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Please note that The Brightwell will be closed between Saturday 23 December and Monday 1 January. We will be reopening as usual on Tuesday 2 January 2024. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

On 12 December, the fantastic Level 3 musical theatre students from South Gloucestershire College delighted shoppers at the Willowbrook Centre with festive tunes. They sang their hearts out and created a magical atmosphere whilst also raising an amazing £128.60 in donations from the public for the Centre. They were also kind enough to hold a raffle at the college and handed Libby an envelope on the day containing a brilliant £165.00. We can’t wait to partner with these talented young people again and wish to thank them for raising almost £300 and for all of their ongoing support.

Due to a system upgrade our telephone lines will be down on Tuesday 19th December Between 10am - 2pm. Should you need to contact the Centre urgently during this time please email reception hello@thebrightwell.org.uk Thank you for your understanding

As well as our excellent one to one and group physio sessions we also offer online sessions via Zoom. These classes are run by Millie Rutherford, our Rehabilitation Therapist. There are two classes every Wednesday and members can take part in either or both classes whichever suits your needs and requirements.  The suggested contribution for each class is £5. Wednesday 12-12.30pm Seated Zoom Class suitable for  upper limb strengthening Strength & power training with the use of dumbbells to increase blood circulation to release endorphins and develop muscle tone and strength. Helps improve balance to avoid injuries. Wednesday Zoom 12.30-1pm Standing Zoom Class for standing balance + lower limb strengthening/stretching. Endurance, strength and balance focused. Great class for those who are unable to commute to the centre but want to stay active and increase their fitness. ​ These classes are great for additional sessions in between physio or oxygen sessions or for those who can’t always get to the Centre. Suitable for all levels of ability. How do I join these classes? Call or book in at  Reception and provide us with the email that you use for your Zoom account. Millie will send you a link that can be used each week. Don’t forget that you can pay for your classes on Standing Order. For more detail about the Therapies we offer please visit our Therapies and Physiotherapy pages of our website. You can also keep up to date with all the latest news on Health and Well-being on our blog, click here to check it out. Millie looks forward to welcoming you to her Zoom classes.

As part of our last fundraiser of the year, our Winter Solstice Sunrise Swim we will be running a big end of year RAFFLE! The raffle will be drawn at the event which takes place at 7am on Friday 22 December at West Country Water Park. Prizes include: 1st Prize: Osteopathy treatment worth £138 with Frome Valley Osteopaths 2nd: Afternoon tea for 2 at Aztec Hotel & Spa 3rd: Spa day pass for 2 at Aztec Hotel & Spa 4th: Taylor Swift Vinyl And ... a large selection of chocs, swim gear, bubbles & self care items! Online entries will be printed off and added to the raffle bucket on the day. Get your tickets here! Check out the pics for further info on prizes. Thank you for supporting The Brightwell.

Thank you to each and every person that walked through The Brightwell doors on Sunday 3 December to support our Brightwell Christmas Market. The support we receive, at events such as this, enables us to continue to offer subsidised therapies for those living with chronic neurological conditions. These events represent a huge amount of work for weeks ahead of the actual day and we want to say a massive well done to our Fundraising Team especially Victoria Libby and all our fundraising and events volunteers. As always, we were supported by staff and members who not only helped, but encouraged so many friends, family and others from the community to come and join in. From the minute the doors opened the Centre was full of noise, laughter and chatter. Everyone was tucking into the delicious bakes, enjoying the wonderful mellow tunes from Mini Massive Sax Flextet, and buying lots of festive goodies. It was great to welcome so many new faces, including lots of youngsters who particularly enjoyed the petting corner thanks to Puxton Park including the most gigantic millipede! Big thank you also to The amazing bakers for all the scrummy food! All the very talented stall holders! Puxton Park Tourist Attraction TOYOTA World Bristol North Lovell Place Care Home Heritage Healthcare Bristol Rugged Interactive Mini Massive Sax Flextet Wow Faces Frenchay Christmas Tree Farm Although our fundraising is essential, it is really important that all the Brightwell Team, members and those in our own and surrounding communities have fun at the same time. This spectacular Christmas Market certainly achieved that! We are delighted to say that we have raised an impressive £2,200 too!

