Brainwave News Summer 2021

Summer

2021

Hannah’s journey

The family who plan their year

around a trip to Brainwave

Sensory Integration Therapy

Mervin explains the benefits while

Alexandra talks about her autism

Miracle babies

The incredible story of twins Thomas and

Dylan, and Thomas’s SDR rehab

“Unlocking children’s potential”

Colshaw Hall Country Estate

Thursday 23 September 2021

Colshaw Hall, Stocks Lane, Over Peover, Cheshire WA16 8TW

Different

activity stands

including Star Shots

and a Longthorne

Gunmakers

Stand

Great Corporate Shoot

Team of four guns: £900

This event is open to experienced shots and

participants must have their own guns due to

Covid-19 restrictions.

This event is kindly sponsored by

Booking also includes breakfast, snacks and a

three-course lunch with wine, beer and soft drinks.

For more information, please contact Carole:

caroleheadley@brainwave.org.uk

07738 252 191

brainwave.org.uk

.................................................................................................................................

2 Unlocking Children’s Potential – brainwave.org.uk

Registered Office: Marsh Lane, Huntworth Gate, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 6LQ

Brainwave is a charity

(1073238 / SC039137) and a company

limited by guarantee (3666739)

Brainwave News Contents

s

ts

e

Welcome from Keith Sinclair, CEO..................................

Brainwave’s new digital brochure..................................

Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy Rehab with Dawn ............

Thomas’s story ................................................................

Sensory Integration Therapy with Mervin.......................

Alexandra’s story .............................................................

An update from Brainwave’s Charity Shops................

Our new online service with Clicksit................................

Focus on Brainwave volunteers.......................................

Hannah’s journey (cover story).......................................

Thank you to all our marvellous fundraisers...................

Upcoming events..............................................................

Page 4

Page 6

Page 9

Page 10

Page 12

Page 14

Page 16

Page 18

Page 20

Page 22

Page 24

Page 28

ity

ny

9)

Brainwave’s mission is to help children with

disabilities and additional needs to achieve greater independence

.................................................................................................................................

through a range of specialist therapies to improve mobility,

communication skills and Brainwave learning potential. News | Summer 2021 3

Welcome from Keith Sinclair

Chief Executive Officer

The final easing of restrictions

nationwide may well create

its own anxieties, so I hope

things are looking brighter for

your families, organisations

and businesses.

Since the first national lockdown

in March 2020, we can be sure

the pandemic has impacted

the children and families that we

support, our team and our loyal

supporters.

Many have had to home-school,

whilst balancing work, been

on furlough leave, not seen

family members, been unable

to mark life events, seen health

appointments cancelled and had

to manage restrictions to day-today

lives. Some have tragically

lost loved ones or are increasingly

worried about the health and

well-being of family and friends

they have been unable to see.

Through all of this, the Brainwave

Therapy team has been working

creatively to deliver a blended

service of online and face-to-face

therapy, and some heartwarming

stories from families are included

here in this Newsletter.

In terms of retail, we re-opened

our shops in April and are excited

about the launch of our new

online donations service Clicksit,

more information on Page 18.

Sadly, February saw the closure

of our South East Centre and

suspension of therapy services

there, which was an extremely

difficult decision to make and we

cannot underestimate the impact

this had on the many families we

support in the region.

Since then we have been working

with families to review our service

delivery and to help inform

what comes next. To this end

.................................................................................................................................


we set up a working group with

19 Brainwave families being key

members of this.

As well as focussing on reviewing

support for families in the South

East, discussions at the meetings

centred around:

• The need to ensure future

sustainability of services in the

region and across the whole

organisation

• The continued need for

Brainwave and the value that

multidisciplinary, therapy

provision brings to families.

• Options for future delivery,

including operating from

different third-party venues

• Third party delivery of therapy

using the Brainwave model

We have been talking to several

not-for-profit organisations in

Essex, Kent and East London

about the potential for delivering

Brainwave’s services from their

premises and the responses so far

have been positive.

