi there!  Many thanks for visiting my fundraising page.  

On Sunday 5th October I'm delighted to say that I completed the 1.5 mile Walk in the Park at Beale Park near Reading (walking for MileS) to raise money for the Berkshire MS Therapy Centre (see info on the left).  The photo shows me at the finish with er, a friend...  Well, actually it's 'Digger', the London Irish Rugby Club mascot, as the club has kindly adopted the Therapy Centre as its charity for this season.

HUGE thanks to all those fantastic and kind-hearted friends and family who sponsored me, and helped to raise over £575 for the Centre (once you've added the Gift Aid element as well).  On behalf of the Centre, thank you so much - we're all very appreciative of your generosity.  I love you all!!!

If you haven't already donated, you still can up until 5 January 2009, and we'd be massively grateful for whatever you can spare.

The centre does great work for people with MS, their families and carers helping them to improve their quality of life, providing beneficial therapies, information and practical support.  Indeed, I have already benefitted from physiotherapy at the Centre, and hope to start high dosage oxygen therapy there in the not too distant future.

Walking 1.5 miles may not seem such a hard task, but for me to do it without stopping all the time to take loads of rest, cups of tea, etc, was quite a feat, and was my own personal challenge with my limited stamina and wibbly, wobbly legs.  It was pretty hard going towards the end, but I managed it - hurray!  And we didn't get tooo wet.

There are at least 85,000 of us living with MS in the UK, each of whom relies on centres such as BMSTC around the country to provide essential therapies and support.

The Berkshire MS Therapy Centre is entirely self funding.  Its costs are met exclusively from fund-raising activities, local grants and donations, but its total running costs each year are upwards of £350,000!  There is just a handful of paid staff there, with many volunteers helping out, so all contributions are much appreciated.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure.  It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me - Berkshire MS Therapy Centre will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you (If you have any difficulty donating, contact help@justgiving.net directly).

Many thanks again.

Best wishes
Louise xx

P.S.  If you could also forward this link to your friends and family who may be interested in helping the Centre, I'd be very grateful!  Thanks very much.