'Oxygen therapy centre is my lifeline'

Jayne Lock said the centre always gives her "a feel good factor"

A woman who has multiple sclerosis (MS) and attends an oxygen therapy centre has described the care she receives as "a lifeline".

Jayne Lock, who lives in Gloucestershire, was diagnosed with MS in 1998. It is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord and can have varying symptoms, including fatigue, vision problems and numbness. While it cannot currently be cured, treatment can often help manage it.

Mrs Lock has been going to the charity Charcot Therapy Centre, in Gloucester, for exercises and treatment for 25 years.

She said: "Without it there would be a big black hole in my life. I'd be lost."

The centre is celebrating 40 years of supporting people with neurological or long term conditions.

It offers a range of treatment and services, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Mrs Lock, who worked through all four of her pregnancies, said her MS diagnosis "took working life away" from her.

"It was horrendous because I'd not associated myself with MS, I didn't really know what it was," she said.

"A lot of people then sort of said 'oh, I'm so sorry that's what you've got'. So it made [me] feel even worse.

"But it's not a death sentence and that's important to recognise."

The centre offers treatment to people with a range of conditions from long term illness to short term sports injuries

Mrs Lock takes specialist exercise classes and has oxygen therapy at the centre.

"It's not like a hospital, it's not clinical. It's homely and gives me an uplift when I walk through the door," she said.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber.

This increases oxygen levels in the blood, helping tissues heal more effectively.

Mrs Lock explained there is a "strong social part" about receiving therapy at the centre.

"You can talk to other people that have got similar issues to you," she said.

"You're not all alone. You're not isolated and it's nice to be around people who understand."

Rachael Evans said that everybody who walks through the door "becomes part of my extended family"

Rachael Evans, who has been CEO of the centre since 2014, said: "This is my passion. Like Jayne, people arrive, and then they don't go.

"This is about creating a place where people can come and be themselves."

When Ms Evans joined Charcot there were about 36 people attending the centre. That number has now grown to more than 300.

"Not one person in this building is a number, everybody is an individual as we pride ourselves on getting to know everyone," she said.

"The door is open and it will always be open."