Amble for arthritis
In the current climate many charities are struggling for funds, people volunteer to do all manner of extraordinary sponsored stunts to help them, but if you have arthritis you are not likely to offer to run a marathon. So this year Arthritis Care, a charity that supports the 10 million people in the United Kingdom suffering from arthritis, came up with the idea of doing an amble.
I have been volunteering with Arthritis Care for many years after going on Challenging Arthritis, one of their self management courses. It meant I could turn my life around during a very difficult time. It seemed too good an opportunity to miss, an amble in Amble, so I donned my tee-shirt and ambled down to our signpost to get a bit of publicity.
With arthritis simple daily tasks can become difficult and painful. Adjusting isn’t always easy, but there are many people, services, products and benefits that can help. Although there is no cure there is a lot that can be done to minimize the effect on everyday life. For instance exercise, which may be the last thing on your mind when in pain from arthritis, is one of the best ways of keeping the pain at bay.
Having arthritis often means extra expense and reduced income; Arthritis Care has teamed up with disability charities across the UK to challenge the government’s welfare reform agenda and cuts to disability benefit. The charity saw a 25% increase in calls to their helpline following the Government’s welfare reform announcements. Arthritis Care’s fundraising supports running the courses, campaigning and production of useful booklets, together with a website www.arthritiscare.org.uk and a freephone helpline 0808 800 4050. They are here to help.
Vivienne Dalgliesh
The Amble idea sounds really good.