A FAMILY suffering from the muscle wasting illness muscular dystrophy are telling Britain's fellow sufferers how they moved house to a better life.

Ian Emmott and his daughters Jodienne, 11, and Terri-Ann, eight, all suffer weakness and wasting in their hands and legs and find moving about difficult. The girls have to use wheelchairs for long distances.

They were delighted when Pendle Council helped move Ian, wife Ellen and the girls from a semi to a specially converted bungalow in Mathew Close, Colne.

The teamwork involved is described in detail in the first issue of the national Muscular Dystrophy Group magazine Target MD. The family had to wait four years for a suitable home. They did not want to leave the area and wanted to stay as council tenants.

When their new home was found it had to be converted, and Pendle Council housing needs officer Hazel Dean worked on it with council architects and MD advisers.

The work cost £23,000 and was paid for by the council's housing and social services departments.

Internal walls were knocked down and specialist equipment was installed.

"Our new home gives Jodienne and Terri-Ann total freedom," said Ian.

"The old house had become unsuitable for us. Getting about was virtually impossible."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.