Martin Bashir becomes patron of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Charity

Martin Bashir, the award-winning journalist, has become patron for Action Duchenne, the UK charity dedicated solely to raising awareness and funds for research into a cure and providing support for families living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. 

The disease affects one in 3,500 male births in the UK, and is the most common and severe type of muscular dystrophy. Sufferers are diagnosed, usually, by the age of five and rarely live past their twenties. 

Martin’s brother Tommy died from Duchenne at the age of 29. Since being established in 2001, the charity has successfully campaigned to increase awareness of the disease to improve standards of care and raised several millions of pounds to fund medical research and partnerships.  

Action Duchenne has recently donated more than £160,000 to Royal Holloway to support a ground-breaking project to develop a process for delivering full length dystrophin, which could provide effectively provide a cure.