00:00This was my, this saved me when I was first diagnosed with MS because I thought it was going to
00:04be a death sentence.
00:06If I hadn't had the sentence to come to I would have had nowhere.
00:10MS is a neurological condition affecting the brain and spinal cord.
00:18Around 130,000 people in the UK are living with MS and an estimated 7,000 are diagnosed every year.
00:26It can cause extreme fatigue, loss of mobility, vision problems and chronic pain.
00:32For many in Kent, the difference between isolation and support is the Kent Neurotherapy Centre in Canterbury,
00:40which is an independent registered charity providing oxygen therapy, physiotherapy, specialist exercise and emotional support.
00:48The donations that we receive from our local community are absolutely vital for allowing us to continue running the neurotherapy
00:55centre.
00:56Members say it gives them strength physically and mentally.
01:01It actually changed my life for the better because I knew what was wrong with me.
01:05I met people that also knew what it was like to live with MS.
01:09But this centre receives no ongoing statutory funding from the NHS or central government.
01:15It's survived on donations, memberships, grants and fundraising.
01:20Without them, the fundraising manager says it simply could not stay open.
01:25As a centre, we have to raise £800,000 a year and the donations that we are able to get
01:31from local sports groups,
01:32there's a really great way of us bringing in some of that additional funding and the generosity that we find
01:39from those groups is just absolutely fantastic
01:41and it really does make a difference of the day-to-day lives of our members here.
01:45This week, volunteers organised a coffee open day, homemade cakes, a charity shop and fundraising activities filling the centre with
01:55supporters.
01:56And alongside that effort, Hyde Golf Club raised £4,000 through charity events presenting the cheque during the open day.
02:04Morning, Nancy. It's with great privilege to represent Hyde Golf Club in 2025 to hand over this cheque for £4
02:13,000 to the Kent Neurotherapy Centre.
02:16Please accept it on our behalf. Thank you very much.
02:22For some, it's therapy. For others, it's friendship. For Arlene, it was hope when she thought she had none.
02:29And without donations like these, that lifeline would be at risk.
02:34Kerry King, KMTV, Canterbury.
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