Join The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign In Giving Muscle Disease The Big Push, UK

Main Category: Muscular Dystrophy / ALS
Article Date: 27 Jul 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign has announced details of its brand new awareness week - The Big Push, which will run from 15 to 22 September 2007, with the website - http://www.thebigpush.org going live this week. The site highlights ways in which the public can get involved with the campaign, which aims to give muscle disease 'the big push'.

The charity hopes that people will use their imagination to come up with ideas for local fundraising events following the theme of The Big Push. Anything goes, from a sponsored school or office push-up session to pushing a double-decker bus 100 metres down the high street, or even racing a friend around town in a wheelbarrow or bath tub collecting donations on the way! Nurseries are being invited to organise a sponsored Big Buggy Push as part of a series of pram and buggy pushes, and 'wobble, toddle and walks'.

Throughout The Big Push awareness week, the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign will be running a series of high profile campaigning events, with the charity pushing for better care and support for people living with muscle disease, particularly young adults and teenagers with the condition. The spotlight will be on the release of a report commissioned by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign highlighting the problems students with muscle disease can face when accessing Higher Education.

The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign is the only national charity that provides care and information for children and adults affected by muscle disease. It also funds research to find effective treatments and cures. There are more than 60 devastating muscle wasting conditions that affect over 30,000 people in the UK, with some forms greatly reducing life expectancy.

Philip Butcher, MDC Chief Executive, said: "With recent breakthroughs in research bringing real hope to families affected by these life-shattering conditions, we are beginning to make ground in the fight against muscle disease. We are excited to be adding The Big Push week to our annual calendar of fundraising and campaigning events, and look forward to putting the issues and needs relating to muscle diseases into the spotlight."

For further information on The Big Push visit the new website at http://www.thebigpush.org which includes fundraising ideas, campaign news, background facts and figures and the chance to win a Canon camera.

http://www.muscular-dystrophy.org

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