Chiltern Branch

Welcome to the Chiltern Branch

The Chiltern Branch covers Buckinghamshire south of Milton Keynes together with parts of East Berkshire, including the following postcode areas: HP 5 - 22 and SL1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. The Branch is run by volunteers and has been active in supporting people with MND since 1992. Our support complements that provided by the MND Association.

Find out more about upcoming events, available support, and how you can get involved below.

Select branch committee members (L-R) - Cyndy Mepham (Branch Contact), John Jefkins (Retired Treasurer), Carmel Grant (Chair and AV), Laura White (Web and social media), Mabel White (trainee), Alison Rimmer (former fundraiser), David Alexander (AV), Vicki Walduck (Treasurer and Branch Secretary) 

About the branch

The Chiltern Branch provides practical help, information and local support to people with MND and those close to them, whenever they need it and in a number of ways. Our team of trained Association Visitors can provide you with practical support and information and will be able to signpost you to the local health or social care professionals and services that you may need to access, and they will provide an on-going link to the Association.

We are able to provide financial support within guidelines set by the Association. These can be towards equipment and domestic adaptations as well as services and facilities that help to maintain quality of life in terms of independence, dignity and social connections. We can provide support to carers and to children and young people affected by MND. We can also help towards the cost of using taxis with wheelchair access to enable people to attend our social events. We support local fundraising and awareness raising activities and any national MND Association or local campaigns.

Our branch committee members are:

• Carmel Grant - Chair
• Martin Goodwill - Vice Chair and Fundraising
• Cyndy Mepham - Branch contact
• Vicki Walduck - Secretary and Treasurer
• Laura White - Social media/website
• Jeanette Fundell - committee member
• Nikki Banks - committee member
• Phil Murray - committee member

Our Association Visitors are:

• Carmel Grant
• David Alexander
• Charlie McNicoll
• Lesley Lanchbury
• Helen Gallop

Read our latest newsletter here: https://www.mndassociation.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/Branch%20January%20Newsletter%202024.pdf

Read our 2022 Impact Report 

Volunteering opportunities

We are looking for a volunteers to help out at our monthly Support Group meeting in Aylesbury. The role involves ensuring the smooth running of the support group meeting including helping with refreshments and making guests feel welcome. More information can be found here: https://volunteering.mndassociation.org/vacancy/support-group-volunteer-north-buckinghamshire-541813.html 

Would you like to become a committee member with the Chiltern Branch? Working alongside your fellow local branch committee members you can help to make a difference to the lives of those living with or affected by motor neurone disease. More detail here: https://volunteering.mndassociation.org/vacancy/committee-member-buckinghamshire-525813.html

We are looking for Association Visitor volunteers in North Buckinghamshire (e.g. Aylesbury, Buckingham areas). Do you enjoy listening to and helping people? Are you looking for a volunteering role where you can do just that, and fits in around your family, studies or other commitments? By becoming an Association Visitor and donating your time, energy and skills, you can make a real difference to the lives of people affected by MND. More detail here: https://volunteering.mndassociation.org/vacancy/association-visitor-north-buckinghamshire-520771.html

Chiltern Support Meetings

We run regular support meetings which people living with MND, their carers and family members are welcome to attend – they are very informal and provide an opportunity over light refreshments to meet and chat with others going through the same experience. We have two meetings - one in the north of our area and one in the south. Our south meeting is held on the third Monday of the month between 2-4pm at Cedar Barn, Barn Avenue, Hazlemere HP15 7BQ. Our north meeting is held on the second Thursday of the month between 2-4pm at Aylesbury Rugby Club (HP22 5RN). If you would like any further information or help with transport to the meetings, please contact Cyndy Mepham at [email protected] or 07716 667582

Fundraising

JustGiving page for donations to the Branch

If you or your family or friends wish to make a donation to the Branch for any reason, you can do so by means of a JustGiving page that we have set up for that purpose at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chiltern-branch-mnda

The page is completely secure and has the great advantage to our Treasurer that it will automatically claim Gift Aid on donations that qualify, and that increases the amount donated by 25% at no cost to the donor.

Give as you live

'Give as you live' is a great organisation that gives a charity that you nominate a donation every time you shop with over 6,000 stores through their website. All you need to do is register for an account and pick your chosen charity (like us!). Then you can browse for the store you want to shop with either through the 'Give as you live' website or through their app. You will then be diverted to the website/app of the relevant store to complete your shopping. The company you shop with pays a commission to 'Give as you live' and they then donate 50% of that commission to your chosen charity. All the big retailers are on there like John Lewis, eBay and Tesco.

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