Our helpline provides free information and emotional support to anyone living with a muscle wasting or weakening condition as well family members, carers and friends.
Frequently asked questions
Our helpline offers support to anyone over the age of 18. If you’re under 18, here’s a list of organisations you can get in touch with for support.
Samaritans
Anyone can contact Samaritans. They offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way, no matter how old you are.
Website: www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/if-youre-under-18
Phone: 116 123
SHOUT
Shout is a free, volunteer-led, confidential text messaging support service, available 24 hours a day to people of all ages who live in the UK and who feel they need immediate support.
Website: https://giveusashout.org/
Text: “SHOUT” to 85258
SupportLine
SupportLine offers confidential emotional support to children and young adults by telephone, email and post. They can also give you details of counsellors, agencies and support groups throughout the UK.
Phone: 01708 765200
The Mix – essential support for under 25s
The UK’s leading support service for young people, The Mix is there for you to talk to online, on social media or on their free, confidential helpline.
Website: www.themix.org.uk
Phone: 0808 808 4994
National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS)
NYAS is a rights-based charity operating across England and Wales for children, young people and adults. They offer a variety of services including a national advocacy helpline, and advocacy for children and young people with disabilities.
Phone: 0808 808 1001
Childline
Childline is a free, private and confidential service for anyone under 19 in the UK. You can talk to their trained counsellors about any issue you’re going through, anytime. On the phone, by email, or face-to-face – whatever feels best for you.
Website: www.childline.org.uk
Phone: 0800 1111
Scope
Scope provides free, independent and impartial information and support on issues that matter to disabled people and their families.
Website: www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/
Phone: 0808 800 3333
Your confidentiality is our priority.
Our helpline is a confidential service, we want you to feel safe when you talk to us. To be able to deal with your enquiry, and to provide you with information and support, our helpline team will ask you for some details, including your name, age range, condition, and postcode, which we will add to our secure and confidential database. You do not have to share this information with us if you would prefer to remain anonymous. At times, we may use the information gathered to produce anonymous reports about the support we provide to help develop our service. We would only need to share what you tell us with someone if:
- you ask us to get you help because you can’t do this yourself
- we believe someone else is at risk of serious harm
- we are told about acts of terrorism or bomb warnings
- you are under 18 and we think you are at risk of serious harm
- you are over 18 and have told us your name and where you are, and we think you are at risk of serious harm
We always want to give you as much control as possible, and will explain our policy to you and tell you if we feel we might need to contact emergency services to help you access support.
If you contact us by phone we’ll be able to see your phone number, and might use this if one of the situations listed above comes up. If you prefer to remain anonymous you might want to withhold your number before calling.
If you contact us by email we’ll be able to see your email address and your IP address.
OTHER ways to get in TOUCH
Call our fundraising hotline on 0300 012 0172 for support, advice, or information about fundraising. We’re available Monday to Friday, 9 am–5 pm.
To find out more about the research into your condition or for answers to any other science or research questions you might have, please contact our research team at research@musculardystrophyuk.org.
Alternatively, you can write to us at:
Muscular Dystrophy UK
32 Ufford Street
London
SE1 8QD