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We were delighted to welcome a new group of Corporate Volunteers on 12 July from Zurich, the global insurance company. This was the first time that a team of volunteers had come to help at The Brightwell from Zurich, and we were very impressed with everything they achieved! Not only did the team work exceptionally hard, but they also supplied us with £500 worth of plants and shrubs. They did a fantastic job of planting them on the bank behind the new car parking area, as well as in the main garden borders. The team were really interested to learn about everything we do here at The Brightwell, they enjoyed a light lunch from the Brightwell Café and even bought some Summer Prize Draw tickets! It was a joy to welcome this group to the Centre and we look forward to having them back soon!

Hello, my name is Bhumika, one of the Physiotherapists at the Brightwell. I was born in the famous, historic world heritage city, Ahmedabad, located in the west of India and brought up by a single mother. I have grown up speaking Gujarati (my Mother language), Hindi and English in my hometown. I gained a Bachelor’s degree in Physiotherapy from Ahmedabad, Gujarat University, in 2011 and I am a member of the Indian Association of Physiotherapists.  I am also a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, here in the UK. I worked for over 2 years in India as an Outpatient Physiotherapist in a private clinic as well as for a charity, with mostly neurological and musculoskeletal related patients. After getting married in 2013, I moved to the beautiful Wiltshire town of Salisbury, and I have lived in Bradley Stoke since 2018. I am the proud mum of my 9-year-old son. He studies at the local primary school, where he is famously known as the “vocabulary man” in his class, as he is excellent at English and spelling! He is a very loving and understanding child. We are a small family and have lots of lovely friends around the Bradley Stoke Community. When I first came to England, I enjoyed exploring lots of different and beautiful places.  My career path, from 2013, was very busy including working in various pharmacies, initially as a counter assistant and then as a qualified dispenser. I found this pharmacy work most enjoyable, and it helped me acquire knowledge about medicine and to understand more about the  NHS primary care system. This time gave me the opportunity to developed my communication, customer facing and  problem solving skills, as well as the ability to work under pressure and  develop my time-management. It took me  a while  to resume my career in Physiotherapy. I found out about The Brightwell through an article in the Bradley Stoke Journal, and was really interested to know more about the organisation. I began volunteering in the physio department in July 2018, once a week. Watching all the Physiotherapists work in their uniforms, inspired me to advance for this role on a professional basis. I began as an employed Physiotherapy Assistant in February 2019 whilst working to get my HCPC registration ( this is a requirement to work as a Physiotherapist in the UK). I gained my HCPC registration during the Covid lockdown, whilst on furlough, and meanwhile I came across a full-time Rotational Physiotherapist job with Sirona, in Weston Super Mare and left the Centre in 2020. The Sirona job role included patient assessments after hospital discharge, who were referred for community physiotherapy services with different pathway systems to help them return home (Discharge to Assess). I used to design a treatment plan to help with their mobility and personal care, also  to address their needs by referring them to the Single Point of Access team or to the district nurses. This was both a challenging and adventurous experience for me, as every day, my work involved  driving to different places in Weston Super Mare from Bradley Stoke.  Over and above this work and travelling, I was still  busy with household chores, childcare, plus juggling with school as my son was classed as the child of a keyworker in school due to Covid restrictions. It was a crazy time! I was exhilarated for the exciting opportunity to work back at the Brightwell after applying for a position as a part-time Physiotherapist,  and have been a part of the team since July 2021. My working days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and my job role includes carrying out assessments, developing treatment plans, helping to maintain or improve our service users symptoms, most of whom have neurological conditions. I had conducted Neuro-Yoga Pilates on Fridays. I see clients for one-to-one sessions and lead a group therapy session every Thursday with one physio assistant. I also supervise and educate Physiotherapy students with day-to-day admin work, client referrals when required and diary management. I enjoy my work and like to liaise with my colleagues regarding patient management and other routine tasks. All members at the Centre are so generous and I feel pride in contributing towards their improved well-being. I am proud to work for the Brightwell and thankful to them for supporting me in my professional role. It is a role with a high level of responsibility and I am always happy to step up to it.  Being part-time also gives me the opportunity to explore other interests and time for personal development. I am also very proud to be a Hindu and am very attached to spiritualism. I like to watch Indian shows and movies, I enjoy cooking and listening to music and to celebrate Indian festivals with the wider community in Bristol. I look forward to seeing you all at the Centre very soon. Love and Best Wishes Bhumika

