The MS Society is offering study grants for instructors wishing to commit to a variation on Mariska Breland's Pilates Based Exercise for MS Course which adds to the course work experience with clients who have MS.  

The study grant is available for either the two day or three day versions of the course so is suitable for fitness and medical professionals with or without a Pilates qualification.  Up to £100.00 grant can be awarded.

We would like to collect data on the impact of using this type of exercise with people with MS. Once you have completed the course, we would be grateful if you would fill in the log on the Mbodies website.

You might also like to consider having contact with the local area staff of the MS Society with a view to offering to a Pilates for MS sessions or group classes. We are able to facilitate this.

The MS Society would also like to enable others to learn from your experiences, both from doing the course and the benefits gained by people with MS. If you are willing to undertake the case study and share your learning and your experiences, please contact Jane Petty, UK programme lead for physiotherapy and exercise ([email protected] ). 

The local MS Societies might well be able to pay out of pocket expenses for the classes but it is less likely that a fee will be offered for your services. 

The cost of the 2 day course + Work Experience is £400.00 of which you pay £300.00 when booking the course. For the 3 day course + Work Experience it is £500.00 of which you pay £400.00 when booking.  

If you apply for and are successful in receiving a grant from the MS Society, the grant will be paid directly to Mbodies Training Academy. You will then have to pay any remaining balance to Mbodies.

If you meet the criteria for applying for a grant and are unsuccessful in your grant application and cannot afford the balance for the course your application can be cancelled with your deposit refunded less a £25.00 administration fee or Mbodies  will agree with you a payment plan over up to 6 months (minimum £50.00 per month) to facilitate payment of the balance. 

For details of the courses, locations and dates please Click Here

Prerequisites for applying for discretionary grant funding for the course

1. You must be a Qualified Fitness Professional or Medical Professional residing and working in the UK.
2. You must be prepared to take the course and follow this up with a case study comprising 10 one on one sessions with a client with MS and up to 3 group classes as arranged with your local MS Society branch.  And to log these sessions to form a case study.
3. You must have a confirmed place on a Pilates Based Exercise For MS Course (you will only need to pay half price when booking)
4. You will need to sign up as a member of the MS Society Professional Network Click here to do so 

How to Apply for your Grant

• Sign up for a place on a course and pay The amount due from you for your place

If you have not done so already Click here

• Sign up as a member of the MS Society Professional Network

If you have not done so already Click here

• Download the grant application form 

If you have not done so already Click here    this link will open up a page with the document showing for you to click and download.

• Save the completed form as a .doc (not docx) format and attach to an email asking for the grant which you should send to [email protected] and copy this at the same time to [email protected].

 You should hear back with 7 days if your grant application has been successful and if so the amount of grant being offered.  The MS society will pay your grant directly to Mbodies Training Academy -  you purely need to email [email protected] to advise that your grant has been confirmed and discuss how any balance between the grant and your outstanding fees, if any,  will be settled.

This is an example of how you might complete the Application Form -  it is designed to help you purely as an example and is not a substitute for your own accurate answers.

Title:Mr                               

First name :  JOE              

Surname:  PILATES

Name of organisation / Employer : SELF EMPLOYED

Address  of  Organisation : THE INTERNMENT CAMP | ISLE OF MAN | WW1 1WW

Email :  [email protected]

Job Title / Position in Organisation           PERSONAL TRAINER              

Nature of Work with People with MS

I DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE ANY CLIENTS WITH MS AS I DO NOT FEEL THAT I HAVE THE SKILLS TO WORK WITH THEM.  THEREFORE I HAVE SIGNED UP TO THE MS BASED EXERCISE FOR MS 2 DAY COURSE  WITH THE FOLLOW UP WORK EXPERIENCE CASE STUDY OPTION AND INTEND FOLLOWING THE COURSE TO PROMOTE MYSELF TO CLIENTS WITH MS TO IMPROVE THEIR LIFESTYLES THROUGH EXERCISE.

Address for Correspondence                     AS ABOVE

Course Details                                                  

Title          PILATES BASED EXERCISE FOR MS (2 day course)

Provider     MBODIES                            

Venue       ABERDEEN

Date          MARCH 30TH 2015          

Cost of the Course   £400.00 (I have paid £300.00)

Is this course likely to lead to recurring costs   NO

What other sources of funding have for this course have you tried to access

NONE

Please specify the total amount of Study Grant Required

£100.00

Have you ever applied for or received a grant from the MS Society ?

NO

How will this course help in your work with people with MS

IT WILL GIVE ME THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONDITION, ITS SIGNS, SYMPTOMS AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE BODY AND ALLOW ME TO RELATE TO MY CLIENTS AND TO DESIGN APPROPRIATE  EXERCISE PROGRAMMING FOR THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS AND IN SO DOING HELP THEM WITH THEIR LIFESTYLE AND TO MANAGE BETTER THEIR SYMPTOMS.

Please provide a supporting statement from your manager, written on employer headed notepaper. If you are applying to do a skills based course, the statement should include confirmation that you will be able to practice / utilise the skills in your work with people affected by MS.

If you are unable to provide a supporting statement for any reason, please state why.

I AM MY OWN MANAGER

I agree to supply the MS Society with a copy of assignments and / or named elements, such as a reflective account of my experience of doing the course and how it will benefit people with / affected by MS. (Please note: we might ask you to share some of this information on our website or in publications. This will only be done after discussion and agreement with you)

Signed          Joseph Huberus Pilates