Turning challenge into change: how one man is helping people with MS in Wigan

Peter Elliot from Wigan has been helping people living with multiple sclerosis for nearly a decade. He’s the chairman of Wigan MS Therapy Centre, a completely volunteer-run charity based at Marsh Green Community Centre on Kitt Green Road. The centre offers a fully accessible gym, therapy rooms, and a welcoming lounge where members can relax, have a brew and a chat. Supporting the charity is very close to Peter’s heart, and it all started because of his wife Karen.

Peter’s story…. in his own words

“April 1st, 2016…. a day I’ll never forget. My wife Karen was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. We’d both heard of MS, but we knew nothing about it. The neurologist told us he wouldn’t go into detail about what would happen next, but he arranged for us to see the MS nurse. While we waited, a friend of Karen’s suggested we visit Wigan MS Therapy Centre to see what they do.

“I was still at work that day, so Karen went along with her aunty. She came home buzzing about how welcome everyone had made her feel and how supportive they were. It was completely new to us both, but Karen returned a few times and each time came home so positive. That’s when I decided I wanted to help. I wanted to give something back to a group that was helping my wife so much.

“A couple of weeks later, I went along with her and, just as she had said, it was a really welcoming group. The charity is run entirely by unpaid volunteers and relies on fundraising, donations and grants. I started helping with whatever I could, brewing up, going to the shop, even standing in a field all day doing a tombola to raise funds. Soon I became the unofficial odd-job man, regularly being asked to bring tools and fix things around the centre. It was never a problem , I wanted to give back.

“By the end of 2016, the committee asked me to join them officially. I had to politely decline because I was still working and couldn’t commit fully, but I promised to continue volunteering whenever I could. I finished work at the end of 2017, and in June 2017 I got a phone call that completely surprised me. The chairman had stepped down, and they asked if I would take over. I hadn’t expected it, but I accepted. Meetings were arranged around my shift patterns, and almost nine years later, I’m still chairman. I genuinely love supporting this local, independent charity.

“Karen still gets as much from attending the centre as she did on that first visit 10 years ago. The centre has a fully accessible gym, two therapy rooms offering a wide range of holistic therapies and pain relief sessions, but in my opinion, the most important room is the lounge. That’s where members can just call in, have a brew and a biscuit, and support each other at the same time. Wigan MS Therapy Centre and all its members will always be very close to my heart.”