Dan Rozzell, son of Giselle who is a long-standing member here at The Brightwell, has kindly nominated a team into a charity football tournament through his work, in support of The Brightwell. The Business Fives Bristol Event is a 5 a side Football tournament that will take place on Thursday 29th August. Dan and his employers, Haines Watts (an accounting firm in Bristol), have kindly put forward a team to compete whom will be fundraising for the centre. Alongside this, 10% of money raised through the whole tournament will be donated to the winner’s chosen charity. Dan, the teams captain, expressed that the team selected us as their chosen charity due to the close connection he has to the centre through his mum. The team have been set a fundraising target of £500 and are hoping to exceed this and raise as much as they are able to in the lead up to the tournament. We wish Dan and the rest of the team the best of luck! And thank them once again for their kindness and generosity. The link for their fundraising page can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/hwwestern5aside

Wards Solicitors kindly wave their fee and offer a will writing service at The Brightwell for a donation in return.  £80 donation for a single will, £150 for a pair of mirrored wills. Call Reception on 01454201686 to book in.

The Brightwell is very grateful to be the nominated charity for Wain Homes Severn Valley Ltd for 2024. On Friday 19 July, the Wain team delivered their Annual Charity Golf Day in the beautiful surroundings of The Kendleshire Golf Club in Westerleigh, South Gloucestershire. On the day, after weeks of dull chilly weather, the sun came out and it was the hottest day of the year so far! The organisational skills of the entire Wain team along with Pat  Murphy, MD at The Kendleshire and his fantastic catering and bar staff ensured that the day was a huge success. The players arrived bright and early ready for the day ahead the first tee off was at 8.30am. There was 24 teams playing, in total 95 players and 6 ‘groundcrew’! The Wain team did a fantastic job ensuring that all the players were kept hydrated on the golf course and showed some excellent driving skills with their “drinks buggy”! They also kept all the events of the days running smoothly and ensured all their guests were well looked after. The teams who all donated to take part in  the tournament were made up of Wain Homes staff, Contractors and Suppliers. The  players returned to the Clubhouse and enjoyed a few drinks in the shade followed by a delicious BBQ and buffet. Carl Haley, MD of Wain Homes Severn Valley gave out a variety of awards and prizes, with the usual jokes and banter from those winners and  especially from those who thought that they should have won. It was a great atmosphere! The Brightwell Team was headed up by Victoria, Fundraising Manager, and she was supported throughout the day by CEO Doro, Corporate and Events fundraiser Surabhi and Fundraising Trustee Caz. Not only was this a major fundraising event, but it was really great to be able to introduce new contacts to the The Brightwell, explain about the work we do and  what conditions we support. As well as this being a truly enjoyable day, an opportunity to build awareness amongst potential corporate  supporters, we will also benefit from an incredible donation of £11,000! On behalf of all at The Brightwell, we would like to say a massive thank you to everyone from the Wain Homes Team for your incredible hard work and this outstanding donation!

What is Disability Pride Month? Disability Pride Month happens every July and has been celebrated in the UK since 2015. It’s an opportunity to celebrate people with disabilities, their identities, their culture, and their contributions to society. It also seeks to change the way people think about and define disability, to end the stigma of disability, and to promote the belief that disability is a natural part of human diversity in which people living with disabilities can celebrate and take pride. It's a chance for people with disabilities to come together and celebrate being themselves, no matter their differences. It's also a chance to raise awareness of the challenges they still face every day to be treated equally. The concept of Disability Pride was born out of the Disability Rights movement and based on intersectional identity politics and social justice. The core concept of Disability Pride is based on the idea of reworking the negative narratives and biases that frequently surround the concept of disability. Disability Pride is a response and counteraction against ableism and social stigma. The concept has roots in the same social theory that backs LGBTQ Pride and Black Pride. Disability Pride is a movement intended to celebrate the history of the Disability Rights movement and people with disabilities as positive contributors to society. The Disability Pride Flag The Disability Pride Flag was created by Ann Magill in 2019. The original flag featured a lightning bolt design and bright colours on a black background. The flag was redesigned in 2021 with muted colours and straight stripes in response to feedback from those with visually triggered disabilities to make the flag more accessible. The flag now comprises a number of different elements, each symbolising different aspects of the disability experience. The coloured stripes are placed diagonally across the flag to show how disabled people have to cut across barriers in society.   How is Disability Pride Month celebrated? The first Disability Pride Parade in the UK was held in Belfast in 2014 and Brighton was the first place in England to hold one in 2017. Events are now held locally around the country in July. It's a chance for people with disabilities to come together and celebrate being themselves, no matter their differences. It's also a chance to raise awareness of the challenges they still face every day to be treated equally. The Brightwell Community supports the ethos and ideology of everything celebrated during Disability Pride Month, not only in July but in every month throughout the entire year.

