Dat_nana02's List: Campaigning & lobbying

The Neurological Alliance is a coalition of campaigning voluntary sector organisations working together to improve the quality of life of all people in the UK affected by a neurological condition. Its vision is that every person diagnosed with a neurological condition will have access to high-quality, joined-up services & good information from their first symptoms, throughout their life. Its objectives are: To drive forward implementation of the National Service Framework for Long Term Neurological Conditions across England; To increase understanding of neurological conditions & of the impact they have on the lives of people affected by them; To speak for the neurological community with an authoritative voice

The Stroke Association is the only UK wide charity solely concerned with combating stroke in people of all ages. It funds research into prevention, treatment & better methods of rehabilitation, & helps stroke patients & their families directly through its Rehabilitation & Support Services. The Association campaigns, educates & informs to increase knowledge of stroke at all levels of society, & it acts as a voice for everyone affected by stroke.

Research funding by the PD Society has led to advances in the search for the cause of Parkinson's, improved medical & surgical treatments, better therapies & equipment, & towards finding a cure. The Society provides information & advice from specialist nurses & advisers on its Helpline offer support & advice. A wide range of publications answer questions on all aspects of the condition. Local support is provided through a large network branches & support groups located across the UK, enabling everyone affected by Parkinson's & their families to meet others in similar situations.

The MS Trust is a UK charity, providing information for anyone affected by multiple sclerosis, education programmes for health professionals, funding for practical research & campaigning for specialist multiple sclerosis services.

The MS Society is the UK's largest charity for people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) - about 100,000 people in the UK. It is a membership-led organisation providing information & support to anyone affected by MS from a network of over 350 local branches. Its mission is 'To beat MS' for which purpose substantial funding of research is a key objective for the Society.

The MND Association's mission is to fund & promote research to bring about an end to MND. Until that is achieved it strives to do whatever it can to enable everyone with MND to receive the best care, achieve the highest quality of life possible, & die with dignity. The families & carers of people with MND are supported by local Regional Care Development Advisers together with a network of more than 95 branches & self-help groups plus a network of 15 Care Centres across the country. The Association funds & promotes research to understand what causes MND, how to diagnose it &, most importantly, how to effectively treat it so that it no longer devastates lives.

The Huntington's Disease Association exists to support people affected by the disease & to provide information & advice to professionals whose task it is to support them. Teams of Regional Care Advisers provide a range of services, information & advice to families & professionals as well as liaising with local branches & self-help groups, & organising training for service providers such as health, social services, nursing homes, & residential care staff teams plus service users. The Association's research programme promotes & also funds both medical & social research.

Headway UK helps & supports people affected by brain injury. Locally, a network of groups & branches offers a wide range of services, including rehabilitation programmes, carer support, social re-integration, community outreach & respite care. Additionally, the Headway Helpline provides information, advises on sources of support, finds local rehabilitation services & offers a listening ear to those experiencing problems. A range of booklets containing information about aspects of brain injury that will be helpful to those directly affected, plus professionals, employers & members of the public, is available.

Epilepsy Action offers a wide range of information about epilepsy & for people living with & affected by the condition as well as actively encouraging research into the social & medical (non-laboratory) aspects of epilepsy.

The Society provides a a range of services to people affected by encephalitis & their loved ones, including: Telephone information line; Material & up to date information on the condition, its consequences, treatment & rehabilitation; Dedicated direct support service offered via telephone, letter, e-mail &, on occasion, outreach visiting; Opportunities to get together with other people affected by the condition; Regular newsletters. The Society also contributes to ongoing research to further understand the causes & consequences of encephalitis.

The Society is the leading national epilepsy medical charity working for everyone affected by epilepsy, through its cutting edge research, awareness campaigns & expert care.

The Alzheimer's Society is a membership organisation, which works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia in England, Wales & Northern Ireland. Alzheimer's Society staff & volunteers work together to provide help & information to people affected by dementia in their communities - branch services include day care & home care for people with dementia, as well as support & befriending services to help partners & families cope with the demands of caring.

MIND is the leading mental health charity in England & Wales, working to create a better life for everyone with experience of mental distress by: Campaigning for people's rights; Challenging poor practice in mental health; Informing & supporting thousands of people on a daily basis; Providing over a thousand services across England & Wales through a network of local MIND associations.

The Myasthenia Gravis Association has as its objective the promotion of the welfare of sufferers from Mysathenia Gravis in the United Kingdom & the Republic of Ireland. The Association conducts the following activities: Fund Raising; Education; Medical research; Welfare. Currently, there are two branches in the North East of England.

The PSP Association is the only national organisation in the UK dedicated to the support of people with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) & the related disease Cortico Basal Degeneration (CBD), & those who care for them. The Association funds research, & provides support to patients, families & carers through the services offered on a UK-wide basis, through a Nurse Specialist helpline & local support groups. Publications, & an Annual Symposium for carers & therapists, together with targeted information provided to medical health & welfare profession through a team of Development Officers, based around the UK, helps to raise awareness of PSP & CBD on a local & national level.

In England & Wales, Scope focuses on people with cerebral palsy & aims to ensure that disabled people achieve equality: a society in which they are as valued & have the same human & civil rights as everyone else. A range of information leaflets & factsheets on therapies & other aspects of living with disability, is available. Scope carries out research into issues affecting disabled people & organises national & local campaigns.