Search Results

The Brightwell was invited to have a stand at the “Living Well with MS” event hosted by the MS Society at the Somerdale Pavillion in Keynsham last month. The event was very well attended and received by those living with MS and bought several other organisations that support people living with the condition together including the Brightwell.   There were talks by Emily Wilford, the MS Physiotherapy at the Brain Centre on Exercise and Moving More. View or download Emily’s presentation below. Sasha Leigh, Counsellor at the Brightwell talked about “Emotional Health” and the emotional impact of MS as well as coping strategies and where to find support. View or download Sasha’s presentation below Doro Pasantes, CEO at The Brightwell,  also did a presentation on the Brightwell and the Social Connections that we nurture and encourage at the Centre.  We were able to touch base again with some lapsed Centre members who attended and reach out to many new people who would benefit from our support.   View or download Doro’s presentation below There were representatives present from most of the MS Society Groups in the Greater Bristol and Bath area and from other organisations such as the Bristol and South Gloucestershire Carers Support Centre, WECIL and Overcoming MS.    Watch this space, as over 2025 we will be working more closely with these organisations with a view to delivering in Centre support to Carers, information, advice, and peer support to those newly diagnosed and who want to find out how to live well with long-term neurological conditions as well as some therapy outreach South of Bristol.   Participants on the day were asked to highlight the services which already exist in their area and which they value and use as well as those that don’t, and they would like to have. As soon as this information is made available, we will share it with you.     The event was rounded off by an extremely interesting talk by Beth Grimsey, Research Programme Manager for the MS Society who presented some new insights into how far we have come in the last 30 years with research in and treatments for MS.  As well as setting out the MS Society’s research priorities for the future which include research into preventing immune attacks,  promoting myelin repair, and protecting the nerves from damage with particular emphasis on therapies and treatments for those living with Primary and Secondary Progressive MS. View or download Beth’s presentation below All in all, it was an extremely positive day for the Brightwell to build on existing relationships and to make new connections. We hope to be able to raise awareness of the advances and support available and deliver on these benefits through the coming year.

Our October Newsletter is packed full of the latest news, events and updates from The Brightwell,

Come and join us for a fabulous festive market on Saturday 30th November from 11am - 2pm as we countdown to Christmas. Showcasing a wide variety of gifts and crafts, this will be the perfect opportunity to start (or finish) your Christmas shopping. With the variety of wonderful local stall holders, you are sure to find the perfect Christmas gifts for family and friends. Mini Massive Sax Flextet  will be bringing the festive tunes to life - all donations are greatly received for the charity. There will be a number of fun games to take part in and scrumptious refreshments on sale throughout the event to purchase too. Accessible parking only is available at the Centre, with limited street parking nearby. The Willow Brook Centre offer free parking for up to 4 hours, and is only a short walk away. Christmas starts here! There is no need to book just come along on the day and enjoy, entry is FREE. So, come along and kick off the festive season whilst supporting The Brightwell and our mission to support people affected by MS and other neurological conditions. We can't wait to see you there!

My name is Giselle and I live in Bradley Stoke with my husband and my eldest son and our dog Heidi, just 7 months old!  My daughter currently lives in Manchester.  I grew up in Buckinghamshire where I started my career in the health service as an admin clerk in Windsor, then joined the civil service until 1993. I married a year later and relocated to Bristol to start a family.   I am half German, being brought up bilingual, by my late German mother. My hobbies include travelling, in particular Germany visiting family. I also enjoy reading and writing to relax. I  started writing in the first lockdown of 2019 and have never looked back, I have since published my second  book this October.   I joined the centre in January 2013, after being diagnosed with primary progressive MS in November 2012. Since then the centre changed its name to The Brightwell, offering treatments for many more people with other neurological disorders such as fibromyalgia, ME, Parkinson’s, to name a few.   My initial symptoms were muscular leg cramps, causing me balance and walking issues. I started with one to one physiotherapy and joined the group classes which I highly benefited from. During this time I did my own research, discovering many pain coping mechanisms, after realising that prescribed medication caused me too many side effects. Hence, I take alternative natural products, which agree far better with me, with less harmful toxins in them.  These include Vitamin D3, turmeric capsules and more recently lion’s mane supplement  for better focus and less brain fog. I must stress, however that everyone is unique, one size does not fit all.  I also enjoy yoga for mindfulness and other exercises for improved strength and wellbeing.   In 2014 I started weekly hyperbaric oxygen therapy at the Brightwell which keeps me reasonably mobile and I would recommend to anyone to try it out for themselves. I find it helps me with both fatigue and balance issues.    One reason I love attending the Centre is for the social aspect it provides. I have made many good friends there and look forward to enjoying  a cuppa and something yummy from the Brightwell Café, Paula and her team of Café Volunteers are absolutely fabulous.