We will provide more information

and updates on this as soon as we

are able to.

Having had to cancel major

Fundraising events in 2020, we

have been able to schedule in

several for later this year, including

the return of the North West Ball

and for the first time one in the

South West too. Details of all our

events are on Page 28.

Next year will be Brainwave’s

40th anniversary and we look

forward to being able to

celebrate together with the whole

‘Brainwave family’.

As always, thank you for your

continued support.

Keith Sinclair

.................................................................................................................................

Brainwave News | Summer 2021 5

Brainwave’s digital brochure

earns Team Flourish award

Team Flourish from Atkins

in Bristol won the Project

Management Challenge in

May with its inspiring digital

brochure for Brainwave.

The brochure, which can be

found on our website, comprises

of 39 pages with more than 20

embedded videos from Brainwave

Therapists explaining the different

services that the Charity offers.

Team Flourish – Emily, Alex, Marina,

Jordan, Zoe and Bethan, – are six

graduate consultants from Atkins, a

member of the SNC-Lavalin Group.

Their original objective was to

deliver a Whole Family Support

Mechanism to Brainwave via

a digital platform to increase

engagement with existing and

prospective service users.

However, the results from an

end-user survey considering the

impacts of Covid-19 led to a review

of scope and the consequent

decision to change to a Digital

Brochure.

You can see some of the brochure

pages here. It’s fun, informative

and interactive. Thank you so

much, Team Flourish!

Contents

Pg.3

Introduction to Brainwave

Pg.22

Our Centres

Pg.4

How Brainwave Can

Help

Pg.25

Assessment Days

Pg.5

Who Brainwave Can

Help

Pg.32

Clark’s Story

Click the

links to jump

to a section!

Pg.6

Services Offered – Our

Therapies

Pg.34

FAQs

Pg.16

Meet the Team

Pg.36

Extra Information

Scroll to read more!

PAGE | 2

6

Unlocking Children’s Potential – brainwave.org.uk

“We are extremely pleased with the digital brochure. It will

make a huge difference to families wishing to understand and

learn more about Brainwave’s services.”

– Emma James, Brainwave Service Development Manager

Introduction to Brainwave

Brainwave is a UK wide children’s charity who help children

with disabilities to achieve greater independence.

Assessment

through play

Unique

Therapy

Programme

Programme

updated

every four to

six months

PAGE | 3

Who Brainwave Can Help

Brainwave help children with all types of conditions. Our therapists

see children from all over the country, and overseas, and have the

knowledge and experience to help unlock your child’s potential.

Click to

play!

Autism

Down

syndrome

Cerebral

palsy

Chromosome

abnormality

Developmental

delay

No

diagnosis

PAGE | 5


Case study

“Brainwave gave us trust and freedom with this project,

empowering us to make important decisions to suit the

Charity’s unique needs of an effective, digital solution.”

– Marina Barwick, Team Flourish Business Analyst

Services Offered – Our Therapies

Click on the images below to learn more:

Physiotherapy

Speech and

Language Therapy

Learning

Development

Sensory Integration

Therapy

Hydrotherapy

You can also learn about our multidisciplinary therapy services by clicking here.

PAGE | 8

Brainwave Online (Virtual Therapy - VT)

Click to

play!

Brainwave Online is an online assessment delivered by our qualified therapists that

provides the same high standard session from the comfort of your home.

We provide this service through a secure NHS approved platform called medio.link to

safeguard your child and family.

PAGE | 28

8


Selective Dorsal

Rhizotomy Rehab

By Dawn Chance

Therapy Service Delivery Manager

At Brainwave, we can

prepare you and your child

before the Selective Dorsal

Rhizotomy (SDR) assessment

and continue to support

your child beyond the

recommended two-year

intensive therapy period

to ensure the best possible

results following SDR.

We explain the assessment

process and its various stages so

your child can achieve their best

outcome on the day.

