CheshireHidden behind the trees, on a school campus in Winsford, Cheshire, where you’d
least expect to find it, and where there is no sign to give any hint that it is
there, is a unique place. Unique in this country, this centre, and its caring
workforce, housed in a plain but not unattractive building, brings much needed help
and relief, and more besides, to a few hundred people who have Muscular
Dystrophy (MD). It is the NeuroMuscular Centre (NMC).
Why are they hiding ? Let us tell the world about the splendid work they do, and let us have
more of the same. Muscular Dystrophy is a crippling inherited genetic disease
which causes a progressive unstoppable degradation of the muscles. There are
some 60 different types of MD, affecting different kinds of muscle. Some occur
in childhood, others appear later in life. Some 1,500 people are born every
year with the most common type, Duchenne MD, which starts in the lower limbs
and progresses up through the body. In this country, it is estimated that there
are some 30,000 people affected by MD in one way or another. The NMC cares for only
about 300. What about the others you may well ask.
The NMC idea began when, in the late 1980s, two ladies
working at the Hebden Green Special School, 
physiotherapist Kate
Fox, and drama teacher Sarah Kelly, realised that when the youngsters with MD
left the school at 18, there was no medical or other service of any kind to
help them with their worsening physical condition. This is not good enough,
they said, and so they set about establishing a place dedicated to helping people
with MD.
Happily the Cheshire County Council said there was a
building adjacent to a school in Winsford that was empty and surplus to
requirements, and that they could have it. That was a start, and with donated
funds they converted it into a working physio centre. But they needed more money
to extend and to maintain this embryonic venture. Sarah asked her celebrity
husband Matthew Kelly to get involved, and that changed everything. The
combination of his enthusiasm, his perseverance over the following years, and
his many contacts, raised the profile of this project to an entirely new level.
Money flowed in, and by 1997 a big extension to the building was completed, and
a going concern was established with 33 staff, half of them with MD themselves,
providing three basic services : physiotherapy, and employment, and IT
training.
Physiotherapy speaks for itself, as a specialist medical
practice, providing a full range of exercises and treatments which, for people
with MD, eases the pain and slows the deterioration of the muscles affected.
Many with MD are wheelchair-bound, and obtaining gainful employment can be a
problem. The NMC provides training in IT methods, which, in today’s computer
driven world, certainly facilitates that employment search. But the NMC gives employment itself in its Design and Print section, which is run
on a commercial basis, and offers to the public the service of designed cards, forms, leaflets and so on, at
competitive prices. This is a successful venture, which provides a significant
portion of the centre’s running costs, which amount to £600,000 per annum. The NHS contributes to part of the cost of
the physiotherapy service. All other costs rely on donations.
Matthew Kelly is not only the NMC President, he is an
inspiration to all who work at or are served by the centre. He is also a
principal fund raiser, with two annual gala events which he organises
personally : “The Spirit of Christmas” celebration with carols and poetry
reading, held in Chester Cathedral, in December, is one. The other event is a
gastronomic feast which he calls “Gorgeous Grub” held in March at The Grosvenor
Hotel, Chester.
Between them, these two events can raise getting on for £50,000. In his own words,
Matthew says, “I
am proud to be the Centre's President and I have watched with delight, and
respect as the Centre has gone from success to success. The dream has become a
reality, and the extraordinary and unique work that the Centre does must be
encouraged and sustained. “
Rotary Clubs in the North West support the work of the NMC and have donated
almost £60,000 over the last decade. For more information phone 01606 861 733
or see their website : www.nmcentre.com
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