WINTER may be just around the corner but Hilary Lord’s new quilt means she is now prepared.

She won the multi-coloured double bed-sized quilt in a raffle from Kidlington-based fabric shop Freelance Fabrics.

The shop’s staff made the quilt and raffled it in July, raising £1,260.

The money will go to the West Oxfordshire branch of the MS Society, which supports people who have the neurological condition multiple sclerosis (MS) Mrs Lord, a retired teacher from Kidlington, said: “I had a go way back in the summer. I bought a few tickets for £1 each. Then I forgot all about it.

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“When they rang to say I’d won I was very surprised.

“It’s lovely. I can’t wait to take it home and wrap myself up in it.”

The shop’s owner David Cox said: “I just want to say a massive great big thank you for the support from everybody. It’s been a lovely experience for us all.”

About 100,000 people in the UK have MS, and health experts in Oxfordshire say it affects 1,950 people in the county.

For people who have MS, the coating around nerve fibres is damaged, causing a range of symptoms, including vision problems, balance problems and dizziness, as well as memory problems. Mr Cox said: “I hope the money goes some way to being helpful.

“People seem to fight a much better fight against this disease than I ever would.

“It’s been humbling talking to people about this.”

Brian Virr has had MS for 20 years and is on the fundraising team for the charity’s West Oxfordshire branch.

The Woodstock resident, 69, said: “I’m absolutely delighted.

“It’s a tremendous amount of money for a relatively small branch.

“It will be very gratefully received. We will be in David’s debt for a long time.”

He said: “It will go to the branch and probably some to the central head office as well.

“It funds things, like physiotherapy and hydrotherapy for people. We have to use qualified therapists and we don’t get funding aside from what we raise so it all adds up.”

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