Search Results

Happy New Year! May I wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2025! I hope you had a good Christmas break and managed to spend some time with friends and family. I was very fortunate to have my two children at home as well as many other family members, so it was a very busy and  full-on Christmas in our house! I know that many of you have succumbed to this horrible cold and flu bug that is doing the rounds, please take care as it appears to be making people feel exhausted. Get well soon if you are or have been poorly with it. 2025 is an important year for The Brightwell as we are celebrating our 40th Anniversary! Can you believe the Centre has been around for that long? Well, I know that some of you can, because you have been with the Centre from the very beginning!  We will obviously be celebrating such a momentous occasion and are planning a number of events which we will be sharing the information about very soon. However, as members and supporters, if you have any ideas of how we should mark this special anniversary, please let me know directly. Our fundraising focus for January is our “Move4MS” campaign encouraging everyone to be as active as possible whilst fundraising for The Brightwell. For further information please visit www.thebrightwell.org.uk/events/move4ms-3  and join in! We are also holding our first Jumble Sale on Sunday 26 January at the Centre, please come along and bag some bargains. Likewise, if you have any suitable As-New items or unwanted Christmas gifts, we would be very grateful if you could donate them for the Brightwell Shop. Paula has been tempting us with some new menu choices; today …. and yesterday  I enjoyed a jacket potato with a veggie, bean and chili filling - delicious! Come and have a tea, coffee, lunch or afternoon cake with us the next time that you are in the Centre. Tell your friends about the Brightwell Café – it’s open to everyone! I thought this photo would give you a smile, the Gonks were made for each department: Café, Oxygen and Reception by Karen Parsons one of our Members. Thank you Karen! I am guessing that a popular New Year’s Resolution amongst Members may be  to improve your personal well-being and fitness, why not ensure that you are making the most of the therapies available at The Brightwell  to reach your goals. I look forward to seeing you the next time you visit the Centre. Best Wishes, Doro

Every year we organise a Members’ Christmas Get Together, this year’s lunch took place on Wednesday 11 December. It was the first time that we  held the event in the Bradbury Lounge, here at the Centre, with all the  catering being provided by our own Brightwell Café team. The tickets sold  out quickly. It was great to see so many members chatting , laughing and having a good time. Even the naughty Christmas Elf sneaked in!  There was a great atmosphere with Christmas music, a delicious cold buffet, a table quiz, live entertainment and even a festive sing-along! Thank you everyone who made this event such an enjoyable success! In 2025 we will be celebrating our 40th Anniversary and we plan to host a number of member events. so that everyone can be involved. Merry Christmas!

Join us in January for our annual MOVE4MS Campaign. MOVE4MS is a month long challenge that encourages people to build new healthy habits whilst raising vital funds to keep MS therapy affordable & accessible for anyone affected by neurological conditions across the West of England. This challenge is open to EVERYONE. The best part of this challenge is that you set the boundaries! You set your own goal, how many minutes a day will you move? You set the challenge. You choose your preferred movement of choice each day or mix it up to keep you motivated throughout the challenge, you might enjoy to swim one day or stretch out with some yoga the next, the key is ALL moves count! Share your journey with your friends and family and encourage sponsorship or donations, tell them you are #MOVING4MS to help your local charity. So what next? Set your goal Share with your friends to fundraise Start your challenge on the 1st January Move everyday! Share throughout January to spread awareness! Join us in January and #MOVE4MS

The Hope Programme® is a range of face-to-face and digital courses, that empower people to manage their health and wellbeing and to flourish in their working and personal lives. The courses are based on positive psychology, mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy and rooted in 25 years of research evidence. The core activities, supplemented with tailored content, include:  Caz Blake-Symes, one of our Service Users and a  Trustee, took part in the most recent course and had the following feedback. Caz lives with Secondary Progressive MS. “I was not sure what to expect from this course. It was completely on-line in six modules, each module is released weekly. The access and information can be through your pc or laptop, plus there is an excellent phone app. I did the course through a combination of the two and it took a couple of hours a week. You can do each section within each module at your own pace. There is the opportunity to set your own goals and add feedback. There were additional “Cafes” that participants could join but due to work commitments,  the timings for those didn’t work for me. The facilitators are easily contactable and keep in touch via email throughout the six weeks. The content, supported by videos and recorded talks is excellent. I would have said that before taking part in this course that I was a positive person, but this programme definitely gave me some interesting and sometimes challenging ideas about how I could deal with things in a different and more effective way The course goes at a good pace and I think it is easier to do a couple of modules within each section at a time, it would be a lot to take in in one go. I would thoroughly recommend trying to get on this programme. It’s also free! I have carried on with using lots of the tools and ideas from the various topics  covered and feel I have definitely benefitted!” Please see the poster below with information about the next course which is aimed specifically at those living with MS. The course does not start until 26 February, but you will need to book ASAP! For more information and to nook the course please visit www.h4c.org.uk/courses-all/ms-260225

