About Our Group

Brief History
The Taunton group was started in 1993 after an inaugural meeting that was attended by many NASS members in the surrounding area.
Since then the group has provided an exercise session every week in the large gym at Musgrove Hospital supervised by a physiotherapist from the hospital.

Over the years the group has arranged social evenings, talks on A.S. covering exercising and medication and social aspects of living with A.S.
We have participated in fund raising events both locally and nationally to raise funds for NASS and our group.

We have close links with The Royal Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases at Bath where many of our members are out patients and have also attended their special two-week intensive A.S. courses.
Because of this the "group" has acquired some experience of A.S. and it's treatment and is able to help any newly diagnosed people who come to the group.
We hope that this web site is useful to you and that you are encouraged to contact us and come along to our group exercise sessions.
Aims of the Group
·To provide a weekly exercise session specifically for people with A.S. and cater for all abilities.
·To share information about A.S. and it's treatments.
·To increase membership to NASS to further the research into treatments and causes of A.S.
Support for Partners and Family of A.S. Sufferers
Often partners and family may feel isolated and unsure of how to help and support a person, particularly during "flare ups".
The medical profession are gradually coming around to the fact that partners and family do need to be involved and to have some understanding A.S. The A.S. course at Bath Hospital does recognize this and has sessions where this is discussed.
To this end the group always includes partners in talks and social evenings and they are also welcome to come and see one of our exercises sessions.