Muscular Help Foundation Funds PHAB Places At Merchant Taylors

The Muscular Help Foundation (MHF) is delighted to be working for the first time with Merchant Taylors' School supporting their annual 2008 Easter Phab Week initiative that will see approximately twenty disabled young people (including some with muscular dystrophy) enjoy an inclusive residential programme of structured fun activities taking place at the school between 24 March and 29 March 2008.

Every year, the school organises this special camp in the Easter holidays, where pupils of both Merchant Taylors' School and St. Helen's School host a group of children with physical disabilities for a fantastic week of fun events such as bowling, shopping, a fancy dress disco, a gig, a fireworks show and a day out in London.

This year is the 50th Jubilee of national charity Phab England, as well as the 30th anniversary of Phab at Merchant Taylors' School. Phab helps 'to promote and encourage people with and without physical disabilities to come together and make more of life together'. The school is an active member of this charity.

On 1 February 2008, the only disabled person in the world to have reached both North and South Poles delivered a guest lecture (organised by Will Struthers, Assistant Head of Sixth) to approximately 150 boys of the Upper Sixth Form at Merchant Taylors' School near Watford. Before taking lunch, motivational speaker and MHF's CEO and charity co-founder Michael McGrath met a number of teachers including Michael Bond (Head of Sixth Form), Dominic Howell (Head of Phab), some school prefects including Marcus-Alexander Neil (Head Monitor) and Stephen Wright (Headmaster).

A letter of thanks written by Marcus-Alexander Neil, the schools Head Monitor said, "Thank you Michael for your motivating speech last Friday; many of the boys left the room inspired and reinvigorated and your words about teamwork and trust between one another has noticeably galvanized the year as we work towards our common goals."

Michael McGrath said "I was delighted to have been invited to speak at Merchant Taylors', a school known for its academic and sporting excellence, but also for its friendly atmosphere and community commitment. I particularly enjoyed chatting to some of the boys about their CCF experiences and my own memories of shiny toe caps and boot polish and of course their successes on the rugby pitch, a game I once played as a flanker at my old school Stonyhurst College in Lancashire."

McGrath added "It was whilst having a brief exploratory conversation with Dominic Howell about the schools active community programme and specifically the synergies between Phab at Merchant Taylors' school and those with muscular dystrophy that initiated where we are today; there is an obvious fit with the aims of our respective charities and as a result, MHF has also introduced The Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy to Phab Week at the school resulting in 5 confirmed places being accepted to Phab Week, which MHF was delighted to fund."

The Phab initiative allows disabled and able-bodied young people to share a common experience and each other's company. It also provides a well-deserved respite and break for the caring families of the disabled children. For the selected Sixth Form volunteers of both Merchant Taylors' School and St. Helen's School, the experience provides a challenging platform but also one of the most personally rewarding and enriching weeks of their lives.

To raise the money needed to operate the week, there are fundraising events organised throughout the year such as gigs, revues, comedy evenings, concerts and sponsored activities all of which are arranged by the boys and girls of the respective schools. Nearly all of the £8,000 required to run the week is raised by the school community.

For more information, please visit the Muscular Help Foundation website http://www.musclehelp.com.

To find out more about Phab, please go to http://www.phabengland.org.uk

Muscular Dystrophy Campaign