A TALENTED musician and teacher who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight years ago was the guest of honour at a special fundraising ball organised by his friends.

Myles Spencer, 48, from Netheravon, attended the Big Ball at the Guildhall on March 14 which helped raise more than £7,500 for the MS Society.

The event included a champagne reception funded by Myles’ former school, Dauntsey’s School, near Devizes, and music from his nephew’s band On Deaf Ears.

Friend Sacha Haywood said: “We had three main objectives: we wanted to give Myles a damned good party because he’s a party monster, we wanted to raise awareness of this cruel and horrific disease which affects an awful lot of people in Salisbury and we wanted to raise funds and I think we have managed to do all three.

“We had 200 tickets and they all sold out within a few days.”

In November, Myles, who used to teach English as a foreign language a school in Salisbury market square, married his fiancee, Teresa in hospital.

Just days before he was told he needed a tracheostomy but he refused because he wanted to be able to continue to speak.

Friend and organiser Lucy Hawkins, who has known Myles since he was 15, said: “We weren’t even sure he was going to be well enough to attend but he did – it was so emotional with friends he hadn’t seen for ages and everybody there routing for him.”

She added: “He was an amazing musician who used to play music for people to relax and party to.

“He could play everything – he was a brilliant pianist and singer, and taught his nephew to play the guitar.

“The big thing about Myles is he just loves people and he makes everybody feel welcome.

“Throughout all of this is, his optimism and courage have been inspirational. He has always been a modern-day guru.

“This event was about a celebration of life and in Myles’ own words, it is about being happy.”

On Tuesday, Myles joined friends to hand over a cheque to representatives of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

To support the charity visit justgiving.com/lucy-hawkins9