John Walton – Inspiration and Founder of Muscular Dystrophy UK

I am delighted to have this opportunity to mark Professor Lord Walton’s outstanding personal contribution to Muscular Dystrophy UK or, as the charity was known when founded in 1959, the Muscular Dystrophy Group of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is remarkable that John Walton has maintained such loyal and committed support for the charity over so many years. It is difficult if not impossible to think of anyone else who has made a similar, lifelong contribution in giving support and showing complete dedication to a single cause in this way. In his autobiography, ‘The Spice of Life’, John recounts how he started work as a young doctor with Professor Fred Nattrass at Newcastle. Through their clinical practice, they developed a shared interest in understanding the underlying causes of muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions and, further, the need for research and greatly improved clinical care. They established the Muscular Dystrophy Group initially as an interest group within the unfortunately named Central Council for the Care of Cripples in the mid-1950s before the Group broke away from the Central Council in 1959 and was established as a charity in its own right. The charity’s founding members were John and Professor Nattrass together with a successful Birmingham businessman called Joe Patrick who had a son with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. John became the founding secretary, Professor Nattrass was the first Chairman and Joe Patrick became Vice Chairman. Led