Before having the SDR operation,

we design a tailored programme

of activities and strengthening

exercises to prepare for this.

We teach you the exercises

and explain why each of these

is necessary and what you

need to look out for to ensure

your child completes each

activity correctly.

After the operation, we can liaise

with your local physiotherapist

to design and teach you a

programme of exercises to be

completed daily between the

physiotherapy sessions.

We assess your child’s gait

and use slow motion filming to

improve functional walking. We

recommend teaching all support

staff our Programme and invite

them to our Centre for direct

teaching at the assessment. If

this is not possible, we provide

teaching video clips and can

check they are completing the

programme correctly via our

Brainwave Online Service.

By training parents and carers

to deliver therapy effectively in

the home or school environment,

Brainwave provides a cost

effective service. Brainwave

Online helps support the process

as we can arrange catchup

sessions between each

assessment giving parents and

carers reassurance that they

are following the Programme

correctly.

On the following pages, you can

read the story of Thomas, who has

been with Brainwave pre- and

post-SDR surgery.


Thomas’s story

“Thomas – and Dylan – have defied the odds. Miracle

babies born 10 weeks early, weighing the same as

a bag of sugar. Because of them, we have learnt to

keep some room in our hearts for the unimaginable.”

Thomas has cerebral palsy and joined the Brainwave

Programme in 2016 before undergoing Selective Dorsal

Rhizotomy (SDR) surgery to increase his chances of being

able to live and walk independently. He has since returned to

Brainwave several times to have post-SDR therapy.

Written by Nicci, Thomas’s mother

“When we first visited Brainwave,

the holistic approach brought

everything together and was so

reassuring. Back then, I didn’t feel I

understood Thomas’s disability and

how it affected him. Brainwave

gave us this… and so much more.

Brainwave’s view is ‘let’s see what

can be done’ – an outlook, a

vision that instantly told me we

were in the right place. Rather

than listing all the things your child

The twins’ dad, Brian, with Dylan (left) and Thomas at Superhero Tri

10


isn’t doing, Brainwave Therapists

focus on what he is doing and

what he can do.

In the five years we have been

visiting Brainwave as a family, the

Learning Development Specialist,

Denise, has provided guidance to

improve Thomas’s fine motor skills...

this has been as life changing as

having SDR. Thanks to her input,

Thomas grew to love, love, love

drawing and colouring. It’s such

a source of pleasure and escape

for him – a real anchor when

needing to calm himself down and

decompress.

On our most recent visit, it was

about the hydrotherapy pool

and being okay with putting his

face in the water. Dawn (Lead

Physiotherapist) got him there, and

recently he achieved his 25-metre

badge by swimming on his front,

face in the water, breathing side

to side. He can’t wait to show her!

Looking back, having the SDR took

a huge amount of courage, but

we got it right. It has unlocked his

potential. Thank you, Brainwave,

for truly being there for families

like us who struggle to navigate

this journey.”

This input released the tension in

Thomas’s wrists to help him get

his wrists down, relax and draw. In

turn, when he started school, he

was able to learn how to write his

letters. He then went on to learn

how to free write and then even

master cursive handwriting. This is a

huge life skill which has levelled the

playing field in his class and freed

up his imagination.


Sensory

Integration

Therapy

By Mervin Casuncad

Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist

Sensory integration strategies or sensory-based interventions

at Brainwave can be used to assist children who have sensory

processing difficulties.

The five senses we all know are

vision, hearing, smell, taste and

touch. However, there are two

important hidden senses that

are largely unconscious – the

vestibular system (balance and

movement) and proprioception

(sensory feedback from muscle

and joints).

Sensory processing difficulties can

change how a person responds

to changes in their own body,

the environment and how they

interact with it and others around

them. They may have difficulties

registering or processing sensory

input which may result in them

seeking out or avoiding particular

types of stimuli.