Bradley Stoke Town Council held their annual Fireworks Night last night at the Jubilee Centre in Bradley Stoke. This community event is held yearly to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night and to raise money for the Mayors Charities. This year the Mayors Charities are The Brightwell, Mamas Bristol and Diabetes UK. As one of the mayors chosen charities, some of our incredible volunteers along with staff attended the event to volunteer and fundraise. The evening was full of fireworks, music and sweet treats. The Jubilee Fields were packed with attendees whom hopefully all donated towards the charities. A massive thank you to Bradley Stoke Town Council for hosting an incredible event, the fireworks were the best yet! Also to our amazing volunteers Paula, Sophie, Janet, Mike, Roger, Maggie and Trevor for volunteering and representing The Brightwell at this event.

Mojo Active, based in Almondsbury, offer a range of fun and challenging activities for children and adults, such as assault course, high ropes, zorbs, archery and more. They host an annual festive fun run in support of a charity of their choice, and this year they have kindly chosen The Brightwell. This years run takes place on Sunday 1st December. There are two courses that you can embark on. 5K course  (for adults and children 7 years+) which features mud pits, tunnels, ditches mud slides, leopard crawls, water pits, tyre obstacles and straw bale climbs. 2K course  (for adults and children 5 years +) which includes a short section through an optional shallow stream and some muddy ditches. All children under 13 years will need to be accompanied on the course by an adult with a maximum of 2 children per adult. There will be marshals along each course cheering and encouraging you on. Spectators are very welcome and there will be additional activities on site, including a Brightwell stand! Ticket prices: Adult £15 Child £12.50 (16yrs & under) Family ticket £50 (2 adults/2 children or 1 adult/3 children) Take part and fundraise for The Brightwell on this muddy run by collecting a sponsorship form from the centre and getting sponsors in the lead up to the big day. Tickets are available at: https://bookings.mojoactive.co.uk/event/muddy-madness Thank you to Mark from Mojo Active for involving us in this wonderful event.

Can you help with some important research for the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority? They are conducting focus groups looking at accessibility products and bus information for those with physical, hidden and mental health disabilities. Would you like to take part in one of the focus groups? To be eligible to take part you will need to: • be a regular user of public transport • have a physical, hidden or mental health disability You will be paid £25 cash for your time to cover for any out of pocket expenses. We have two groups: • Wednesday, 23 October, 2pm – 3.30pm Turnberries Community Centre, Bath Road, Thornbury, CS352BB • Tuesday, 29 October, 5.30pm – 7pm Somerdale Pavillion, Tiberius Road, Keynsham, BS312FW They have limited spaces for these groups so it is essential that you book your place by emailing kelly.jones@futurefocusresearch.co.uk. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis Please see poster below for further information...

