Multiple sclerosis (MS) charity the MS Society have announced two Hull volunteers as finalists for the Impact Awards.
Anne Todd, 41, and Chris Todd, 53, are two of 18 volunteers who have been shortlisted for the virtual awards ceremony on Wednesday 5 October at 7pm.
The night will be hosted by MS Society Ambassador and DJ Scott Mills, who will announce the winners of the six impact awards.
With more than 130,000 MS patients living in the UK, the MS Society would not be able to provide the services and support it does without volunteers’ time and energy.
Since the pandemic hit in early 2020, the married couple, both with MS, have hosted online meetings of the MS Society’s Hull, Beverley and Holderness group.
In addition to hosting endless hours of Zoom calls, they also host a regular pub quiz on Friday nights. There have been times when sessions have lasted all day, such as on Christmas Day 2020, but they usually last up to four hours.
Chris, who stopped working due to deteriorating health said:
“As a communication volunteer for the group, I felt it was my job to help people communicate. Many of our members lived alone and couldn’t see anybody. They were really isolated. I’d used Zoom for work, and also to attend meetings with the MS Society before the pandemic. It seemed like the obvious choice for us to keep in touch with our group members.
“To begin with, our group didn’t know what to talk about! So, we did some research on team and community-building exercises and games. We started hosting quizzes and online plays which were run by a brilliant local theatre company, Hull Truck Theatre. We also held dance and music sessions.”
“The reasons we did this was to help us out and we didn’t do it with any intention to carry on this long or get an award. We did it in a crisis to help out. We didn’t do it for any recognition, and we didn’t expect it to go on for this length of time. We think it will go on forever!”
Nick Moberly, Chief Executive at the MS Society, says: “We’re delighted to be celebrating our amazing volunteers, like Chris and Anne, at the first ever MS Society Impact Awards virtual ceremony in October. More than 130,000 people live with MS in the UK and without our volunteers’ time and energy, it would be impossible to deliver the services and support that we do.
“It’s fantastic to have our brilliant Ambassador Scott Mills hosting the virtual awards ceremony, we’re really excited that he’ll be joined by some of our other amazing celebrity supporters to present awards. By live-streaming the event we hope to make the evening more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Crucially, by shining a spotlight on the amazing contributions and the impact our volunteers have on people affected by MS, we also hope to inspire more people to get involved.”
At 7pm on Wednesday 5 October, the MS Society will stream the virtual awards ceremony live on YouTube and Facebook.
