MSS Hastings & Rother Group Newsletter AUGUST 2021 Wishing all of you well for 2021 in this unusual and historical time we are all currently facing. We had great success at the Olympics in Tokyo coming fourth in the world. Winning 22 gold, 21 Silver, 22 Bronze – 65 medals in total – We have the Paralympics due to start on 24th August 2021, a note for the diary. Frank (fundraising coordinator) As lockdown eases possible fundraising could start this October 2021, watch this space. Lockdown updates 247 taxi service – still undertaking contract: Tom Earley - Tel 07902 378956 247 Wheelchair compatible vehicles are available for transport to and back from MS Social events, hospital appointments or meetings. Yoga Classes are carried out via Zoom for the time being with Donna Sams for one to one sessions still, however Group Sessions started up again in late July 2021. Please contact Donna Sams - 07519 358168 to discuss further. Donna at present wants to only have between 8-10 people which she will monitor per week as we slowly open up the group when and if people want to attend. We had 8 people plus her at the first event! Pandemic ponderings The MS group would like to mention that our hearts go out to all those families and friends and all carers who have been affected by the pandemic. We also give praise to our NHS & the armed forces with getting the role out of jabs. 40 million and rising! Fundraising update Fundraising from sister Sharon Ball via Facebook - For my birthday I organised a fundraising event on Facebook in June 2021 to ask for donations to MS Society UK. The MS Charity is very close to my heart as my sister, Linda Butler has MS. There were 12 donations received and a total of £170 donated to the MS Society UK. The goal was £150 and I was very pleased that the goal was exceeded, Facebook gives a 2 week window for people to donate, and I will continue to do other charity work/events for MS Society. - Sharon Ball MS’ BIG BREAKFAST’ RESTART Hi all, Hope you are all as well as possible? I just wanted to remind you that 'The Big Breakfast' at Teddy's Diner, The Azur has started up again and the next one is Saturday 4th September 2021 10.30am- 11.30am. Subsidised still at £3.50 per person. Only difference now is that because of Covid19 I need to know the proposed numbers for the day to inform the Azur and so that I can send the guidance notes from the National centre on events at managed venues. Please call me on Freephone 0800 7076645 if you would like to attend. Please remember that if you have transport issues then we can provide wheelchair accessible or standard taxis via 247 taxis at no extra charge. MSS Hastings & Rother Group Newsletter November 2021 Below is what you need to know before attending one of our events, please: COVID-19 GUIDANCE SHEET ATTENDING MS SOCIETY ACTIVITIES As Government restrictions regarding COVID are being eased and or lifted across the nations of the UK, there are still some processes in place that need to be adhered to. The following requirements apply to staff, volunteers, service users and visitors. Please follow them to the best of your ability: 1. Do not take part in any MS Society activity if you (or anyone in your household) have any symptoms of COVID-19. For the most up-to-date symptoms please check your nation’s website (links below). 2. Attendees must understand the needs of their own nation’s requirements before attending any MS Society event or activity (numbers, hygiene measures, masks and social distancing - links below). 3. Where it is no longer a legal requirement to exercise hygiene practises, wear face coverings or follow social distancing measures the MS Society strongly recommends that we all continue to follow these systems where possible, while the virus is still circulating. 4. You will still need to provide your contact details in order to fulfil the mandatory governmental requirements for test and trace. 5. If you are travelling to an activity, you will need to check locally to see what the requirements are for using public transport. 6. Please be aware some people will be nervous about returning to pre-pandemic behaviours. Please take this into consideration during initial interactions with those you have not seen for some time. 7. Please follow any advice or additional requirements made by the organiser. EVERYDAY LIFE The official COVID-19 guidance varies between the UK nations and changes regularly. You can keep updated on all areas including advice on symptoms and the test and trace system at: England: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus N Ireland: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/coronavirus-covid-19 Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/ Wales: https://gov.wales/coronavirus You should also stay aware of any changes to local conditions, such as a local lockdown, via your local news outlets. MSS Hastings & Rother Group Newsletter November 2021 Scams Just because you’re not on the internet doesn’t mean you’re safe from scammers! Here are some great bed-time reads... The Little Book of big scams - information from the police, a proper page turner! Barclays have been wanging on about online safety for ages, here's their tuppence worth If you like stories you might like this podcast from Darknet Diaries about how hackers got the details of a couple of Donald Trump’s social media accounts https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/87/ In one of the episodes in t;his podcasts the narrator describes how his mum ‘hacked’ a company with nothing but a smile and a clipboard. Great show. Latest scams - from Barclays Text messages about voicemail The latest text message scam sends you a link to listen to a new voicemail. Open the link and your smartphone could be infected with malware that could allow scammers to access your account. Don’t be the next victim. Be suspicious of all text messages you receive, especially ones that contain links. Cryptocurrency Everyone’s talking about cryptocurrency at the moment, but it doesn’t mean you should listen to anyone offering to invest your money in Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency, especially if they’re offering to open a wallet for you that you wouldn’t have access to. Scammers are posing as sales staff to get you to buy into a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’. If you are looking to invest, it’s best to get the opinion of a qualified adviser and check the FCA website – don’t give out any details over the phone. MSS Hastings & Rother Group Newsletter November 2021 Covid vaccine passport scam Scammers send an