Berkshire MS Therapy Centre - London Irish local charity 08/09

Last year London Irish chose Berkshire MS Therapy Centre to be the club’s local charity for the 08/09 Season.

The BMSTC do amazing work for MS sufferers in Berkshire and the surrounding area. Started in 1984 in a portakabin on a rented site, the organisation moved into the current purpose-built Centre in the 1990’s following a spate of successful fundraising.

London Irish were delighted to become involved with BMSTC, and to witness first hand the great help and support they offer to MS sufferers and their families. When London Irish players, Peter Hewat and Dan Murphy went to visit the Centre to officially launch the partnership, together with the former Mayor and Mayoress of Reading, Peter and Cynthia Baird, who originally recommended the Centre to London Irish for consideration; they got to meet and chat with many of the members, who were in turn thrilled to meet the boys and talk sport!

The club was able to support the BMSTC in many of their fundraising ventures including the Walk for MileS and the Reading Half Marathon, in which many runners took part on behalf of the Centre, including our own Zoe Bishop. Digger was also there to cheer the runners on, as they collectively ran to raise £12,500 for the charity.

In February BMSTC held their annual Quiz Night, hosted by charity patrons, Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee. A great night was had by all with London Irish players Topsy Ojo, David Paice, Richard Skuse and Dominic Shabbo representing the club, and the event raising almost £4000 for the Centre. Unfortunately where the boys finished in the quiz must remain top secret; let’s just say they’re better at rugby than they are at general knowledge!

London Irish were also able to welcome many BMSTC members to Madejski Stadium to experience Guinness Premiership matchdays throughout the season. They were the nominated charity for the Family Fun Day which was held at the game against Bristol in April, where their bucket collection raised £1479 – a record amount for our stadium collections! Financial supporters from local trusts were invited to watch the game from the comfort of a hospitality suite as a thank you for all the incredible support they give the charity. This was the first time the BMSTC were able to hold such an event, and indeed was the first time Centre staff had met many of their contributors face to face. The Guard of Honour for that match was made up of children connected which the Centre, which was a great occasion for the children and their proud parents and topped off a great day for all concerned.

Another Quiz Night was held at the Jazz Café at Madejski in April, this time organised by London Irish and a total of £250 was donated to the Centre as a result, while signed balls, a signed shirt and tickets for various matches were also used for fundraising purposes throughout the year. Jackie Malcolm, Events and PR Co-Ordinator for BMSTC, said that the link with London Irish was absolutely fantastic and quite priceless in terms of raising their profile, adding that “people have since become more aware of us and, it seems, more generous”.

The Centre costs on average £360,000 a year to run and without the generous support of the local community, they would not be able to continue with the fantastic service they provide day in, day out, for MS sufferers. London Irish are proud to have been able to help this worthy charity, and wish the staff of the Berkshire MS Therapy Centre all the best with their future fundraising efforts.

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