Difficulties with sensory processing

can be seen in isolation but can

also be seen in combination

with other diagnoses such as the

These behaviours can have an

impact on social interactions,

activities of daily living, gross

and fine motor skills, cognitive

development and the ability to

maintain a calm, alert state.

.................................................................................................................................


following: Autism, Attention Deficit

Disorders, Learning Disabilities,

Dyspraxia and Developmental

Coordination Disorder, Regulatory

and Mood Disorders, Dyslexia and

Dyscalculia.

At Brainwave, we endeavour to

make activities fun and engaging,

including activities to enrich the

child’s daily environments and

exercises rich in pressure, touch

and vestibular or movement

sensations and activities related to

motor planning.

We also provide activities using

specialised sensory integration

equipment such a ball pit, barrel,

bouncing ball, ramp, ladder,

trampoline and various swings.

Please see Alexandra’s story on

the next page.

Hydrotherapy pool

We plan to re-open the hydrotherapy pool at our South West

Centre in August 2021 for families returning to Brainwave for a

re-assessment. We can offer hydrotherapy to children who have

a clinical need and/or access to a hydrotherapy pool local to

them. We provide Programmes of exercises and activities that

can be carried out by parents or carers. Unfortunately, we are

unable to offer hydrotherapy to families who are attending the

Centre for the first time, as we need to focus on teaching and

filming the land-based Programme effectively.

.................................................................................................................................


Alexandra’s story

Alexandra, now 16, has autism and has been visiting

Brainwave since 2009. Part of her Programme

includes regular Sensory Integration Therapy.

Written by Susan, Alexandra’s mother

“It was 12 years ago that I

cried because my daughter

called me ‘mummy’ for the

first time – that was during

Alexandra’s first Brainwave

session when she was 4 years

old, and we have not looked

back since.

Through a variety of tailormade

therapies, Brainwave has

managed to calm Alexandra’s

body and mind enough for her

to see me and for me to see my

daughter.

With every visit, the therapy staff

allow us to see more and more of

our daughter.

Alexandra will always be autistic,

but thanks to Brainwave’s support,

our future is brighter than we ever

dreamed of. Her potential is still

growing as she is now able to

sit in mainstream school lessons

(with her TA), learn and do well in

exams.

Alexandra continues to amaze

us with her positive determination

and kind nature. She plays the

violin, was also awarded the SEND

Music Award for Excellence by

the Oxfordshire County Music

Service, and in 2018 played in

Oxfordshire’s Buddy ensemble

for Music For Youth at the Royal

Albert Hall.

From her time at Brainwave,

we always knew the calming

influence of water on Alex’s

autism – so joining the school and

summer sailing courses gave Alex

the independence and calmness

that she was craving for.”

Brainwave delivers individual

home-based Therapy and

Exercise Programmes that

cover physical, educational

and social abilities, and offers

the most benefit to younger

children – we will see a child

for an initial assessment from

birth and up to 12 years

of age. However, once a

child follows a Brainwave

Programme, they only leave

when the family feels the time

is right.

14


And from Alexandra herself:

“Brainwave helped me say my first

words and makes me feel more

relaxed physically and mentally, so I

fear the outside world less. I have so

many appreciations of my time at

Brainwave that I don’t know where

to start!

Brainwave may not cure my

autism, but it helps me feel and

be part of this world. I am now

doing A levels in Psychology,

English Literature and Religious

Education. I have wonderful

teachers in mainstream school and

a fantastic teaching assistant, Ellie,

who understands my autism and

uses exercises that I was taught at

Brainwave to keep me focused

and calm.

The Brainwave exercises also help

me in my exams. The Head of 6th

Form said I’m a ‘model student’,

which made me feel like I’m not

invisible anymore and people

accept me for who I am.

The exercises allow me to relax

and sit still so I can study and

concentrate in exams. They first

taught me to help calm parts of my

body to help cope with everything

around me – then I started to learn.

