Music night will raise funds for Sunderland branch of MS Society

A Sunderland woman inspired by her sister's battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is hosting a music night to help others in the area with the condition.
Roz Hughes, who is organising a fundraising event at the Roker Hotel, in aid of the Sunderland & District  MS Society. Roz is pictured with Marion Anderson (in orange top) the Society group co-ordinator.Roz Hughes, who is organising a fundraising event at the Roker Hotel, in aid of the Sunderland & District  MS Society. Roz is pictured with Marion Anderson (in orange top) the Society group co-ordinator.
Roz Hughes, who is organising a fundraising event at the Roker Hotel, in aid of the Sunderland & District MS Society. Roz is pictured with Marion Anderson (in orange top) the Society group co-ordinator.

Roz Hughes’s sister Caroline Teasdale experienced a sudden onset of symptoms of the debilitating condition in 2016, which affected her mobility and co-ordination.

Aged just 47 at the time, it affected Caroline, from Fulwell’s ability to work and do day-to-day tasks.

Roz Hughes with Marion Anderson (in orange top) the Society group co-ordinator.Roz Hughes with Marion Anderson (in orange top) the Society group co-ordinator.
Roz Hughes with Marion Anderson (in orange top) the Society group co-ordinator.
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Her family rallied round to help her live with the condition, which affects more than 100,000 people in the UK, and now Roz is hosting a fundraising night at the Roker Hotel in aid of the Sunderland and District branch of the MS Society.

Roz said: “Caroline had been absolutely fine and the symptoms came out of the blue. She couldn’t walk very well and began to struggle with her health, which had an impact straight away.

“At the time she had a manual car and couldn’t use it because of the way the condition affected her legs, so my dad had to do her food shopping for her and other tasks. It meant she was housebound for the first few months after diagnosis. She is taking medication now, but it can’t cure her, all it can do is halt the progress of the condition.”

Titled the Ultimate MS Charity Music Night, the event will take place on May 19, with more than 200 invited guests attending.

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As well as a raffle with some bespoke, top prizes from the likes of MotoGP at Silverstone and Fat Buddha in Seaburn, the night will feature two jazz musicians from the famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, as well as a performance from Indecision, a band from Wiltshire who are travelling up to help the cause.

Roz said: “As a family we recognise the support that the MS Society offers to people and the way it makes a difference. A lot of people become isolated because of the condition, because of mobility issues it causes, but also because of the psychological effects.

“I’m doing the Great North Run for the MS Society, but I wanted to do this music night for the Sunderland branch to help other families in the city.”

Roz also feels passionately about the charity through her company Just Caring Legal, a law firm which specialises in obtaining funding for people with healthcare needs.

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Marion Anderson, a group co-ordinator, who has volunteered for the Sunderland branch of the MS Society for 25 years, said: “I think the night is a brilliant idea. There’s so many charities around these days that it becomes increasingly difficult to get funding and volunteers. Without nights like this helping the local branches, the money would go to the London branch, but we want to keep the money in Sunderland and surrounding areas, to help people here.”

•To become a volunteer, or for more information on the Sunderland and District branch of the MS Society, email [email protected] or Tel. 07966 786703.