Hi, my name is Millie and I am a Rehabilitation Therapist at the Brightwell.  I started working at the Centre’s physiotherapy department in August 2022. I am born and bred in Bristol! I attended the University of the West of England, studying Sports Rehabilitation. I always wanted to be a sports physio, until my degree introduced me to neurology which I became fascinated by. I completed my 3rd year placement at the Brightwell which I absolutely loved and was over the moon when Amrik, the lead physio, wanted me to join his team! My previous placements were done at a sports injury clinic and massage clinic (I am also qualified in Sports Massage).  Up until 2022, I was working in a sports bar called Allstars. I began working there as a glass collector at the age of 16, where I then progressed to supervisor and then finally assistant manager! I loved my job at Allstars however, after 6 years, it was time to leave and accept a full-time position at The Brightwell. I have also worked in retail and volunteered as a gymnastics coach for a year in 2014. Prior to work, I was very much into sports. Aged 6, I started gymnastics and competed for 7 years. This is where my interest in physiotherapy began, as I was often surrounded by and involved in a variety of sports injuries! I made the decision to quit gymnastics at age 13 due to a mental block of going backwards (not very handy for a gymnast!) and because I was having debilitating and chronic headaches at  that time. However, going from training 5 days a week to doing nothing became extremely frustrating and I was very bored, so I chose to do Athletics instead, I trained twice a week as a long-jumper and occasional sprinter! I did this for a couple of years before taking up the role as a volunteer gymnastics coach with my old trainer and team. A relatively newer hobby of mine is cooking. I found my love for cooking in lockdown in 2020. My boyfriend and my family often tell me how much they enjoy it. Their enthusiasm and support for this new interest has pushed me towards writing my own cook book and I am currently experimenting with new recipe ideas.   I am looking forward to what the future holds for me. I am only 2 years into my chosen career and I have to say it’s been the most enjoyable experience. Meeting the most resilient, determined and kind people at The Brightwell has been so rewarding and inspiring and I feel very privileged to be part of the team. See you at the Centre soon! Millie

Have you renewed your Brightwell Subscription for 2025 yet? If not, Dawn or Monique will be delighted to help you with this next time that you are in, alternatively you can call on 01454 201686. You are probably already thinking about booking your sessions for January and February, so you will need to renew your subscription in order to do this. We are pleased to keep the annual Subscription at £35 for Charity Members. We are also asking everyone to please consider making their therapy contributions by Standing Order. The benefits are as follows: It helps us with planning for staffing/volunteer levels. Members know they have a definite booking. You only contribute for 44 weeks a year, to take into account holidays. We are only usually closed for 1 week over Christmas and New Year and up to 3  days of servicing and training. You know you have made the right contribution, so there are no concerns about forgetting. It is easier to budget. Adjustments can be made for long term absence e.g. hospitalisation or prolonged illness. Standing Orders are worked out on an average of 44 weeks per year if someone attends weekly. This takes into account 8 weeks of nonattendance for any reason. Here are some examples 1-2-1 Physiotherapy (Level 2) @ £25 per session X 44 weeks / 12 months = £91.66 per month Oxygen @ £15 per session X 44 weeks / 12 months = £55.00 per month Exercise class @ £8 per session X 44 weeks / 12 months = £29.33 per month For fortnightly sessions the following applies: 1-2-1 Physio (Level 1) @ £30 per session X 22 weeks / 12 months = £55.00 per month A member of staff or a member of our Reception Team will be pleased to work out your monthly contributions with you based on your individual treatment plan. We can also print off any forms and complete them with you. If you are a lapsed member and would like to rejoin the Brightwell Community, please come and have a chat, we would  really love to see you again. Any queries whatsoever, please get in touch.

