Isle of Man Multiple Sclerosis Society celebrates MS Awareness Week with a thank you for ?17,000 donated by Manx residents in the last year. At the launch of MS Awareness week, MS Society IOM Chairman Derek Patience expressed his delight at the superb results of the previous year’s fundraising and confirmed that over ?17,000 was raised, of which ?13,000 was spent locally on support for people with Multiple Sclerosis on the Island. “MS Awareness Week, which runs from 23 – 29 May, seems a good opportunity to celebrate the continued generosity of our supporters who raised over ?17,000 last year,” said Mr Patience, “and to publicly thank all those who have run marathons, taken part in the Parish Walk, taken a dip in the freezing Irish Sea every New Years’ Day and – less energetically but with just as much enthusiasm - held fund raising events at home, in their offices and made personal donations.” There are over 140 people with MS on the Island, and this debilitating, often disabling, incurable condition also affects their families and friends. The MS Society spent ?13,000 last year – up from ?10,000 in 2009 - providing emotional, practical and financial support. It was also able to make a donation towards research projects funded by the MS Society in the UK, including ground-breaking research into the cause of MS which it is hoped will eventually lead to a cure. “So many people have contributed to this fantastic total,” continued Mr Patience, “but I would particularly like to pick out a few: Nationwide International, whose staff nominated the MS Society as their Charity of the Year and raised ?3000; Michael Football Club who raised ?1000 for us as their Charity of the Year; and Zurich, whose staff yet again nominated the MS Society for a share of their staff Charity Fund. In addition I would like to thank everyone involved with the Peel New Year’s Day Dip – each year we receive a third of all money raised from this, and in 2010 this again topped ?1,700. But this is by no means the whole list and we are grateful to absolutely everyone who has made a contribution in the last 12 months.” ENDS