A BULFORD mum diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at 25 says she has not let the condition stand in the way of her dreams of having her own hairdressing salon.

Ruth Timmins, now 37, runs Shear Perfection in Bulford village — balancing work with looking after her two-year-old son George and her love of horse riding.

"I have always dreamt I would have my own salon and I never thought I would be well enough and able to do it," said Ruth.

She opened the salon in Meadow Road on July 4, this year.

But she admits when she received her diagnosis she thought she would have to give up hairdressing.

She added: "It was horrendous. I thought I would never be able to ride horses and my life was over and I would not be able to do the job I have been doing since I was 15, which I love. I thought I would never be able to do hair."

Ruth suffers from re-lapsing and recurring MS.

She said: "Nothing stops me - I make sure I do everything I want to do."

She says she remains "extremely positive" even though no cure has yet be found for the disease and medication helps to "slow down" the symptoms.

"You never know what is around the corner. I try to do as much as I can."

Ruth hopes by speaking about the disease with her clients and hosting fundraising events in aid of the MS Society this will help boost awareness of the disease within the community.

She is setting up a support group for fellow MS sufferers which will start on November 16. It will run every six weeks on Monday nights on a Monday at her salon from 7pm to 8pm.

"There needs to be more help and more awareness. It is such an evil and horrible disease. It is important to share different experiences with other people that suffer with it," she said.

"It is something I have wanted to do for ages. When I got diagnosed I felt I didn't have anyone to talk to. People don't understand what it is like having MS and that it affects people differently."

Ruth will be doing her bit to raise money for the MS Society to aid efforts to find a cure for the disease by hosting a cake day on October 24, 1.30pm to 3pm, at her salon.

She added: "I feel lucky enough to have what I have got. I am quite positive there will be a cure in the next few years.

Anyone interested in coming along to the support group can email Ruth at ruthclover@hotmail.co.uk