Since 2020, the Transforming Access to Therapies (TATT) project, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, has transformed the MD Support Centre in ways we could only have imagined. A newly published report shows how this ambitious five-year plan to expand access to specialist therapies has become a turning point for our charity.
TATT has strengthened our organisation, enabling us to reach hundreds more people with muscular dystrophy (MD) and other neuromuscular conditions across the Midlands and beyond. It has helped us grow, adapt, and place people with MD at the heart of what we do, while preparing us for the future.
Our goals
Through TATT, we aimed to:
- Improve lives by offering more services, working with more partners, and making therapies easier to access.
- Strengthen the organisation by putting people with MD at the centre of decision-making, improving governance, and enhancing therapy effectiveness.
- Build long-term sustainability by diversifying funding and improving communications.
How we’ve grown
Over five years, we have recruited more therapists and support staff, and appointed our first CEO, giving us capacity to expand. We opened new satellite centres in Tipton and Daventry, bringing therapies closer to people who could not easily reach Coventry. A move to larger headquarters gave us more space, better equipment, and the ability to grow further.
We have also developed new ways to support people. Online classes, including yoga and seated exercise, are now regular offerings. Our quarterly Wellness Hub delivers expert advice on nutrition, respiratory health, and more. Social opportunities have increased, helping reduce isolation and build community. Service users helped shape the peer-led Adapting to Change group, supporting people as their condition progresses.
Impact in numbers
- 613 service users supported in 2025 – a 62% increase since 2020
- 468 therapy sessions delivered each month – more than double pre-project figures
- Two new satellite centres in the Black Country and Northamptonshire
- Online classes and peer groups introduced, making support more flexible
- Support extended to 31 counties, far beyond Coventry and the Midlands
The difference we’ve made
For people with MD, the benefits have been life changing. Our annual surveys shows:
But the numbers only tell part of the story. Many see us as more than a therapy provider; we are a community. One service user said, “The support centre makes me feel like I’m part of the family and always welcomed.”
“It provides a place that understands my difficulties and gives me peace of mind.”
Service user
NHS colleagues also recognise our impact: “Patients really like it because, unlike in the NHS, they are seen long term rather than discharged after six sessions or only seen once a year.”
Sustainable growth
TATT has allowed our income to grow and diversify. While Lottery funding was vital at the start, we now generate most funding from other grants and NHS contracts. There is more to do, but we are better placed than ever to build for the future.
“TATT is so significant, it can’t be underestimated. Before lottery funding, the team’s passion was never in question, but it was small.”
Trustee
A staff member added, “It’s expanded dramatically…what we offer now is a tenfold improvement on what we offered before TATT.”
Looking ahead
TATT has laid the foundations for the next stage of our journey. We are focusing on strengthening NHS partnerships, expanding digital and peer-led support, and securing long-term funding to ensure no one with MD is left without access to vital therapies.
This is not the end of the story. TATT marks the beginning of a new chapter for the MD Support Centre, ensuring we can continue to grow, adapt, and support people with muscular dystrophy for years to come.