We want to shine a light on the lesser known charities in the Isle of Man. Our next charity is Without Wings, the Manx Autoimmune Arthritis Trust (Charity 1213).
They are a small, voluntary awareness raising and grant-making body.
We spoke to Jackie Morrey-Grace, Without Wings’ founder, trustee and chair, to find out more about their work.
Who are you / What do you do?
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Our aim is to support the 1-1.5% of the Manx population who are affected by an autoimmune arthritis diagnosis.
Just to clarify, these include conditions such as rheumatoid, psoriatic and juvenile arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and lupus.
However, our legal constitution covers any autoimmune condition that attacks the joints - and therefore mobility.
As for the support we offer, it has always been three-fold:
lWe raise awareness to help educate the public about these conditions. In doing so we hope people can receive vital earlier diagnoses as well as feel less isolated and better supported and understood.
lWe aim to improve access to useful and positive information.
lWe provide grants to help improve easy access to essential services when people are most ’without wings’ or their physical or emotional freedom.
The types of services our money has helped fund include:
lHelp around the home, therapeutic creative initiatives, professional health counselling and specific Juvenile Arthritis initiatives.
We also now have Lynsey’s Fund.
This is a fund we set up in memory of our friend and supporter, Lynsey Skelly Martin, and reflects her belief in being proactive with your health.
This is therefore used to help fund things like exercise and rehabilitation and complementary health support.
Without Wings aim to achieve all the above via our brand-new website, our Facebook campaigns and our fun and community orientated awareness and fundraising events. As well as this, we work hard to keep our image friendly and approachable.
This is because our top goal is for people to feel comfortable accessing our services.
We don’t provide support groups, but we do try and point people in the right direction if we can’t help.
Why/WHEN DID YOU FORM?
Without Wings was formed in October 2016.
At the time there was no support of this kind available specifically for people with these diagnoses.
As these conditions are autoimmune in nature, they can be complex and affect anyone of any age.
They are also often cited as being ’progressive and incurable.’
Though it’s important to remember that lots of people do well with the correct support, these conditions can also be extremely painful, debilitating and frustratingly unpredictable.
This means that the social and emotional cost of living with an autoimmune arthritis diagnosis can be huge. This was not being directly addressed when we formed the charity.
In fact, the kind of support we offer was described as a ’service gap’ by the then Health Minister.
Overall, we just hope that the services we provide help to make our already fabulous island a much better place to live if you’re affected by these conditions.
What has been your biggest achievement or proudest moment since forming?
Every time someone uses our services, raises money for us, supports us and our events or stops us in the street (or the pub!) to say thank you, we feel immensely proud.
We love what we’ve achieved with our image and website, and we’ve run some brilliant events in the past (and plan more for the future!), but knowing people are out there understanding why we exist and finding benefit in what we do is ultimately all that matters.
What is your biggest ambition/goal for the future?
Without Wings only have the resources to support people with these specific conditions.
However, everybody knows that stress is the biggest killer - and there are few things more stressful than living with a physically debilitating illness.
Yet, though the mental health conversation in general is improving, people still shy away from talking about it in relation to chronic physical illness - it’s almost like it’s the last taboo!
Our greatest ambition would therefore be this:
To see easier access to essential and compassionate services for all people with serious and chronic health issues on the Isle of Man.
It’s not just about counselling, but also providing support that acknowledges the practical day to day difficulties too.
How can people get involved?
Help spread the word!
Get involved by liking and sharing our Facebook posts, through running a fundraiser, printing off a poster and sticking it in your workplace, supporting our events and, most importantly, using our services when you need them!
Where can people find you and where can they donate?
Our website is www.withoutwings.co.uk
Our Facebook page is @withoutwingsiom
To donate or to set up a fundraiser, please email us at [email protected]
l If you would like to see your charity featured, please email [email protected]