After a busy week I have finally found some time to update you on the total raised at last week’s Vintage fair …
We are absolutely delighted with this total and had a fun day at the fair as well ❤️
You may recall from my previous post that a very kind lady on a neighbouring stall gave us some advice on some of the jewellery items we were selling … this turned out to be excellent advice. These items are now being sold through a jeweller and have raised around £230. Thank you so much Ann, for your expert knowledge and kind advice ❤️
We will be back at the next Vintage Village fair, hoping to sell the rest of our items. Please come along if you can ❤️
——– ❤️ ———
I had my PIP assessment on Monday. On the surface, it wasn’t a bad experience, but I don’t feel much happened during the assessment to truly assess my limitations or to support my claim.
For those that don’t know, “Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help you with some of the extra costs if you have a long term ill-health or disability”.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Numerous charities and organisations that support those with medical conditions and disability are critical of the government’s approach to the assessment process for PIP and other disability benefits. The MS Society is currently campaigning on behalf of those with MS who need this payment and is reporting on some of the difficulties MSers face with the process.
“The assessor rushed through the questions and didn’t give me a chance to explain anything properly” …this was entirely my experience too. She stopped me going into detail about my difficulties and there were several times when I mentioned a particular issue but she didn’t even write it down.
“It makes me really angry. You have a diagnosis of MS and there are clinical records that back that up. And then you get a report that completely contradicts it. It doesn’t make sense.
You don’t want to prove you have MS, but you have to prove how badly it affects you. To have someone judging you for a chronic illness is terrible.”
So, I’m not holding out a lot of hope that I will be successful. I’ve had to reduce my working hours because of my illness and struggling financially as a result. Life with a disability is expensive and stressful. I will definitely appeal if I am turned down and have some kind offers of support with this from friends with expert knowledge.
You can sign the MS Society open letter to the next UK government on this subject here … link
——– ❤️ ———
Other than the vintage fair, we don’t have any further fundraising events until after Christmas.
I haven’t sent Christmas cards for several years now after I started to become concerned about the huge amount of waste they generate and amount of money they cost, which I’d rather spend elsewhere. Instead I donate the money I save to charity (Children in Need, the NSPCC, the RSPCA, Myeloma UK and the MS Trust have all been recipients in the past).
This year, I’ll be paying into my HSCT fund.
There is a growing trend to stop sending Christmas cards and it is thought that many more people will be choosing this option this year. An unbelievable 1.5 billion Christmas cards are thrown away by UK households each year, (according to researchers at Imperial College) and it would be amazing if we could reduce this figure.
If you do decide to stop sending a Christmas cards and donate to a worthy cause instead, I do hope you’ll think of us. Even small donations can make a big difference and I would be very grateful for whatever you can spare ❤️
Thank you for your continued support ❤️💚❤️