Jane Saxton and Belinda Cadbury were among the founding members of the MS Society’s Camden branch

CAMDEN’S MS Society celebrated 50 years of friendship, outings and medical advancements on Thursday with a lunch at a Hampstead pub.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that attacks the nerves and affects everyone differently.

While there is currently no cure, there have been major treatment breakthroughs in the last 20 years.

Two of the Camden branch’s original founding members Jane Saxton and Belinda Cadbury attended the birthday party last week, along with 32 other people at the Freemasons Arms.

Ms Saxton explained how the national MS Society was founded, following an ad published in the New York Times in 1945 by Sylvia Lawry who was seeking treatment for her brother who had MS. Ms Saxton recalled how they first set up the branch in the borough half a century ago.

She said: “So many changes have taken place but for me the most outstanding advance was the advent of the MRI scanner because at that stage it could take three long tiring years for MS to be diagnosed. But when we had this lovely scanner at Queen Square it made it much easier for everybody at that time.”

Day trips including to the Thames Barrier, the London Eye and concerts hosted by UCL, have been a particular highlights for the branch.

Ms Saxton also thanked the local schools who took part in a reading challenge that raised over £15,000 in a short period of time for the MS Society’s Camden branch, as well as the continued support from Camden School for Girls.

Ms Saxton added: “I’d just like to say many thanks to all members of the team and their families who over the years have given so much.”