Although I have thrown myself into the breach in the past such as hand cycling from Edinburgh to London in 2007 leading the MS-nifcent 7 to Downing Street and then working as a form filler and fundraiser for a local disabled charity in Fulham, the last 2 weekends have been a real eye opener for me, helping to reengage me with the MS family.

In the summer the MS Society approached me about doing a series of videos for their Live it well campaign. In the last 8 months, I launched The Disabled Chef after appearing on BBC1’s One Show cooking Lancashire Hot Pot. My philosophy on food is that everything is good in moderation as long as you eat fresh and healthy and to get on with life with a positive attitude.

My message obviously had some synergy with the charities approach and for 2 days we worked together in my kitchen cooking 6 dishes. It was great fun, putting me in my element doing 2 things I love – cooking & talking! Accordingly the videos were well received internally and with the members, which delighted me. What I didn’t expect then was to be invited to not only cook at MS Life over the weekend of 17th September, but also asked to compere in their live kitchen with other chefs.

Not one to be a shrinking violet, I jumped at the chance. Having worked in advertising for many years, I’m used to getting up in front of people and presenting and the opportunity to learn from other chefs and cook with some interesting and exciting people was a great prospect.

Preparation for all things is the key and I did my homework so that the cooking and conversation flowed. First up was Kimberley Wilson who finished 3rd in the Great British Bake off in 2013. She has since gone on to produce But I’m hungry now and Glamorous Jam which has been getting rave reviews. She baked some wonderful biscuits and enthralled the audience with her tales of Mary Berry and her soggy bottoms. I over ran on time a bit, meaning I had to rush through my Thai chicken curry which was next but I had enough in the locker to keep the audience entertained.

Next up was Trevis Gleason. A fascinating chap who was a US coastguard, before coming a cook and award winning author. His book ‘Discovering life’s second course in Ireland with Multiple Sclerosis’ has received great acclaim. His wit and culinary skills were clearly abundant as he produced some excellent takes on the humble Egg with 3 recipes. His Carbonara was outstanding and his Frittata put mine to shame.

Hot on the heels of Trevis was Miguel Barclay.

His fascinating concept of One pound meals has seen him achieve over 100k followers on Instagram, numerous bookings for TV and a cook book soon to be published. He takes his recipes down to the basics, but in essence his concept is similar to mine – getting people to eat fresh food at a price they can afford. He whipped together a pork & mushroom stroganoff, which tasted great. We hit it off well, bouncing ideas between us and the audience, before everyone happily tucked into his excellent offering.

I hadn’t attended MS Life before, so in-between the cooking sessions, Julie (my wife) and I checked out who was exhibiting and what services and equipment was on offer. It was great to see Jo Sopala again, who had a stand with the MS Trust. They’d helped out on the walk in 2007, so I’ve always got time for them. Their campaign to help fund MS nurses has real resonance and one I openly support.

Fulham where I live used to have excellent MS services. I was seen on a regular basis by my neurologist and an entire team, which included physio’s and other professionals including a MS nurse at a local centre. It helped keep you on the radar, but Government cuts sadly closed it down and with it funding for the nurse and regular meetings with the neuro. Subsequently it means many MS’s are missing out on services and benefits and vital support they should be entitled to.

There were also a number of companies selling everything from car hoists, off road trike wheelchairs to theracycles, which allow you to cycle using your legs. It’s something I’m going to invest in as the onboard computer showed my leg muscles still worked even though I’ve been in a  wheelchair for years. We did buy an electric neck & shoulder machine though, I had a feeling I was going to need it on Sunday when I got home.

The last cooking session of the day was with Janis Winehouse and her husband Richard Collins who’d volunteered to cook Meat balls in tomato sauce with the abled assistance of Tracy from the society. There was no room behind the hob for me but we all bucked in together, chatting like we were all at home cooking lunch which was great. Obviously Janis had been thrust into the limelight somewhat by the passing of her daughter Amy, but from that tragedy emerged the Foundation which has helped many young carers supporting parents with MS.

After we’d polished off the meatballs and checked the football scores – Richard is a big Arsenal fan whilst Janis supports Spurs (wouldn’t like to be at theirs on derby day) we said our goodbyes and Julie and I headed off to our hotel for a hard earned rest.

Sunday started off with the lift allowing access to the Excel from our hotel being out of order due to engineering works by the Docklands light railway. A few choice words by Julie with the engineer soon had it back in operation and we arrived in time to take part in a Get Active talk with  ms with Laura Dajao a wheelchair dancer, check out her video on getting round London and Danielle Walker who gave some great advice on yoga moves for people in wheelchairs. I gave a general thumbs up on holding the line and using my hand cycle before I was whisked away for a live stream on facebook of the next cooking session.

Trishna Bharadia a fantastic ambassador for the MS Society, who delighted us with her dancing skills on The People’s strictly was in the frame, with her amazing mother Ila who was cooking a lovely range of Indian dishes. We were also joined by Sammy Joseph who runs Nutritionista giving some excellent advice on eating healthily and a sizeable audience. Ila’s knowledge of Asian cuisine was excellent and she kept us all enthralled with her tips and magic ways. The food wasn’t bad either with everyone tucking in at the end of the show, which ran for an hour.

My final guest for the weekend was Stuart Nixon and his wife Marie who were cooking Kedgeree with the irreplaceable Tracy. We’d cooked the rice before, so the dish was quick to prepare, allowing Stuart to recount his 9 day marathon Stu steps up in 2013 when he walked 60 miles on a walking frame raising £75k for the MS Society.

His efforts, led to the annual fundraising event, MS walk which was being staged in Battersea Park the following weekend and he quickly recruited me into its ranks. I had planned on a lie in but his Kedgeree was too good to let him down.

For my last slot I quickly put together some Fried squid with red pesto. It’s a lovely quick dish which was handy as the Event was closing as was my weekend in the MS kitchen. I’d loved the cooking and playing my part as James Martyn with the guests. The best bit though about MS Life was feeling part of the MS community again. For many years I’d been detached from it but the weekend, meeting old and new, re-kindled that fire in my belly, that to beat this disease, we’ve all got to be in it together.

The massage later in Fulham was just what the Doctor ordered as my shoulders did ache a bit. No doubt they will be aching a lot more next Sunday after the MS Walk in Battersea Park, but these events are vital not only for fundraising but crucially awareness. Hopefully we’ll be mob handed and a sea of orange will raise our visibility, helping to punch our message across.