Muscle Warriors Head To Home of England Rugby At Twickenham Stadium To Watch England Squad Defeat Italy
Posted on February 23rd, 2023
Pushing on with its 657 Muscle Dream mission, the Muscle Help Foundation (MHF) charity arranged for a further four beneficiaries, all rugby fanatics, to mix it up with 82,000 other spectators at Twickenham Stadium, the home of England Rugby, in witnessing England’s victory over Italy in the Guinness Six Nations match on Saturday 12th February 2023.
Thanks once again to a successful RFU Charity ballot submission made in Oct 2022, four Muscle Warrior families headed to Twickenham Stadium for a sporting experience of a lifetime! George (from Hampshire) for whom this was a special birthday treat, plus Matthew (from Surrey), Samuel (from Bristol) and Jack (from the West Midlands) were accompanied by mums and dads. Everyone had a truly amazing time as you can see from the short video and some of their feedback below.
| Muscle Warrior Jack’s mum Emma said: “Firstly, I would like to thank you again for the amazing opportunity that you gave Jack yesterday to watch England v Italy at Twickenham Stadium. He had the most amazing time and loved every minute of it. This was an incredible experience for him, from the atmosphere of being in the ground, the friendliness of people and the great view from the seats, all of this I know he will cherish for a long time. Thank you so much for making this happen for him, we truly appreciate it” |
| Muscle Warrior George said: “It was my first time at Twickenham, and I was blown away by the size and the numbers of supporters there. England played brilliantly and by half-time hadn’t let Italy score at all with a 19-0 lead. Italy fought back hard in the second half, but England kept their cool and managed to beat them 31-14 by full time. I absolutely loved the roar of the crowd and the pyrotechnics when England scored! The atmosphere was buzzing! It was a lovely surprise for my 15th birthday next week – thank you to the Muscle Help Foundation charity for an amazing day” George’s mum Nicola said: “Thanks so much again for providing this experience for him. George had a truly memorable day. He apologies for not being able to do the Muscle Warrior salute – his arms are too weak now – his dad did it on his behalf” |
| Kathryn (Muscle Warrior Matthew’s mum) said: “Matthew had an amazing time and having been ill for three weeks at home it was the most perfectly timed gift. He is wearing the shirt he bought with your merchandise allowance. He picked it so that he can wear it at matches and away from them. It was great to see England win again! Sadly, there is no Muscle Warrior salute as Matthew doesn’t have the arm function to do that but in his heart, he is giving one to everyone! Thank you so much again!” |
| Muscle Warrior Samuel & his mum Samantha said: “Hello, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the amazing experience of watching Six Nations England vs Italy at Twickenham. Both myself and my mum thoroughly enjoyed it!!!” |
Providing Muscle Dream experiences like this to our beneficiaries is what the charity is all about. It is our charitable mission to make moments-in-time like the above that might perhaps feel out of reach, a reality.
Plans were put in place and arrangements made to ensure that everyone had a magical and memorable time – to help with the cost-of-living crisis, specifically fuel and food, the charity contributed towards beneficiary families travel and subsistence costs. Additionally, the charity provided an allowance of £50.00 to each beneficiary and their accompanying companion/PA/carer used inside the famous RFU Rugby Store onsite at Twickenham Stadium to buy rugby merchandise.
As we know only too well, there are always bonuses along the way, things that happen that are not necessarily a part of the Muscle Dream programme plan – as you can see below, Jack (pictured below) got the opportunity to meet former rugby player and I’m A Celebrity 2022 contestant, Mike Tindall MBE, who played outside centre for Bath and Gloucester, winning 75 caps for England between 2000 and 2011. He not only had the honour of captaining England, but he was also a member of the 2003 World Cup winning squad.
ABOUT 2023 – THE 20th ANNIVERSARY YEAR:
2023 sees the charity reach a milestone, its 20th Anniversary – since 2003, it has touched the lives of 1000’s of people across the UK living with Muscular Dystrophy, from families and local communities to schools and businesses; today, its impact and reach continues to grow.
Plans for many other unique Muscle Dream experiences and programmes in the 2023/24 period are shaping up – right now, with the cost of living crisis in mind, every single penny counts, so please, if you’re able to support our cause with a donation, whatever you can give, whether £6.57 or £20.00 to mark the charity’s 20th anniversary, all donations will be hugely appreciated – thank you.
To push on with its 657 mission, the charity is not only looking to establish new partnerships and collaborations but like many small charities, it desperately needs support in order to continue its important work – if you can help, please donate £20.00 or whatever you can give by clicking HERE – thank you.
ABOUT MHF’S VULNERABLE BENEFICIARIES:
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is the most severe form of Muscular Dystrophy (MD) – it is life-limiting affecting approximately 1 in 3,500 new-born boys. The vast majority (some 96%) of MHF’s beneficiaries are boys and young adults with DMD. On average, those aged 10-13yrs will transition into a manual wheelchair. By the time they reach 17-19yrs, breathing, cardio and diminishing arm movements are increasingly prevalent.
ABOUT MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY (MD):
Thanks to MHF’s friends at Muscular Dystrophy UK, new research reveals that approximately 110,000 people (babies, children and adults) in the UK live with muscle-wasting conditions. Muscular Dystrophy is a progressive condition that gets worse over time. It is the single biggest genetic killer of children in the world today. It robs sufferers of their mobility, their independence and finally for those with the most severe type (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or DMD), their lives. Although there is some excellent research going on around the world, there is still currently no known treatment.
ABOUT MHF’S UNIQUE POINTS OF DIFFERENCE:
Over the past 12-months, MHF’s tailored approach in operationalising bespoke virtual ‘person-centred’ Muscle Dream programmes continued to deliver positive outcomes for beneficiaries and families. The ‘lived experience’ of the charity’s CEO (Michael McGrath) who has Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD2A) and who is the driving force of the organisations work, provides both a unique, valuable and trusting influence on those for whom MHF exists to serve.
THINK 657 – THE MORE UNUSUAL, THE BETTER!
MHF is running a national campaign called The Power of 657 and its mission is simple – to deliver 657 transformational interventions for children, young people and their families with Muscular Dystrophy in the UK, that’s one life-changing experience for every muscle in the human body. We would like you to think about the number 657 – the charity is on the lookout for links to the number 657 and as such, we are keen to establish mutually beneficial collaborations ideally around 657. So, get in touch if you know of any connections in your world or in your work, the more unusual, the better!
For the charity’s beneficiaries, every Muscle Dream experience is an opportunity to not only realise their potential but also become a Muscle Warrior and by default, join the charity’s tribal community. For their family and friends, each one opens up a support network of like-minded individuals.
ABOUT THE CHARITY’S IMPACT:
Uplifting, joyful and often cathartic in nature, MHF’s academically validated work and impact is rooted in the idea that well executed, shared experiences can be powerfully transformative in nature.