I’d like to go to university to study

psychology and become a

Psychologist to help support autistic

children and adults. Who better

to help than someone who lives

with autism and understands how

frightening and lonely the world

can be?”


Brainwave’s C

The Brainwave Retail Team would like to thank our custome

have been navigating the Health & Safety restrictions surroun

reopened 14 shops (see map below) and we loo

Minehead

Brainwave

South West Centre

n

Bruto

Langport

Yeovil

Crewkerne

Crediton

Mortonhampstead

Chudleigh

Buckfastleigh Dawlish

Ashburton

Paignton

Brainwave Charity Shops

u Devon

u Dorset

u Somerset

u Wiltshire

16


Charity Shops

stomers, donors and volunteers for their patience while we

urrounding Covid-19. We are delighted to say that we have

we look forward to welcoming everyone back.

Brainwave Retail

vil

Bruton

Mere

Sturminster

Newton

Brainwave has retail shops across the South

West stocking a wide range of quality

second-hand goods including clothing,

bric-a-brac, toys, media and books.

Brainwave Superstores

“Everything under £3”

Our new Brainwave Superstores are based

in Dawlish and Crewkerne. All items at these

shops are under £3 (except Cosy Feet). You will

definitely find lots of bargains here!


Courier your items for free!

Brainwave supports families

all over the UK and we know

that many of our supporters

would like to donate their

pre-loved goods to our

retail shops in the South

West area.

To make this easier, we have

teamed up with Clicksit to

provide a freepost label to

attach to your box of donated

items which you can then drop

off at your local Collect+ store,

completely free of charge.

Suggested items

• Premium quality clothes

and shoes

• Jewellery

• Cameras and lenses

• Games consoles and games

• Watches and clocks

• Ornaments and antiques

• Old coins and notes

• Medals and memorabilia

• Records and box sets

At the present time, please do not send us: Non-premium clothes or

shoes, Jigsaws, Books, CDs & DVDs (unless box sets). Thank you.

1. Pack up your goods

Max weight of 10kg and package

size of 60cm x 50cm x 50cm

2. Request a free post label by

visiting: clicksit.com/brainwave

or scan our QR code!

3. Take your parcel to your

nearest Collect+ drop off point

Scan me!

We can’t take...

Items that Brainwave’s shops

cannot accept include:

Safety equipment

Suitcases • Quilts • Pillows

Medicines • Inflatables

Household white goods

Baby equipment

For the full list, please go to:

brainwave.org.uk/our-shops

or call our Retail Centre on

01278 429089

Thank you for understanding.

Make your donation

go even further...

Fill in a short

Gift Aid form.

You will receive a

Gift Aid number that

you can use every

time you donate to

Brainwave.

This will allow us

to claim 25p for

every £1 your

items raise.

At no

extra

cost to

you!


Brainwave volunteers

“Brainwave recognises the immense value that

volunteers bring to the Charity, and the connections

they make between Brainwave and the community.”

Ruth (Retail)

“One of my friends from the local WI used

to volunteer in Brainwave’s Chudleigh shop,

and she asked one day if I was interested

in helping out. That was 10 years ago, and

I’m still here! As I’m retired, I am able to

volunteer five mornings a week, mostly

doing shop displays and operating the till,

but I also organise the raffles. I enjoy the

social side of working in the shop, meeting

new people and making friends, all the

while making an important difference to

children’s lives. Volunteering at Brainwave

has become a very fulfilling part of my life.”

Ann (Fundraising)

“I support Brainwave’s fundraising

activities such as supermarket

collections, community events,

local promotions and collecting/

redistributing charity tins. I started

volunteering in 2019 and have come

to see what a worthwhile charity

Brainwave is. The lockdowns and

restrictions had a devastating effect

on charities, so I’m looking forward

to volunteering for Brainwave again,

helping to raise awareness and

funds for this great cause.”

.................................................................................................................................


We are also looking for skilled volunteers to work in

administration and maintenance/gardening, and volunteers to

help on Reception and in our Retail Centre, all in Bridgwater.

