THE MS Society is calling on Thurrock residents to support the hundreds of people living with multiple sclerosis in the area.

Around 300 people are living with the debilitating illness multiple sclerosis in the borough but a poll by the MS Society of more than 2,000 UK residents revealed that more than a third would be unable to identify one symptom of the neurological condition.

The charity is now calling on people in Thurrock to support the 100 people diagnosed with MS every week in the UK by signing up to ‘ChallengeMS’ – an annual fundraising event which aims to challenge people’s perceptions and raise £125,000 for MS research during September.

MS attacks at random and many of the symptoms are invisible to others so while people might appear to be fine, they’re often struggling with severe fatigue or problems with their balance and mobility.

Holly Lambert, Community and Events Fundraising Manager at the MS Society said: “There are around 300 people in Thurrock and over 100,000 people in the UK living with MS in the UK yet many people don’t fully understand the condition.

“We’re encouraging people to sign up to ChallengeMS to find out more about MS and take on a personal challenge during September – whether you decide to quit a habit, take on a creative challenge, enter a race, or simply make a change to your daily life - the choice is yours.”

The MS Society is the leading UK charity for the 100,000 people living with multiple sclerosis in the UK. Symptoms of MS usually start in a persons' 20s or 30s.

The condition can get steadily worse, or remain unpredictable throughout your life – one day you can be fine, the next you might lose your sight or be unable to move.

The charity is fighting to improve treatment and care to help people with MS take control of their lives.