email claiming to be from the NHS, asking you to a click a link to apply for a ‘Digital Coronavirus Passport’. It then asks for personal and payment details to pay an admin fee. If you receive an email like this, don’t click on the link or give out any details. National Insurance Fraudsters call you to say your National Insurance number has been compromised and the National Crime Agency will be in touch. They then ask you to give your details or make a payment over the phone to receive your new National Insurance number. If you get a call like this, hang up – only scammers will try to rush or pressure you and your NI number stays the same for life. Romance The coronavirus situation has meant lots of us are using dating sites and social media to meet others. Not everyone is who they say they are and scammers can pose as others online. Always do your background research on the person you’re speaking to and don’t transfer money to someone you haven’t met in person – especially if they say they’re overseas and need the money for some kind of emergency or crisis. Speak to someone you trust first. More info from Barclays: https://www.barclays.co.uk/fraud-and-scams/ MSS Hastings & Rother Group Newsletter November 2021 Sportability Fancy doing something sporty-ish? Sportability run all sorts of activities that might be of interest / tick off your bucket list (?) Just go to www.sportability.org.uk and find an activity you can get to (the list is national!) and sign up here www.sportability.org.uk/contact/contact-us-activities/ Events Webinars: What are webinars? They are live streamed events (like the yoga above), usually presentations on video. If they are live you can often interact with the speaker by writing comments to them. If it happened in the past there is often a link to a recording of the webinar. March- June 2021 On the MS Society Website: ● Volunteer Voice - Wednesday 31 March at 7pm - Places still available! ● Wellbeing Information Webinars: Fatigue and my MS - Thursday 18 March at 7pm ● Building resilience and good mental health - Thursday 22 April at 7pm ● Relationships and MS - Wednesday 12 May at 7pm ● Making the right lifestyle choices - Wednesday 23 June at 7pm ● Keeping connected: Wellbeing sessions for different stages of the MS journey and time to chat session MSS Hastings & Rother Group Newsletter November 2021 Brush up on your technology skills Design and print a christmas card for just a few quid Ask Jon to help you use a free web app (no install required) to design a christmas card for someone you love. Or maybe for someone you like... Whether it’s a computer, a laptop, tablet or phone, Jon (fairly good with computers) Kemm is offering free help with anything from (bold claims!): ● setting up your device ● understanding your device better ● being able to use social media (or knowing what on earth it is or what the cool kids are up to with it these days) ● Make silly pictures like the one above ● Print an image on a t-shirt ● Set up a website Jon was a secondary school computer teacher so should be able to help. Go on, give him something weird to do, he loves it... Ask Tom for contact details. MSS Hastings & Rother Group Newsletter November 2021 MSS Hastings & Rother Group on the web For those of us who don’t venture onto the internet much, here’s some info we have on the internet at the moment: Webpage: www.mssociety.org/near-mebranches/hastings-and-rother-branch Sections on our area’s website include: Benefits Advice Service Contact our man in Harc for help when applying for benefits. Ways to contact Clive: The Advice and Community Hub Renaissance House, The Old Church School , London Road, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN37 6AN Clive Edwards - 01424 428375 / 01424 444986( Tuesdays & Thursdays 2-4pm) Clive Edwards New Mobile: 07936 953490 Mindfulness Talks CURRENTLY SUSPENDED DUE TO COVIS-19 A series of Mindfulness talks provided by Liza Waller from the Sara Lee Trust. Running for 8 weeks commencing 13th May.( not on 27th May as Bank Holiday or 17th June as mid -course break that week and re starting up on 24th June. CURRENTLY SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19 SAMS - Social and Active with MS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON-LINE VIA ZOOM VIDEO CONFERENCE DUE TO COVID-19 SAMS coffee mornings are an opportunity to make new friends and speak to people who can really identify with what you may be experiencing- whether you have MS or are a carer. CURRENTLY AVAILABLE ON -LINE ONLY VIA ZOOM DUE TO COVID-19 ORGANISED BY JULIE TRIMBY Call Julie Trimby on 01424 731594 Yoga- CURRENTLY OPERATING ON -LINE VIA WHAT'S APP/ZOOM Yoga is an ancient form of exercise that focuses on strength, flexibility and breathing, using a series of postures to boost physical and mental wellbeing. Poses can be modified to make them suitable for those with reduced mobility, and can be practised standing, sitting in a chair or wheelchair, or even lying on the floor. Practicing yoga can improve your core strength and balance and help you cope with everyday tasks. The relaxing benefits of yoga may also help you manage the mental challenges of MS, and it and offers the social advantages of being part of a group. Call Donna Sams on 07519 358168 Taxi Service 247 Wheelchair compatible vehicles are available for transport to and back from MS Social events or meetings. Phone Tom Earley between 8am and 5pm daily Monday to Friday and Saturday 9 am - 12 noon only on 07902 378956 MSS Hastings & Rother Group Newsletter November 2021 Social media: Facebook: We have a facebook PAGE to give information e.g. about upcoming events etc. www.facebook.com/hastingsrothermssociety We also have a Facebook GROUP for members to contribute to e.g. discussions www.facebook.com/groups/mshastingsrother Twitter Information posted to out Facebook PAGE is also sent out on our Twitter feed. https://twitter.com/MSHastin gsRoth Group Contact Details: Postal Address: MSS Hastings and Rother c/o Hastings Voluntary Action Jackson Hall Portland Place Hastings TN34 1QN Telephone: 0800 707 6645 Email for advice and information: hastingsrother@mssociety.org.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/hastingsrothermssociety Webpage: www.mssociety.org/near-mebranches/hastings -and-rother-branch National MS Helpline 0808 800 8000 helpline@mssociety.org.uk Group Coordinating Team Tom Earley Group Co-ordinator Keith Mouland Finance Volunteer Ann Mouland Administrator Volunteer Frank Mathews Fundraising Volunteer Linda Butler Communications Volunteer MSS Hastings & Rother Group Newsletter November 2021