A REDDITCH nurse is training for a London to Paris cycle challenge with the aim of turning pedal power into pounds to help people with muscular dystrophy.
Donna Scarrott’s epic endurance ride in September 2025 aims to raise awareness and funds for Coventry-based charity MD Support Centre, which helps people across the Midlands with neuromuscular conditions to live stronger for longer.
Donna, a sister at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, has Charcot Marie Tooth Disease (CMT) and receives regular physiotherapy and osteopathy to help manage her condition thanks to the services provided by the charity.
She said the team at MD Support Centre had been the cornerstone of her recovery from major foot surgery.
The charity also helps Donna to maintain her mobility and independence as her CMT progresses, so she is able to continue in the career she loves as an NHS nurse.
She said: “Their support has been invaluable not just to me but to other members of my family living with the same condition. It’s not just the physical therapies that have had the greatest impact on my journey so far – the staff themselves provide so much more.
“A friendly smile, a chat over a cup of tea as I discuss my worries, a hug when needed, and all the practical, emotional, and mental support they provide, sometimes without even realising it.
“Now I feel it’s time to give back to the charity so that they can reach further to support the lives of other individuals with neuromuscular conditions.”
MD Support Centre was established in 2012 and is one of only two charities nationwide providing lifelong, regular physical therapies for adults with incurable progressive muscle-wasting conditions.
Located at Coventry’s Westwood Business Park, the charity also runs satellite clinics in Birmingham, Leicester, Tipton, Droitwich and Daventry, alongside providing a community of friendship and peer support for service users, their carers and families.
Taking on the London to Paris challenge with Donna will be MD Support Centre’s Co-Lead Physiotherapist Lynn Ward and the charity’s Chief Executive Sarah Ann Moore.
Lynn said: “Our service users are inspiring individuals who face daily challenges doing the things most of us take for granted. They are an absolute pleasure to work with and now it’s my turn to take on a challenge and give something back.”
Sarah is a former cyclist who is now dusting off her bike to likewise take on the fundraising ride.
She added: “When I heard that fabulous service user Donna was going to be taking on this challenge, it sparked a memory of that bike locked away upstairs.
“And I thought it’s a fantastic thing to do, and if Donna can do it, I should do it too.”
The charity ride trio will pedal more than 300 miles with Discover Adventure over four days, starting from London on Wednesday September 10 and finishing beneath the Eiffel Tower, with each rider hoping to raise more than £2,000 for MD Support Centre.
Members of the local community have rallied behind Donna’s fundraising efforts with two local pubs stepping up to offer their support.
The Cider Mill in Evesham raised almost £200 with a charity quiz night.
And in June Donna is hosting a fundraising event at the Village Inn in Beoley.
Visit www.mdsupportcentre.org/london-to-paris-bike-ride to donate.
