Muscular Dystrophy Support Centre is proud to have been chosen as one of Coventry Lord Mayor’s charities of the year. The announcement comes as MD Support Centre celebrates its tenth anniversary.
Coventry Lord Mayor, Cllr Jaswant Singh Birdi, selected MD Support Centre as one of his charities for 2023-24. The selection highlights the Lord Mayor’s commitment to supporting organisations that provide crucial services and positively impact the local community.
Chief Executive Sarah Ann Moore said, “Although MD Support Centre is a small independent charity, we play a significant role as one of only two organisations nationwide providing long-term, regular physical therapies for adults with muscle-wasting diseases. “
“It is an honour to be chosen by Coventry Lord Mayor Cllr Jaswant Singh Birdi as one of his charities and alongside joining Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce,we hope to raise awareness about our essential services so we can support even more people in the future.”
The partnership between the Lord Mayor’s office and MD Support Centre will include fundraising events, community initiatives, and awareness campaigns throughout the year. These efforts aim to raise vital funds and increase public awareness about the work the MD Support Centre does to support people from across Coventry and beyond.
Meeting demand
MD Support Centre has more than 575 service users from across the region, with around half coming from Coventry and Warwickshire. Most referrals come from hospital consultants and GPs as NHS therapies can be difficult to access and are often limited to six weeks.
The charity never discharges a service user, and its biggest challenge is meeting the high demand for its services. Looking ahead to the next decade, it plans to diversify its income streams and double its capacity to support people with MD in the Midlands and beyond.
MD is a rare genetic condition affecting 110,000 children and adults in the UK, with over 60 types and subtypes, and symptoms ranging from difficulty walking to compromised respiratory and cardiac function.
As Sarah explains: “MD is life-long and can be life-limiting. There is currently no cure, and we often hear of newly diagnosed people being told by health professionals there is little or nothing that can be done, a devastating diagnosis. MD is isolating and difficult to live with, but our service supports health and wellbeing to enable people with MD to live well.”
Physical and social benefits
Lorraine Howard has been attending the Coventry centre for over eight years and explains: “My time there has always been enjoyable, not just from the physical aspect but socially too. I have full-time carers who accompany me, and they also find the experience useful as they can relax whilst my physio Lynn works her magic on me. The centre is friendly and a lovely place to be for a few hours. I always look forward to going and I hope it stays open for many years to come.”
Cllr Singh Birdi and Deputy Lady Mayoress, Krishna, also joined an Open House in November 2022 to officially open the charity’s new headquarters. Together with MD Support Centre’s Chair of Trustees, Ruth Hereford, they cut the ribbon on the new centre, officially declaring it open.