The nation is currently marking 40 years of Volunteers’ Week – an annual celebration of the amazing contribution volunteers make to their local communities. Running until June 9, it’s a chance to recognise and applaud the country’s volunteers for all they contribute to neighbourhoods, the voluntary sector, and society as a whole. Here, we meet incredible volunteers who are doing just that for people across Scotland who are living with MS.

Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters The way Joanne Newall looked at it, if her multiple sclerosis (MS) meant she had to walk with the aid of a stick, it was going to be “the fanciest stick you have ever seen.” But it wasn’t always like that for the 35-year-old, who sank into a low mood when the realisation struck that the extreme fatigue associated with her progressive autoimmune nervous system disorder would rob her of her job. It was free counselling from MS Society Scotland that pulled her from the depths of despair and helped her to rediscover her infectious zest for life.

The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now. Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7. The free download features t.