We are really delighted to be able to add this incredible piece of equipment to The Brightwell’s Physio Department. Although this is a very advanced piece of equipment in terms of how the Physio Team can use it, it is simple, safe and straightforward for our Service Users. A Biodex Gait Trainer is a treadmill that helps people improve their gait and motor learning. It can support: Gait analysis : Measures aspects of gait, such as step length, cadence, stance times, and lateral weight shifting.  Biofeedback : Provides real-time audio and visual cues to help users develop a proper gait pattern.  Progress tracking : Documents gait parameters and user’s performance, which can be printed, saved, or charted. Goal setting : Compares user’s footfall to desired footfall, and allows therapists to set goals and monitor progress.  Rehabilitation : Helps people with brain injuries or those who have had a stroke to improve their gait.  Strength and coordination : Helps develop strength, range of motion, balance, and coordination.  Cardiovascular capacity : Helps increase cardiovascular capacity when used regularly. The machine has been strategically place in the gym so that those that cannot weight bare easily can still benefit from the equipment in a safe way with the support of the overhead hoist. This piece of equipment has been on our  Lead Physiotherapist, Amrik’s wish-list for a long time. Due to the high cost of a brand new machine, we didn’t think we would ever be able to afford one. However, Amrik kept in touch with Biodex, the manufacturer. and a refurbished one became available. Thanks to two donations, one from Woodstock Homes and a top up donation from Caz and Martin Blake-Symes, the cost was covered. The Company arranged for the equipment to be delivered, installed and calibrated. Training took place with Amrik, Bhumika and Millie, who were really impressed with the possible benefits, and it even plays music! Amrik commented “This is an outstanding addition to the Physiotherapy Department, the feedback this apparatus gives us would be impossible to gain from an ordinary treadmill. The information gained will enable us to develop our Service Users’ existing physio programmes  and monitor their progress. We are all looking forward to finding out more about the benefits and results this new piece of equipment will offer.” If you would like to find out more about the specialist Neurophysiotherapy that we offer at the Centre please visit. www.thebrightwell.org.uk/physio

Whether you fancy a delicious bowl of homemade soup or a festive mince pie with a hot cuppa, The Brightwell Café is the place to be! Perfect for those chilly days, Paula and the team are now selling lovely homemade soups in the cafe, as well as offering a full range of sandwiches and filled jacket potatoes. The café will also be selling delicious festive sandwiches and sweet treats in the run up to Christmas, so keep an eye on our Specials board! Great if you fancy a cozy chat with friends or just fancy something different for lunch or coffee and cake for aliveness, come and join us. Don’t forget, if you are having Oxygen or Physiotherapy, you can prebook your food and drink so that it will be ready when your session finishes. The café is open from 9.30am until 3pm on weekdays. For more information, please visit www.thebrightwell.org.uk/the-brightwell-cafe

Pictured: Geoff Mayell Chair of Trustees at The Brightwell, Mike Martin & Roger Wall from MS Peoples Help, Liz Ranger Centre Member and Doro Pasantes CEO of The Brightwell. On Wednesday 20 November we were pleased to welcome Roger Wall and Mike Martin from MS Peoples Help charity. MS Peoples help is a fantastic charity shop in Thornbury who also provide help around the home for people affected by MS. This includes gardening, painting and decorating, as well as building wheelchair ramps and general handy man services. Since founding the charity Roger and the team have donated surplus profits from the shop to causes related to MS. They have donated substantial sums to  BrAMS , and the MS Society, funding lots of vital work. This year MS Peoples Help decided that they would like to fund an organisation that provides face-to -face services for people living with MS. Initially Mike and his Wife Karina visited the Centre, and the Brightwell Team were able to show them all that we offer. Mike and Karina met Members, volunteers and staff and left with a box of donations from us for their shop! Roger and Mike then visited together, and it was wonderful to show Roger how much The Brightwell has moved on since the days when he was a Member at Nailsea. Following the visit we are so grateful to have received an incredibly generous donation of £23,200 from this fantastic organisation. The donation will be used to fund items from our wishlist, including a Thera-trainer bike for use in the oxygen department. Liz, pictured above, often uses a bike when she has oxygen therapy as a way of keeping active when she is not able to do her most preferred activity of cold-water swimming. The donation will also be used to upgrade our IT which we will be forced to do as our machines become obsolete, replace the lighting in oxygen, provide high back chairs for isobaric oxygen users and also upgrade the lighting in oxygen. We are so grateful for this support and are looking forward to maintaining a great relationship between the two charities. If you think that MS Peoples help could assist you please visit their website www.mspeopleshelp.co.uk  If you have anything that you would like to donate for their shop please also get in touch. They take electrical items, and mobility aids too! Or if you just like to shop, next time you are in Thornbury give them a visit. Thank you once again to all at MS Peoples Help for their generosity, we look forward to sharing pictures of the items bought in due course.

On Saturday we held our annual Christmas Market at the centre. We welcomed a number of local stall holders who sold a variety of gifts and we had our very own Brightwell Shop stalls. The Mini Massive Sax Flextet were in attendance and they played festive tunes throughout the event. And of course, Santa was in attendance! Volunteers flew the Brightwell flag and sold a variety of wonderful gifts and treats where all proceeds went to the charity. There are still some Christmas gifts available on our shop in the centre, so next time you visit be quick to get yours before they sell out! Incredibly we raised just under £2,000 at the Market. Thank you to everyone who supported this event by volunteering, promoting and attending. Events like these would not be possible without the fantastic support and generosity of our community, thank you.