Thank you to the National Lottery Community Fund


10 November 2020

MS Trust awarded National Lottery funding for COVID-19 project 

The MS Trust has been awarded £50,000 from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund for our ‘Supporting the MS community during Covid-19’ project. The project will run for 6 months. 

Covid-19 has significantly impacted people with MS, many of whom are vulnerable to serious complications that could result from catching the virus alongside other symptoms. On our Enquiry Service we hear from people who are struggling to access MS services,  who are unsure what government advice on staying safe means for them and vulnerable people who are worried about working during the pandemic. Alongside this people living with MS continue to turn to us for information on symptoms and treatment options. 

Since the pandemic started people with MS have turned to us in record numbers for support around Covid-19 and MS. This funding will help us to deliver our Enquiry Service and enable us to make some changes to make it easier for people who need our support to contact us. We’ll also be able to provide more evidence based information on MS and COVID-19 - so people living with MS are well informed about how best to stay safe during these difficult times. 

The funding will also allow us to restart our community involvement programme – which has had to be on hold for the last few months.  We will work closely with people across the MS community to help shape our services and share learning from these. We’re looking to improve our volunteer programme too and make it easier for you to volunteer and support the vital work we do. 

David Martin CEO MS Trust says:

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the whole MS community, with delays in specialist healthcare services and treatments, not to mention the isolation and loneliness of life in lockdown. Like many charities the MS Trust has been impacted at a time when demand for our services has never been higher. This funding from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund will ensure we can continue to deliver vital support such as our Enquiry Service which we know make a real difference to people living with MS. MS doesn’t stop, and neither do we. 

We’d like to thank the National Lottery and the government for this funding.