South West MS Centre’s social decking now complete thanks to grants and donations
The South West MS Centre in Clyst Heath, Exeter, now has a beautifully renewed decking area thanks to generous grants awarded by the Clare Milne Trust, Screwfix Foundation, and Exeter City Council Community Grants, as well as large donations from East Devon Crematorium and the Elizabeth and Prince Zaiger Charitable Trust.
The SW MS Centre is a self-funding charity in Exeter that supports people living with MS and other neurological conditions in Devon and the wider area, and their families and carers. They also support people with cancer, stroke, sports injuries and slow-healing wounds. Oxygen therapy is the most popular treatment, helping to alleviate many of the symptoms associated with these conditions, and this therapy is also now helping people with post-Covid and long Covid recover better from their post-viral syndrome.
The decking adjoins the Grade 2 listed Victorian building in the heart of the residential community within its mature garden and is important as it provides a space in which members and their families and carers can relax before and after treatments. The charity applied to a number of organisations for funding towards replacing the decking and were successfully awarded grants and other donations which covered the overall cost of the project of just under £28,000.
The Centre was awarded a generous £10,000 donation from East Devon Crematorium in memory of Frankie Bage, daughter of MS Centre member Tania Bage and her husband Tom. Frankie was born with an initially undetected and extremely rare condition called ‘mitochondrial disease’ which sadly meant that she died at just under 6 weeks old during the pandemic in 2020. The team at the Crematorium had become aware of the MS Centre through the family and learned that it had supported them all for a number of years, and consequently nominated the Centre to benefit from the donation.
Katherine Ohlsen from East Devon Crematorium, part of the regional independent Southern Co-op, explained that the donation was thanks to the generosity of families who have lost a loved one: "Any metals left over after a cremation, such as items used in the construction of coffins, can be sensitively recycled thanks to the written consent of each bereaved family as part of the national ICCM scheme. This donation came from money raised from this scheme, so sincere thanks must be conveyed to all those families who have given their consent for this to take place.
“We're delighted the funding has helped to support the South West MS Therapy Centre in its invaluable work offering specialist and practical assistance to those struggling with MS and other debilitating conditions."
Tania, Tom and their new baby girl, Harley, came to visit the new decking to see how the donation had been spent and took a moment to share their story with representatives from East Devon Crematorium. Tania’s father, Mike Holmes, who is also a member of the Centre and Company Secretary on the board of trustees, said “I would like to add my personal thanks to EDC for their generous donation as it will go a long way to helping the Centre, and as a regular user of the Oxygen Therapy I appreciate how much it helps MS sufferers like myself”.
Caroline Aird, Chief Executive of the SW MS Centre, said “the refreshed outdoor space will enable all our members, carers, families, volunteers and staff to gather in a safe space outside to relax, rest, socialise and catch up on each other’s news, after such a long time of being apart due to the pandemic.”
Since Frankie’s death, the family have been raising awareness for mitochondrial disease. Tania and Tom shared Frankie’s story in their own words here: https://www.facebook.com/533224747/posts/10157942309399748/ and continue to promote the Lily Foundation who provide support, information and research on this condition.