Over the past few weeks there has been a great deal of information on TV, in the papers and online discussing Pension Credit. This has been triggered by the Government now means-testing eligibility for the Winter Fuel Allowance, which is now limited to those in receipt of Pension Credit. However, the very worrying statistic is how many people are eligible for this support, but do not claim it. We hope this article will help anyone who has not checked their eligibility for Pension Credit and may be eligible. Overview Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income. Pension Credit can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charge Pension Credit is separate from your State Pension. You can get Pension Credit even if you have other income, savings or own your own home. If you get Pension Credit you can also get other help, such as: Housing Benefit if you rent the property you live in Winter Fuel Payment Support for Mortgage Interest if you own the property you live in a Council Tax discount a free TV licence if you’re aged 75 or over help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments, if you get a certain type of Pension Credit help with your heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme a discount on the Royal Mail redirection service if you’re moving house Eligibility You must live in England, Scotland or Wales and have reached State Pension age to qualify for Pension Credit. If you have a partner, you must include your partner on your application. You’ll be eligible if either: you and your partner have both reached State Pension age one of you is getting Housing Benefit for people over State Pension age A partner is either: your husband, wife or civil partner - if you live with them someone you live with as a couple, without being married or in a civil partnership Your income When you apply for Pension Credit your income is calculated. If you have a partner, your income is calculated together. Pension Credit tops up: your weekly income to £218.15 if you’re single your joint weekly income to £332.95 if you have a partner If your income is higher, you might still be eligible for Pension Credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs. What counts as income State Pension other pensions earnings from employment and self-employment most social security benefits, for example Carer’s Allowance What does not count as income Not all benefits are counted as income. For example, the following are not counted: Adult Disability Payment Attendance Allowance Christmas Bonus Child Benefit Disability Living Allowance Personal Independence Payment social fund payments like Winter Fuel Allowance Housing Benefit Council Tax Reduction If you’re entitled to a personal or workplace pension and you have not claimed it yet, the amount you’d expect to get still counts as income. If you’ve deferred your State Pension, the amount of State Pension you would get is counted as income. You cannot build up extra amounts for deferring your State Pension if you or your partner are getting Pension Credit. Your savings and investments If you have £10,000 or less in savings and investments this will not affect your Pension Credit. If you have more than £10,000, every £500 over £10,000 counts as £1 income a week. For example, if you have £11,000 in savings, this counts as £2 income a week. What you'll get Pension Credit tops up: your weekly income to £218.15 if you’re single your joint weekly income to £332.95 if you have a partner You may get extra amounts if you have other responsibilities and costs.   What to do next T o find out more  and apply, please visit www.gov.uk/pension-credit You can also call Pension Credit claim lineTelephone: 0800 99 1234 If you have any Additional queries please call Citizens Advice Bureau on 0808 278 7957 or AgeUK 0800 0556112. Don’t forget we also hold CAB Sessions here at The Brightwell, please call 01454 201686 to book an appointment.

Our Halloween Party took place on Saturday at the Centre and welcomed 28 children who were ready to dance the afternoon away with Barbie and Wednesday Addams. The children had the opportunity to dance with the stars as well as play games and take pictures with them. With sweet cones and bags of popcorn available, they were fuelled and excited for an afternoon of musical fun. A huge thank you to the entertainment company, Magical Moon Entertainment, who put on a great performance. Also to Explore Learning and The Valet Club, who kindly sponsored this event. Without your support this event wouldn't have been possible. We raised an amazing £280! Thank you to our generous donors and amazing community who continue to attend our events, your support helps us raise vital funds to ensure therapy is available to support those affected by neurological conditions.

