A MAN suffering from multiple sclerosis has set up an informal group for other young people affected by the condition. Adrian Law, 35, of Willow Road, Dunmow, is the MS support officer for the East Herts & West Essex branch of the MS Society and the first

A MAN suffering from multiple sclerosis has set up an informal group for other young people affected by the condition.

Adrian Law, 35, of Willow Road, Dunmow, is the MS support officer for the East Herts & West Essex branch of the MS Society and the first point of contact for anyone with MS or wanting to know more about the condition.

"Sometimes it can be difficult to explain how you are feeling to family and friends and you just wish there was someone you could speak to who understands," he said.

"We saw there was a need for people with MS to get together and have fun and speak to other people of a similar age who have found themselves in the same boat."

The group is for people aged between 20 and 40 to get them out and into an environment where they don't have to explain their condition but at the same time can ask about anything that they might want to know and talk through issues that are important to them.

Mr Law has MS and was diagnosed with the condition in 2003 after he went into hospital for what he thought was a sprained ankle.

After undergoing tests for five days, he was told that he had MS.

The condition is the most common neurological disease among 20 to 40 year-olds and affects 85,000 people in the UK. It is caused by damage to the sheath surrounding the nerve fibres of the central nervous system.

When the sheath is damaged it interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body.

Symptoms include depression, muscle spasms, fatigue, bladder problems, double vision and memory loss.

Mr Law has the secondary progressive form, which means he has symptoms that never go away and become progressively worse and stopped work in April 2006. Before that, he was a warehouse manager for Quiney Publications Ltd in Saffron Walden.

He saw an advertisement for the voluntary position of MS support officer and applied straight away. He was taken onto the committee at the end of that month.

"The idea of starting up the group came in December last year, and me being young and in the right age group, they thought

I was the man for the job," saidMr Law.

The next meeting takes place at the Lakeside Bowl in Bishop's Stortford on Sunday at 7pm and Mr Law is keen to stress that it is open to anyone. There is no need to be a member of the MS Society.

Anyone interested in going along to the group or learning more about MS can contact

Adrian Law on 01371 859246 or e-mail him at adielaw37@

hotmail.com