For full details on volunteering opportunities at Brainwave, please

see brainwave.org.uk/volunteering/ or call 01278 429089.

Matthew (Trustee)

“I became a Trustee at Brainwave in 2018 to provide a voice of

a family on the Board. The brilliant Therapists at Brainwave have

done so much for my grandson, Douglas, who has Koolen de

Vries syndrome. I am a retired architect and find being a Trustee

to be very rewarding

and enjoyable and

hope that, post-Covid,

I will be able to have

more interaction with

the Therapists and find

more ways to help

every child to unlock

their potential. Since

joining, I attend Board

meetings four to five

times a year, have

been involved with the

review of Brainwave’s

services in the South

East and spent time

with another family on

Programme. I enjoy the

challenges the Trustees

have to address, and I

hope that I am able to

bring to meetings the

perspective of a family

on Programme.”

.................................................................................................................................


Hannah’s journey

Hannah has Down syndrome and has been

completing her Brainwave Programme since 2010.

Written by Chuck and Mairead, Hannah’s parents

Living in the West of Ireland, it’s a long haul to Somerset by

ferry or plane, but we wouldn’t be doing it were it not hugely

beneficial to our children and our family as a whole. We now

plan our year around our trips to Brainwave.

Our bi-annual visits to Bridgwater

have been a hugely positive and

integral part of all our lives. We

found Brainwave on the Internet

shortly after our eldest child, Kevin,

was born. Kevin had complex

physical and medical needs. The

fact that so many therapies were

offered under one roof was just

what was needed.

The first trip from the West of

Ireland in 2007 was made with

some trepidation as we weren’t

sure what to expect, but the warm

welcome and practical approach

we received for Kevin, his siblings

and us as parents made us feel

immediately at home.

After the initial assessment, work

began on Kevin’s Programme –

physical exercise and table-top

work, all in a very practical and

do-able manner. Every step was

modelled for us, explained clearly

and recorded on camera. At the

end of our stay, we returned home

armed with Kevin’s Programme,

incorporating the exercises,

physiotherapy, occupational

therapy, broken down into a

manageable half-hour daily

Programme and backed up

by a DVD of the therapists

demonstrating the activities in

case that we forgot how to do

some of them!

We did this Programme with

Kevin five to six days a week and

every six months it was reviewed

and amended to match Kevin’s

22


progress. This programme made

a HUGE difference to Kevin’s daily

life, it kept his limbs supple, strong

and flexible and it stimulated

him mentally. Sadly, Kevin died

when he was eight years old (RIP).

But this Programme had such a

positive impact on his life and on

ours in so many ways, and for this

we are eternally grateful.

Our third child, Hannah, was

born with Down syndrome and

has been attending Brainwave

for several years. Again, the

difference Brainwave has made

to her life has been enormous in

every way – physically, cognitively

and academically. Hannah

can participate positively with

confidence and joy in everyday

life activities in her community,

such as cycling, swimming,

football, Girl Guides and music.

She is also a bit of an artist and

has had her work exhibited in

an exhibition and virtually. Her

‘Art and Movement’ group was

featured on Irish National television

earlier this year. This is due in a very

large measure to her Brainwave

Programme and the talented staff.

Hannah now accesses Brainwave

Online every four months due to

the Covid 19 travel restrictions.

We miss our trips to Somerset, we

miss our face-to-face interaction

with the wonderful team, Hannah

misses the hydrotherapy pool!

But the virtual Programme has

been a really good substitute

and Hannah looks forward to her

days online with Dawn, Mike and

Denise. We all come away

re-invigorated.


Thank

you!

Big shout out to Hannah Cox, who is running

the distance of Land’s End to John O’Groats

(874 miles) in 12 months to raise funds for

Brainwave. She started last October and has

completed 828 miles so far, raising more than

£650. “I’ve never been a huge fan of running,

but this year I’ve really found a love for it. I’ve

dragged myself out in wind, rain and blazing

sunshine and on days when all I’ve wanted

to do is nap. I chose Brainwave because this

Charity has been supporting my boyfriend’s

16-month-old niece Izzy, who was diagnosed

with a rare form of epilepsy that affects her

development.”

