Marie Tidball MP - group photo in Westminster HallDr Marie Tidball, Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, hosted children, young people, families and adults from across the UK to celebrate Disability Pride Month and launch a landmark campaign calling for better support for everyone living with limb loss and limb difference.
The day featured a tour of the Houses of Parliament, followed by a Reception where children, young people, and charities spoke to parliamentarians, and featured speeches from Marie, Charity Ambassadors, and Minister for Disability, Stephen Timms MP. Sports Minister, Stephanie Peacock MP, and Health Minister, Sharon Hodgson MP were also in attendance.
Marie hosted the Barnsley-based Charity, The LimbBo Foundation, in Parliament for the event, which supports babies and children with limb differences and their families. During the event, LimbBo showcased its powerful #IWantToBe campaign film, celebrating the ambitions, aspirations and potential of children and young people with limb differences while championing their right to be seen, heard and given choice. LimbBo Youth Ambassadors Callum and Lottie also made powerful speeches about the difference LimbBo has made to their lives, and what they hope to achieve in the future.
The LimbBo Foundation also highlighted their petition calling for a statutory right to baseline imaging for all children with a limb difference at diagnosis, to ensure they receive the right surgery and treatment.
The event in Parliament also launched the Limb Loss and Limb Difference Alliance’s inaugural recommendations to Government. The Alliance, made up of Reach, Blesma, Finding Your Feet, LimbPower, Steel Bones and the Amputation Foundation, are calling on the Department of Health and Social Care to end the postcode lottery of care that means too many people experience vastly different levels of support depending on where they live.
**Following the event, Marie raised the Alliance's new campaign in the House of Commons, telling the Health Minister, Sharon Hodgson MP that: **
"While the NHS has a strong policy framework in place - including the 2025 prosthetic service specification - the key issue is not policy, but inconsistent delivery across the country."
The Minister noted that "it was an absolute pleasure" to attend the event, and the government is "committed to ensuring that no matter where someone is in the country, they have access to the healthcare and support that they need". The Minister also agreed to meet with Dr Tidball and the Alliance to discuss their campaign further.
**Dr Marie Tidball MP said: **
"As the first MP elected with a congenital limb difference, I was proud to host this event during Disability Pride Month. I first attended a Reach event when I was four, at the Northern General Hospital, so to now bring together all the fantastic children, young people and charities in Parliament was a very special moment for me.
"I've been a proud Ambassador for the LimbBo Foundation since before I was elected as an MP, as a local Barnsley-based charity, so it was an enormous privilege to host them in Parliament too. Callum and Lottie's speeches definitely brought a tear to my eye!
"Sadly, we know that across the country, too many children and adults with limb loss and limb difference continue to experience unequal access to prosthetic services, rehabilitation, mental health support and specialist care. I look forward to meeting the Health Minister soon, alongside the Alliance, to ensure we secure better access to mental health services, fair and consistent prosthetic provision and lifelong joined-up pathways for people with limb loss and limb difference."
**A spokesperson from the LimbBo Foundation said: **
"We took our Youth Ambassadors to Parliament to celebrate the work that is being done to support those who have a limb difference. Saying we were proud of them is an understatement. To see them supporting one another and speaking so eloquently to a room packed with adults, children, MP’s and other charities made us realise that they really are the future of Team LimbBo.
"The LimbBo Foundation currently has a live petition with Parliament asking for baseline imaging for everyone born with a limb difference. We would be grateful if you could support this petition."
**A spokesperson for the Limb Loss and Limb Difference Alliance said: **
"This reception is about celebration, visibility and action. Support should never depend on your postcode. Yet across the UK, too many people with limb loss and limb difference face inconsistent services, unequal access to prosthetics and rehabilitation, and barriers that could be avoided. Our recommendations set out practical steps to ensure every child and adult receives the care, support and opportunities they deserve throughout their lifetime.
"We're proud to bring together children, families, charities and parliamentarians to showcase the strength of our community while launching recommendations that we hope will create lasting change for generations to come."
Launched during Disability Pride Month, the recommendations have been developed collaboratively by charities representing thousands of children, young people and adults across the UK. The Alliance hopes they will form the basis of ongoing work with Government to improve healthcare, accessibility and inclusion for future generations.
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