Phil Grant has worked at Astor-Bannerman, one of the UK’s leading providers of assisted bathing, ch
anging and hoisting equipment since 1999 in various warehouse and shop floor roles, but he also has another role which has seen him raise thousands of pounds for the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK over the past 25 years.
Phil’s son Christopher is 29 and was born with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy and since the age of four, his father has spent countless weekends and evenings fundraising. Although Phil has lost track of exactly how much he has raised, in the last four and a half years alone he has raised over £16,000 and all of this has been done while dressed as Wonder Woman!
There are around 2,500 people in the UK living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Muscular Dystrophy UK ensures 100% of all funds from their Duchenne Research Breakthrough Fund goes directly to research and work to beat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. They are also the only charity with a team that gives direct support to families in clinic and provides information and advice in every part of the UK. As symptoms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy progress, you may need to have your home adapted or apply for benefits and services that are all new to you.
That is why Astor-Bannerman worked closely with Muscular Dystrophy 20 years ago to develop a washbasin which would be suitable for children with Muscular Dystrophy to use when young and as they grow older and their symptoms progress. The ABW height adjustable wash basin has been a key Astor-Bannerman product for many years and although it has seen much development since the launch, the ABW basin is growing in popularity and remains an integral part of the Astor-Bannerman identity and range of moving and handling equipment today.
Phil was recently invited to an official reception at St James’s Palace which was hosted by HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who is the patron for Muscular Dystrophy UK. The event was to commemorate the Prince being patron for 50 years and to thank Phil and everyone else for all their fundraising during that time. “It was a great honour to be invited and meet Prince Philip and so many other people who do an amazing work fundraising or researching into the condition”.
What sets Phil apart from other fundraisers is his costume, after all it’s not every day you see a 6’2” man dressed as Wonder Woman! “There are so many rules and regulations around fundraising, for example you are not allowed to approach members of the public and shake a bucket, but when people see me they are intrigued and often approach me to ask what I’m doing and why I’m dressed like I am – it’s certainly an ice breaker!” commented Phil.
If you would like to find out more about how you can support Phil and Muscular Dystrophy UK, please email phil@astorbannerman.co.uk
To learn more about how the Astor-Bannerman ABW height adjustable wash basin can help those with muscular Dystrophy and increase accessibility within Changing Places toilets, contact us today or email info@astorbannerman.co.uk