The Atrato Group are an investment and property firm and the landlords of our local shopping centre, The Willow Brook. As part of their commitment to the communities that they serve, Atrato set up the Atrato Foundation. Staff in the Atrato group can nominate deserving causes to receive grant funding through the Foundation. The Willow Brook Centre is the community heart of Bradley Stoke and the Brightwell is so lucky to have been supported by them for many years. Recently due to the dedication of the centres manager Simon Whiting, this partnership has continued to strengthen.  Simon along with his staff and family have fundraised for our charity through a number of events such as the London Landmarks Half Marathon, The Abseil and The Colour Run. A few months ago Simon kindly recommended us to The Atrato Foundation. Their board of trustees approved Simon's recommendation and kindly granted us an amazing £5,000! Simon, along with Marketing Manager Sophie and Supermarkets Director Ollie visited the centre last week to deliver the good news and meet Doro. Simon has gone above and beyond for our charity, we may have to recruit him! We want to say the biggest thankyou to Simon, The Willow Brook Centre and The Atrato Foundation for their extreme generosity and continuous support.

On Saturday 13 July, our neighbours Wheatfield Primary School held their 2024“Wheatfest” at the school. Lara and Surabhi, two members of the Brightwell’s Fundraising Team, went along to support this fantastic community event. Our Centre literally backs onto Wheatfield Primary School and our staff and members often comment how lovely it is to hear the children playing and chatting in the playground. The event was a great success and we were delighted to be part of the day, the whole school grounds were packed full of families having fun on what turned out to be a very sunny day. Our team were delighted to be able to meet up with our local Mayor Natalie Field who introduced them to our newly elected MP, Claire Hazelgrove . We are thrilled to be one of Mayor Field’s chosen charities for 2024 and we have extended an invitation to Claire Hazelgrove to come and visit us soon.

The MS Society have organized an Open Letter to go to the new Prime Minister. They are asking for help to reach 15,000 signatures. The aim is to ask the new Government to improve the lives of those living with MS throughout the UK. To find out more information, see a copy of the Open Letter and sign up,  please visit https://www.mssociety.org.uk/research/news/our-message-new-government-people-ms-deserve-better Please sign today!

Grab a chance to win one of these 5 fantastic prizes! Classic Tour Wine Tasting Experience for 2 with a Bottle of Wine from Woodchester Valley winery Day Spa Pass for 2 People from Aztec Hotel & Spa Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Bottle in wooden box Luxury Tea & Biscuit Hamper Box of Chocolates from Hotel Chocolat Just £2 per ticket

As a charity, we depend on our Volunteers who work with us on a regular basis. However, at The Brightwell, we are very fortunate to also be supported by groups of volunteers that come to us from the corporate sector. Huge thanks to two teams from Lloyds Banking Group who volunteered, one group helped out in May and the other last week. We were so impressed with what they achieved, the first group, who helped with weeding and clearing paths also worked incredibly hard sanding down and revarnishing most of our outdoor furniture. They even supplied the varnish! The second team also did a brilliant job in the garden – clearing and digging out a big border ready for our new shed and helping us with rearranging space in our large storage container. They also did some weeding and sweeping for us and helped remove the old shed store! One of the team also dedicated some time to help us with some IT/admin tasks. They were all absolute stars and worked incredibly hard – they also enjoyed lunch from our cafe and were careful to stay hydrated while doing all the hard digging! Many thanks to all of them!

We are delighted to welcome two new members of staff to the Brightwell. Monique  Woodman joins us on our Reception team and replaces Shelley who left us last month for a new adventure in Wales. Monique will be working closely with Dawn and our Reception Volunteers. Surabhi Miah joins our fundraising team in a new role as Events, Corporate and Partnerships Officer. Surabhi joins us with a wealth of experience. We are very much looking forward to her joining Victoria, Lara and Clare in the fundraising team. Both ladies live locally and are familiar with the Bradley Stoke Community. Welcome to The Brightwell!