Yorkshire Velo are proud to support our two nominated charities. Our aim is to raise awareness and funds for the charities through our various promotions and by wearing the charity logos on our club kit. Since 2005 we have raised over £5,900, and hopefully made many people aware of the charities and the illnesses they represent.

The Alzheimer’s Society

The Alzheimer’s Society is committed to maintaining, improving and promoting its unique knowledge and understanding of dementia. It seeks to define and develop quality in its care and core services, to reach out to and include all people with dementia, their families and the professionals who work with them and to work in partnership with other organisations that share its aims. The Society has over 25,000 members and operates through a partnership between over 250 branches and support groups and the national organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1979 as the Alzheimer’s Disease Society.

What the Society does...
The Society has expertise in information and education for carers and professionals. It provides helplines and support for carers, runs quality day and home care, funds medical and scientific research and gives financial help to families in need. It campaigns for improved health and social services and greater public understanding of all aspects of dementia.

What is Dementia?
Dementia is a term used to describe various different brain disorders that have in common a loss of brain function that is usually progressive and eventually severe. There are over 100 different types of dementia. The most common are Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies.

Symptoms of dementia include loss of memory, confusion and problems with speech and understanding. Most forms of dementia cannot be cured. The Alzheimer’s Society estimates that there are currently over 750,000 people in the UK with dementia.

The MS Society

The MS Society is the UK’s largest charity for people affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It is a membership organisation but provide services to all. The Society funds MS research, runs respite care centres, provides grants (financial assistance), education and training on MS. It produces numerous publications on MS and runs a freephone specialist Helpline. They are committed to bringing high standards of quality health and social care within reach of everyone affected by MS and to encourage and support medical and applied research into its cause and control. With a network of branches and regions across the UK, the Society has a National Centre in London and national offices in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

What is Multiple Sclerosis?
MS is the most common neurological disorder among young adults and effects around 85,000 people in the UK. It is more common in women than in men; the ratio is 3:2.

MS symptoms result from damage to myelin, the protective coating surrounding all the nerve fibres in the brain, eye and spinal cord. Myelin works like insulating cable, helping to conduct messages quickly and efficiently between the brain and the rest of the body. When myelin is damaged, messages are slower or distorted or don’t get through at all.

This damage to myelin can cause a wide variety of symptoms which can vary in severity and duration. These include double or blurred vision, ringing in the ears, tingling and “pins and needles” or numbness in the legs, feet arms or hands. Other symptoms include giddiness and loss of balance, chronic fatigue, pain, weakness and difficulty in walking, and bladder or bowel control.