Diwali, the festival of lights, is a time for joy and celebration for millions around the world. It’s a festival that transcends religious boundaries, bring families and communities together in a vibrant tapestry of tradition, rituals, and festivities. The Essence of Diwali: Diwali marks the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. It commemorates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after his 14-year exile and the vanquishing of the demon king Ravana.   Diwali: Hinduism and India are both vast and encompass a very diverse mix of languages, traditions, and deities, hence, the celebration of Diwali differs for every family with a few common threads. The preparation for Diwali begins a week in advance with a deep clean of your house to make space for wealth and prosperity. This is followed by ‘Dhanteras’ where families buy new utensils and/or jewellery replacing or adding to their family collections. On the day of Diwali, the festivities begin by wearing new clothes, visiting families and friends with gifts, and decorating your own home. At sunset, families gather to worship Goddess Laxami and then light divas and burst firecrackers in celebration. The lights symbolise the triumph of light over darkness and the dispelling of ignorance and negativity.   How I celebrate Diwali by Surabhi Miah, Brightwwell Fundraising Team Member “Before making the UK my home, I grew up in New Delhi, the capital of India, and celebrated Diwali alongside my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In Bristol, we continue the traditions with friends of Indian and non-Indian heritage. At sunset in India, my family consisting of my husband and twin daughters adorn our festive clothes and join my family in India via facetime as my mother leads the prayers. This allows all of us to be together and is a tradition I have been following since I moved to the UK at the age of 19.”  Beyond the Festivities Diwali is a festival that reminds us of the power of light, the importance of good over evil, and the eternal hope for a brighter future. As the divas illuminate our homes and streets, may they also illuminate our hearts and minds with love, peace, and prosperity.    Everyone at The Brightwell wishes  a very Happy Diwali to all those in our Brightwell, Bradley Stoke and our wider communities, who are celebrating this week.

We are excited to take part once again in Bradley Stoke Town Council’s Charity Scarecrow Trail, and this year’s event is particularly meaningful for us. As one of the mayor’s chosen charities for 2024-25, The Brightwell will benefit from the council’s fundraising efforts, which will go a long way towards supporting the centre. There are 17 stops on this exciting trail hosted by local business and creative individuals. This year’s trail theme is “work" and we’ve chosen to celebrate the hard work of some very important people at the Centre. George, this year’s scarecrow, can be found in our beautiful, accessible garden. The garden is nurtured through the dedication of wonderful volunteers with the help of corporate sponsors, making it a peaceful space where we can all enjoy fresh air and the beauty of nature in comfort. Councillor Natalie Field, Mayor of Bradley Stoke said:   ‘I am delighted that so many people and organisations have come forward to make scarecrows as all the money raised will go to the Mayor’s charities which are Diabetes UK, Mamas Bristol and the Brightwell Centre. The trail is fun for everyone but particularly for families. This year the theme for the trail is ‘scarecrows at work’ to celebrate all the important contributions people make and recognises the importance of diversity in the workplace Stoke’. We’re thrilled to be part of this year’s Charity Scarecrow Trail and hope that George’s story inspires others to recognise the importance and value of inclusivity and to embrace their passions and truly enjoy their work. Trail Maps cost £2 and can be purchased from the Town Council Office, The Brightwell Centre, Willow Brook Centre Management Offices, Aztec West Hotel and Mama's Bristol.

