Mutual Support is a unique military group that sits within the National MS Society and thus benefits from utilisation of the National groups training, oversight, knowledge communications and safeguarding.
We report routinely and fulfil returns annually to MSS HQ to assure financial and safeguarding propriety.
Mutual Support was founded to provide support for military personnel, veterans and their dependants living with MS. The need for a National Support Group was clear as although there are many MS groups, none understood the specific ramifications an MS diagnosis can cause for military personnel.
For military personnel the impact can be life changing in that it may enforce their leaving the service and both them and their family losing the comfort blanket of social, family and professional inclusion within the military institution. Mutual Support restores the opportunity to experience military level support, caring, love and gallows humour for not just the Booty, Crab and Jack Tar but crucially their families as well.
A non-profit organisation, Mutual Support is run wholly by volunteers who retain the enthusiasm, dedication and good humour from their military background. They commit themselves to provide and maintain a range of services to serving and discharged personnel and their families.
Our Online services and particularly the twice yearly Well-being Weekends enable existing membership and newly diagnosed joiners to access empathetic, knowledgeable support. Our dedicated, friendly and enthusiastic team works alongside certified venues and targeted services agencies to ensure professional delivery of our functions whilst retaining the military ethos and atmosphere which our members request and enjoy.
The Well-being weekends are fully funded for members with grant funding from many service and veterans charities but additionally via membership fundraising and individual donations.
We offer support, signposting services and online forums/activities. These are consolidated with quarterly information newsletters containing member submissions and separate communications acknowledging organisation supporters and contributors.
Mutual Support offers free membership and provides:
- Empathy – all of the volunteer Co-ordinating team, support volunteers and members live with MS.
- Support – from a dedicated and trained Support Team and Attending Patron Clinical Psychologist, “These benefits are priceless and life affirming and life changing.”
- Information – Via Newsletter, online Forums, Attended and Virtual Weekend speakers.
- Camaraderie – via dedicated military themed functions and tri-service membership.
- Wellbeing – from attending speakers, professional carers and therapists.
Winners of 2023 Soldiering on Awards for Family Values, we hail from the Military and serve the Military Family.