A message from MS Action’s Chairman March 2024

Dear Members and Associates,

I hope that you are all well and benefitting from the therapies that MS Action provides.

You may be aware that a new Committee was elected at the end of September 2023. We have all been very busy getting to grips with understanding operations and looking at ways to improve things for members and associates.

I wanted to make everyone aware of a couple of major financial challenges which MS Action is currently facing.

Our Centre has previously enjoyed a discretionary reduction in rent from the owner of the industrial estate where we are located. However, the estate has been sold to a new owner, and his managing agents have indicated that they are looking to charge a market rent in the future. For reasons that I will come on to, this would make our existing operations unaffordable unless we made drastic alterations to our business model, which is not something we want to do.

I have managed to negotiate an extension of the existing lease at the same rent until February 2025. While the managing agents are indicating that they are sympathetic with our situation, they are clear that we either need to work towards finding new premises or paying the full market rent.

We have been looking at an opportunity to merge with an MS Charity in Redbridge, the Marjorie Collins Welfare Centre, which has affordable premises which could easily accommodate MS Action’s requirements. However, MS Society, who held the lease on behalf of Marjorie Collins Centre, has now ended the lease of the building which is owned by NELFT (North East London Foundation Trust).

I am trying to contact representatives at NELFT to see if MS Action could take on the lease but it is not a certainty that we will be able to do this.

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We will continue in our efforts to try to resolve this situation and I will ensure that everyone is kept updated as we progress.

We also have a major issue with our finances.

We have analysed our income and expenditure for 2023 and there was an operating loss of over £50,000 last year. We have also been notified of some large increases in costs from our suppliers, including a 30% increase in the cost of oxygen.  We were very fortunate that we were able to cover this loss with previous legacies and savings, but it is not sustainable to continue making these losses. We know how valuable our Centre is for many people and our primary concern is to make sure we can keep running in the longer term.

The Committee is looking at several ways to increase income and reduce costs, including better marketing, longer opening hours and applying for grants.

However, we are going to have to put up our charges for therapies with effect from Monday 1^st April 2024 to the following:

• Oxygen Therapy for people with MS will increase to £18 per session (£20 on Saturday)
• Oxygen Therapy for people with cancer and other conditions will increase to £20 per session (£22 on Saturday)
• Oxygen Therapy for people with Long Covid will remain the same i.e. £50 per session for the first 15 sessions and £25 thereafter
• Individual therapies such as Shiatsu, Bowen and Acupuncture will increase to £24
• Individual Physiotherapy will be £30 and group Physiotherapy will increase to £16
• Group Yoga will be £13.

These increases alone will not cover the deficit but we are aware that many members may have limited income so we want to keep the charges as low as we can.

We are also looking for help with a couple of other matters.

Since taking over the Committee, we have discovered that some wonderful, generous people have been making regular monthly donations to MS Action. If you can do this, even with a small monthly donation, that would really help. If you do not want to commit to regular donations, you can make one-off donations at the Centre or online through JustGiving.  http://www.justgiving.com/msaction/donate

Finally, we are always looking for volunteers to operate the oxygen tank (training is provided) or to help at the desk, or even make tea! However, we are also looking for help for the Committee with things like marketing, fund raising,  social media and so on. If you do have a few hours to spare, please get in touch as we would really appreciate your help.

Overall, we are facing difficult times, but the Committee is determined to do everything it can to make sure we continue to provide therapies at a reasonable cost for our members and associates.

With best wishes,

Richard Emmerson

Chair of MS Action