Getting Through The Corridors

On Monday June21st four delegates from Oxfordshire travelled to the House of Commons to attend a parliamentary reception to lobby for a National Strategy for MND. The Oxfordshire group made their way through the historic corridors to attend the event which followed the handing over of a petition of 16,000 signatures at Downing Street in support of the National Strategy.

Lord Hunt of the Wirrall opened the reception and both Professor Colin Blakemore and Chris Woodhead spoke with passion about the need for the strategy. The key messages were well received by the MPs who were present, other MP's sent messages of support. The reception marked an important stage in the drive for the strategy. There will be more corridors to walk along the way but by taking action we can all add strength to the ultimate goal of achieving a National Strategy for MND.

MNDA Raffle

The MND Association 2010 raffle is now open!

The first MND Association-wide raffle last year raised nearly £135,000 for care support services and research projects - almost £18,000 of which was raised solely by branches and groups.

The MND Association is working hard to make this year’s raffle even more successful and are delighted that every ticket sold by branches and groups will help improve the lives of people living with motor neurone disease in their local area.

Here at the Oxfordshire Branch we have now received our first allocation of raffle tickets, and with your help, are looking forward to the 2010 raffle being a great fundraising success for us.

You may not be aware that we rely entirely on voluntary donations, so please do buy and sell as many tickets as possible, sending all ticket stubs and funds directly to us at the Oxfordshire Branch c/o M.Hamblin, Saddleback Cottage, Finstock, Chipping Norton, OX7 3DA

The closing date for raffle entries is Wednesday 20 October 2010 and the winners will be drawn on Friday 29 October 2010 - so there is plenty of time for us, with your help, to maximize this fundraising opportunity for people living with MND in Oxfordshire

We will be selling tickets at our local events, posting out books of tickets with our newsletter and asking for your support to sell tickets to your network of family, friends and work colleagues. Please let us know if you need more.

Taking part in the 2010 raffle gives you the chance of winning one of 25 great prizes, totaling more than £5,000. As well as helping us raise much needed funds for the Oxfordshire area, while increasing awareness of MND and the work of the Association.

Please see below the fantastic prizes on offer for the price of a £1 ticket:

1st prize choice: Holiday of a lifetime or £4,000 cash

2nd prize choice: Flat screen HD TV or £500 cash

3rd prize choice: Patio furniture or £250 cash

Runners-up prizes: 22 Roberts Radios

All winners will be notified in writing. Soon after the draw date a list of winners will be published on the MND Association website at www.mndassociation.org

All winners will be notified in writing. Soon after the draw date a list of winners will be published on the MND Association website at www.mndassociation.org

Raffle Rules:

• The raffle is open to all UK residents, excluding staff of the MND Association and Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man

• Tickets cannot be purchased or sold by anyone under the age of sixteen

• If you are intending to sell tickets at an event you must seek permission from the event organiser prior to the event

• Tickets must not be sold in the street

• Any money received after the closing date will be treated as a donation and will be used to fund our work

• Registered with the Gambling Commission under the Gambling Act 2005, www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

Finally, we would like to thank you so much for your support with the 2010 raffle and we wish you the very best of luck with the raffle draw!

About the Branch

The Oxfordshire Branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association is dedicated to providing help and support to people in the area affected by MND including their carers, families and friends.

Our aims are to raise funds and increase public awareness of the disease. We cannot achieve these aims without volunteers, and we need as many as possible, even for the smallest tasks. Please visit our Volunteers page to see how you could become involved.

We have a close relationship with Health and Social Care Professionals in our area such as Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Dieticians, Social Workers, Medical and Care Staff. Some of our volunteers attend the MND Care Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Among the support services we provide is a team of trained Association Visitors who will visit families when requested. The Branch also holds regular Family and Friends meetings for people living with MND and their carers. These give people an opportunity to meet with others who are living with the disease, and to share experiences and ideas.

Fundraising and raising awareness about MND in the general public are also very important aspects of Branch activities. For meetings and events planned for the next few months please visit our Events page.

We are always investigating ways in which we can help. Our Support page provides information on a number of Support Services available nationally and in the Oxfordshire area. We have also collected together a number of items of interest on our Information page. This provides links to other websites, information about books and other materials that may be helpful, and some advice on things such as travel, technology, and mobility equipment.

For details on how to contact members of the Branch, a map of the area covered by the Branch, and links to adjoining branches, please visit our Contacts page.

The Branch is one of over eighty local groups that are affiliated with the National Motor Neurone Disease Association. For information about the work of the Association (founded in 1979) and up to date news about research into the disease and advances in care, please visit the website at www.mndassociation.org.