🎉 Welcome to 2026 — Let's Crush It

January 23, 2026

🎉 Welcome to 2026 — Let's Crush It

Happy New Year!!!

If you're reading this, you made it. Another year in the books. Another year of fighting, adapting, and refusing to let MS have the final word.

2025 wasn't easy for many of us. But you're still here. Still exploring. Still looking for answers.

That matters.

2026 is a fresh page. And whether you're just starting to research HSCT, mid-way through fundraising, recovering from treatment, or supporting someone you love through this — AIMS is here. Same mission. Same commitment. Same inbox, every week.

Let's make this year count.

📢 Big News: AIMS Travel Grant Scheme Just Got Simpler

And we're kicking off 2026 with something concrete.

If you've ever looked at the AIMS travel grant application and thought "this feels complicated" — you're not wrong. The old system required hitting specific funding windows, completing multiple stages, gathering receipts... it worked, but it wasn't easy.

That changes now.

We've completely overhauled how the Travel Grant Scheme works. Here's what's different:

Apply when it suits you — No more quarterly funding rounds or 30-day windows. You can now apply up to one month after discharge, or before treatment with a clinic confirmation letter. This is especially important for NHS patients who often don't get treatment dates confirmed far enough in advance.

One application, not three — The old Stage 1, Stage 2, and Claim forms are gone. It's now a single online application, followed by a simple claim after treatment.

No more receipt scrambling — Previously you needed to submit receipts totalling or exceeding your grant amount before payment. That requirement has been removed. Once you complete treatment and provide a clinic letter confirming HSCT, we process your award.

Proof of full funding removed — If you're funding treatment privately, you no longer need to prove you've secured the full amount before applying.

What stays the same:

  • You must be a UK resident

  • Treatment must be at an AIMS-supported centre (UK or Mexico)

  • Grants for Russia remain suspended due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine

This isn't just paperwork changes. It's about removing barriers for people already dealing with enough.

If you're exploring HSCT and wondering about financial support, the door is now easier to walk through.

🎟️ The MS Big Draw

Every Saturday at 8pm, someone wins. Could be £25,000. Could be a smaller prize. But here's what I know for certain: everyone who enters is already winning.

Because 60% of every ticket goes directly to AIMS — funding grants like the one above, peer support calls, and helping more patients access HSCT.

£1 per ticket. 1 in 50 chance to win. 45x better odds than the National Lottery.

You can't lose when the alternative is doing nothing.

You're not alone in this. And you don't have to figure it all out yourself. We'll be in your inbox next week — one step, one story, one answer at a time.

You got this 👊

- The AIMS Team