We are so delighted with our new furniture for our Bradbury Lounge. A few months ago, we were contacted by David Elliott of County Contractors, who were doing a major refurbishment at The Delta Marriott Hotel in Bristol City Centre. David has been a great support of ours for many years, originally joining us when we were based in Nailsea. Despite being diagnosed himself with MS in 2001, David has helped with numerous fundraising activities for us, including running several marathons. David was aware that there would be furniture that was due to be replaced and asked the hotel’s General Manager, Robin Vanieperen, if he could suggest that they were donated to The Brightwell. Robin generously agreed and we recently collected 18 chairs from the hotel. These chairs look brand new and the colour scheme matches perfectly for our lounge area. For safety reasons, the furniture we use at the centre needs to be very stable and have arms for our service users to be able to transfer securely, these fit the bill perfectly! So thanks to the generosity of The Delta Marriott not only can we offer attractive and comfortable seating, but we have also saved thousands of pounds! Thank you so much David and Robin for thinking of us, please come and join us for a coffee in our lovely lounge very soon.

21 5-star Google Reviews As you may be aware we have been promoting the fact that it is very beneficial from an online awareness point of view for us to have 5-star Google and Facebook Reviews. We are delighted to share the news that we now have 21 5-star Google Reviews! Here are just a few examples of the great comments that reviewers have left. If you would like to leave us a 5-star review please use this link https://g.page/r/CYyT9Mvz3scdEB0/review Jane H What a beautiful place. The receptionist Dawn was so helpful and super friendly. Great coffee shop x Patricia A Excellent little unit to go for routine scans. Tucked out of the way in a housing estate, it is easy to locate. Staff were helpful and friendly. The wait time was very short. It also seems to have rooms for different therapies and there is also a small coffee there. Tom F Such a brilliant centre. The staff and volunteers are so kind and helpful. The services they offer are professional and at really accessible prices. There is a warm and friendly at,osphere. And Angela isa star! Nathan L Clare without an i. What a superb individual, a loving, compassionate being, that focuses on other people’s mindsets above her own. A lady that showcases her experiences that helps supports souls for their development. Keith T Welcoming, understanding and supportive. A happy place doing a good job for over 30 years. Jane S Proud to be part of the team (as a volunteer) at The Brightwell. A warm, friendly and welcoming place offering a wide range of therapies. Why not pop along and have a look..and enjoy a lovely coffee from our new cafe Linzi M I go to the centre every Wednesday morning to take part in an exercise session run by the physios. It is a great way to support my mobility and we also have fun. There are similar classes at different times and days. Contact the centre for more details and cost. Everyone is always very friendly and I also attend other activities when I can. There is a Christmas fair coming up in December and there are bingo nights etc. Callum B My Mum has MS and goes to The Brightwell. She really benefits from the physiotherapy and enjoys the social events. I try to support The Brightwell with fundraising, when possible. It is a really great place! Michael I have been using the Physiotherapy Department at the Brightwell for many years now. They are brilliant. Caring and concerned they develop a series of exercises for you that stretch you and help you to maintain the physical ability that you have. I realised how good they were when they had to shut during the Covid lock downs. I have also used some of their other services to great effect. The Brightwell understand MS; treat you as an individual and can answer many of the questions that baffle other organisations. Lots of parking, all set up for wheelchair users and such a friendly atmosphere. I just wish I lived closer so I could get more involved with the vast range of social activities they lay on. If you would like to see all of our Facebook reviews too, please click below. www.facebook.com/thebrightwell/reviews Thank you to everyone who has left reviews so far.

You have 12 chances to walk away with a gorgeous hamper for Christmas so, grab your tickets today! Huge thank you to everyone who has donated to make these hampers as amazing as they are and a special shout out to our corporate supporters Heritage Healthcare, Rugged Interactive & Lovell Place for their hamper contribution, they look stunning! Tickets are £1 per entry and every penny raised goes continues our subsidised therapy delivery for those affected by neurological conditions. When purchasing tickets online each entry will be given a 'strip' of raffle tickets from the raffle book (as per the same process in the Centre) the tickets will then be placed into the drum ready for the draw which will take place at 1:30pm during our Christmas Market. CLICK HERE TO BUY Y6OUR TICKETS

