Work starts on new MS centre (From Swindon Advertiser)

Work starts on new MS centre

8:47am Tuesday 26th May 2009 in Search By Hayley Court

SUPPORTERS of Swindon’s Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre kicked off renovation work for the charity’s new facility at the former Farepak site.

Howard Taylor of Heart FM and Bob Barratt of Swindon Thamesdown Rotary Club joined in as sledgehammers were used to knock through the first of many internal walls to open up the building in Westmead Drive, West Swindon, creating the new 4,800 square foot centre.

It’s an exciting new development for centre manager Jackie Wray who says the new facility will better accommodate its visitors and provide better long-term prospects for the charity.

“We’ve come so far to get here,” she said.

“And we’re so happy about the opportunities that we’re not only offering to the existing service users but to those who will be included when we widen our net.”

The first two child patients at the centre – currently based at Cheney Manor Industrial Estate – started oxygen therapy just before Christmas and this is something Jackie is keen to see continued.

“Oxygen therapy doesn’t just help with MS, like the two children we’ve seen here recently, it helps with brain tumours, autism and many other neurological conditions,” she said.

The charity needs another £200,000 to complete the new MS Therapy centre by October or November this year.

This includes the £100,000 needed for a new oxygen therapy room which will be built onto the existing building.

The centre is also making a more unusual request from the generous people of Swindon.

“We desperately need a lawn mower,” said Jackie. “We don’t have a garden at our current building but we have one here so it would be really nice to make it look good for our visitors.”

As well as the new oxygen therapy room and garden the new building will have an information room for visitors to find out more about their illnesses and treatments if they wish.

There will also be a new kitchen area and an office for staff – neither of which their current 20-year-old premises has at the moment.

The MS Therapy centre has come a long way in the last five years. In 2004 they were forced to close when the Healthcare Commission was launched.

“We had to close and then jump through all the hoops to get registered with them,” said Jackie, “but now we’re going from strength to strength and things keep looking better.”