FUNDING has been secured to bring a dedicated multiple sclerosis physiotherapist to Hambleton and Richmondshire.

At the moment MS sufferers in the area have to travel to York, Middlesbrough or Newcastle for physiotherapy, which helps to prevent muscle wasting and cardio-vascular problems.

A £2,000 donation from Candis magazine and the efforts of the Hambleton and Richmondshire branch of the MS Society has made money available to pay for a physiotherapist for a year.

More money has come from the Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust, allowing the physio to work two days a week.

The aim is to fund the position for two years, after which it is hoped the trust will take over funding totally.

The service will be based at Rutson Hospital, Northallerton, with an outreach operation in Leyburn and Richmond, providing specialist treatment in these areas for the first time.

Yvonne Murphy, voluntary Hambleton and Richmondshire MS Society welfare officer, said founder member Allan Whitwam and committee member David Elkins had died last year. They were in wheelchairs for most of their lives and had been desperate for physiotherapy that was not available. "This is why we would like to provide a service locally," she said.