I am proud to be the Lead Physiotherapist, working with the very professional and dedicated team of therapists here at The Brightwell. The work we do in the Physiotherapy Department helps support those living with long term neurological conditions to maintain their fitness, activity, and functional needs of daily living. Part of my role is to see all new members joining The Brightwell personally for their first appointment for an initial assessment of their conditions and symptoms, evaluate and analyse the impact of symptoms on their functionality, and to jointly set personal objectives and goals through a therapeutic programme. I am always keen to ensure that the physio team members keep up to date with current research, evidence, and the national clinical guidelines to provide an individually tailored therapy plan, to support our service users. I was born into a Punjabi Sikh family, living in New Delhi, capital of India. New Delhi is a busy and vibrant place to live, filled with colour and numerous festivals all the year around. After graduating from New Delhi University in 2005, I worked in that location for two years and then made the decision to come to the UK. In 2007, I gained a place at Queen Margaret University, in Edinburgh, to pursue an MSc in Physiotherapy, specialising in neurology and research. . My research focused on the effect of strengthening and endurance exercise on mobility in Stroke Survivors. After working for a short period as an occupational health physiotherapist for Lothian Council and part-time at the MS Therapy Centre in Edinburgh, I joined the West of England MS Therapy Centre in 2010. At that time we were based in Nailsea. I have been very fortunate, with support from The Brightwell, to be able to develop my knowledge by being involved with several academic programmes, including being a visiting lecturer at UWE, and an Associate Lecturer with Cardiff University. I am the proud Dad of two amazing daughters, aged12 and 5 years. I have lived in Bradley Stoke since 2012, when the Centre relocated to the area. I fell in love with Bristol on my first visit, due to its history, varied culture, food and atmosphere, I felt that Bristol was similar to New Delhi. in many ways although much colder! As well as spending time with my family, I enjoy all kinds of sports, swimming, running, Badminton, playing card games, plus I’m a bit of a Sci-Fi fan. I am a very keen environmentalist and constantly encourage friends and family to recycle and reuse items and to be aware of their carbon footprint. I love being part of the team at The Brightwell, knowing we can help so many people. I am lucky enough to have known lots of the members since joining in 2010 and this makes my work very rewarding. Amrik Sidhu

We are very pleased to have been able to purchase an extensive amount of new gardening tools and equipment, thanks to a grant from Babcock International. Babcock wanted to offer funding for something that would be of specific benefit to our service users, and these items definitely tick that box! As you are no doubt aware, we are very fortunate to have a beautiful outdoor space here at The Brightwell. Over the past year or so, this outdoor space has been developed with the addition of a new terrace area, gazebo, landscaping and beds. Lots of our members, staff, visitors and volunteers made good use of this space back in the spring and summer. However, many of our members enjoy gardening and often either due to access issues or layout, it s not practical for them to be involved in their own gardens where they live. These new tools with assist members and volunteers to be able to get more involved and hopefully will not only benefit from the fresh air and exercise, but also have the satisfaction of everyone enjoying the fruits of their labour. We would also like to take this opportunity to let Steve Fitt, our Premises Manager and his team of dedicated, regular volunteers, know how much we all appreciate their hard work in keeping our Centre and outdoor area so attractive and enjoyable for us all. Thank you again to the team at Babcock, we look forward to welcoming you to the Centre very soon.

We are delighted to welcome Sam May to The Brightwell as our new Acupuncture Specialist. As many of you are aware we have offered acupuncture for many years. Our acupuncture therapist was Sandra Arbelaez who ran clinics with us on a weekly basis for over ten years. Sandra has now moved on to have a new adventure in Spain. She kindly introduced us to Sam who started this month. Sam is an experienced acupuncturist who is well versed in the complexities of neurological conditions. He holds a degree in Acupuncture from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine and has been practicing in Bristol since 2010. Sam is at The Brightwell for appointments on Fridays between 9.30am and 2.30pm. Each session lasts between 45 and 60 minutes. Initial Consultation £45 Treatment session £30 To book an appointment with Sam please call 01454 201686. For details of all the Specialist Clinics we offer, please visit www.thebrightwell.org.uk/therapies/specialist-clinics