I wanted to thank you all for taking the time to engage with and respond to our Consultation Survey for current stakeholders of the Charity and to the survey for lapsed members. We had a fantastic response with over 127 complete entries to both surveys. Please click below to view the full Members’ Consultation Survey Report as a PDF I thought it would be beneficial to present some of the learning we have made from the responses and any interesting findings the surveys have highlighted. Over 75% of all respondents were over the age of 50 and over two thirds were women, which fits in with our demographic, as well as the demographic for people who are living with a neurological condition like MS, nationally.  Almost 50% of all respondents were retired.  The Brightwell’s services were rated Excellent by 67% of the people that use them, followed by 28% Good, 4% Satisfactory and >1% Poor.  The majority of “Excellent” responses were for the Café, followed by “Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy” and the “Neuro-physiotherapy”. The poor ratings were few and were concentrated on the clinics and therapies that took place infrequently during the year. The main areas highlighted for improvement are around better communication so that members know what is on offer and when, appointment bookings and reminders, around transport and improvements to our facilities, mainly around the café space. Many of these themes were repeated under question 16 including: improved communication, another Chamber, extended hours and transport, which came up again very strongly. 77% of members are extremely satisfied with our service delivery and 21% are satisfied. Under 2% are dissatisfied. And over 92% rate the quality of the activities offered at the Centre like the Bingo and Quizzes as "Excellent" or "Good". We had varied responses for additional services the Brightwell should offer. These included; out of hours therapy sessions, carer support, skill based sessions, another Oxygen Chamber, more daytime social events, developing coping strategies for living with long term conditions and specialised information for newly diagnosed people, amongst others. When asked about changes to the demand for therapy over the next 5 years, the majority of respondents thought that this would significantly increase as more people are diagnosed and have to become more proactive in finding symptom management tools that works for them. Long Covid and CFS were highlighted time and time again as a growing area for concern, with the feeling that the demand on Hyperbaric Oxygen will also increase within that timeframe. The Brightwell’s greatest strengths are its people and its community!  The words that stood out from this question were “Friendly” “Welcoming” “Professional” “Support” “Affordable” “Accessible”. The staff and Volunteers were mentioned positively almost in every single response. The main challenges faced by current stakeholders were around therapy resources including staff and oxygen appointment availability. Some facility issues including parking and training requirements from volunteers also featured as well as the struggle for affordable and accessible transport to and from the Centre. This was echoed in the consultation responses from lapsed members, where distance from the centre, transport and costs were highlighted as the main reasons for current non-attendance. 95% rated our services as “Affordable” or “Very Affordable” and 5% as “Expensive”.  I would like to underline here that we ask for a contribution towards our therapies. The rate we set is highly subsidised by all the fundraising activity that takes place and other sustainable income sources. We do not means-test for service contributions or turn anyone away if they are unable to contribute at the requested level. 87 respondents believe that the Brightwell’s services are accessible to those that need them. The barriers to accessibility that the remaining 12 respondents highlight fall into two main categories; transport and cost.  80% of our lapsed members also think that the Brightwell is accessible to those people that need the services. They identified current opening hours and no weekend services, as well as lack of transport to and from the Centre and the relaxing of the strict covid infection control rules as the main reasons behind the barriers to attending. 98% of members are either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the Centre’s facilities and only 2% “somewhat” or “very dissatisfied”, mainly around the hand drying facilities in the W.C.s. Communication is an area that we will definitely be looking at with 7% of respondents feeding back that our communication is poor or inconsistent.  Email came top of the communications methods preferred by respondents followed by text messages. In respect of reaching communities those that responded wanted to see greater connections with Health Centres and medical professionals. As well as better promotion of our Oxygen facilities and outreach to the local business community for support. Under half of the lapsed members that responded to the survey, have let us know that they are able to access similar services closer to home. These are neuro-physiotherapy, exercise classes, counselling, and some complementary therapies like acupuncture andmassage.  The majority of lapsed respondents do not access similar therapies anywhere else.   When asked what would bring lapsed members back to the Centre the responses that stood out were “Therapies and classes that you can bring kids along to”, “a reliable transport service to and from the centre for wheelchair users”, “Appointment times that fit in around my work schedule”. Our stakeholders have produced a number or innovative ideas for the Brightwell going forward which include outreach for people who are newly diagnosed and building stronger bonds with the NHS and neuro services. Also, extending social activities for Members into the evening as well as outreach and healthy lifestyle activities inside and outside of the Centre. Finally, 99% of all respondents are likely to recommend our services to others and this was backed up by so many wonderful comments like “Incredible supportive community”, “friendly, efficient, affordable”, “Professional and caring for users”, “It changed my day to day life”, “Excellent care”, ”I find it a lifeline”, “It is the only thorough physio service I have encountered in 25 years of being diagnosed…” “excellent facility whose value should be more widely known” “I thing there is no place like it, it is an important resource and yet so undervalued….” “My experience of the Brightwell has always been positive”, “It is the only place that provides continuing therapy for neuro conditions”, “It’s always good to pass on great news and that is what the Brightwell is!” All your comments, suggestions and ideas will be discussed and considered.  They will guide our new 5-year strategy and business plan, which will be shared with you once completed.    Your input has been invaluable, and we look forward to evolving our services and delivering excellence in care at the Brightwell . If you did not get chance to complete the online survey or attend the consultation meeting, please call Reception and ask to be put through to me personally, I will gladly welcome any additional thoughts or feedback. Doro Pasantes CEO, The Brightwell