The Heyrose

Hopefuls (pictured)

won the Lymm

Golf Club charity

tournament for

Brainwave in June.

A total of 60 golfers

took part in the

tournament, raising

the magnificent sum

of £11,200 including

proceeds from the

online auction. Big

thanks to sponsors

Nuvia, Stewart Golf,

Lowry Legal and

Pulse of Perfumery,

.................................................................................................................................

24


Brainwave is fortunate to have a great family of fundraisers

who give up their time to help raise valuable funds so the

Charity can continue supporting children with disabilities.

If you would like to help or have an idea for an event, please

contact our Fundraising Team fundraising@brainwave.org.uk

or call 01278 429089.

Massive thanks to the eight local musicians who took to the stage at

the McMillan Theatre in Bridgwater for a live-streamed gig to raise

funds for Brainwave – saferinthecity, Kizzie (above left), Tone G, Anna-

Louise, Colette, Jed, Emo Ben and Random Piano. The evening,

organised by five students from Bridgwater & Taunton College – Ellie,

Emma, Lauren, Lukas, and Hayden – has been viewed more than 1,000

times online, with the event raising more than £650 for Brainwave.

Gaynor Black and Adam Tilston

(right) were part of a 15-strong

team of Fundraisers that took on

a Duathlon Challenge in March,

raising more than £5,000 for

Brainwave. We will have another

Duathlon on 27-28 March 2022,

so please keep an eye on the

Events page of our website if

you’d like to take part.

.................................................................................................................................


More thank yous

“Our team at Solid Ground in

Manchester organised an event

to celebrate our 5th Anniversary,

challenging team members to run

50km. The team – Libby (pictured),

Colette, Chloe, Georgia, Erin, Katie,

James, Charlotte and Danny – raised

a fantastic £1,000 for Brainwave.

We have worked with the Charity

for many years and really value the

work they do with children across the

country.” – Libby Witherden.

The South West Quilters and friends

delivered another 50 beautiful handstitched

quilts to Brainwave in June to

be given free to children that attend

the Centre. As part of Project Linus,

the SW Quilters have now given more

than 300 of these stunning quilts to

Brainwave families since 2016. All the

quilts are homemade by volunteers

and everyone is unique. Pictured is Gill

Jackson with Therapy Service Delivery

Manager Dawn Chance.

“CPM Engineering and NDC

were again very pleased to

support Brainwave with our

virtually hosted Easter staff

raffle. The event raised £1,200

towards the Charity’s valuable

work. Three of our staff

also chose to run in the Asics

London 10K for Brainwave in

July.”– Carol Griffin,

CPM/NDC HR Manager

.................................................................................................................................


James Smith recently

ran a 50-miler ultramarathon

in aid of

Brainwave, taking 10.5

hours to complete

the arduous task and

raising £688 in the

process. “Brainwave

is a charity I’m proud

to support. I want to

make a difference

to local children and

families. I know some

of these families and

I’ve seen the struggle it

can be.”

Essex-based BNI Coastal

raised a lovely £1,210 for

Brainwave through their

Virtual Cocktail event

during lockdown. The

members also very kindly

sponsored Brainwave’s

annual membership of this

networking chapter.

Two clubs, one goal, United for Bridgwater.

Yeovil United FC and Bridgwater Town FC

joined forces in February with 55 runners each

completing a marathon on the same day

and £3,000 of the proceeds being donated

to Brainwave. “With both men’s and women’s

football suspended, we wanted to support

and help create awareness for local charities.

Both club’s senior squads and management

including CEO Adam Murry and Chairman

Bob Buckingham took part in this

gruelling challenge.”

– Giuseppe Fraschini, Bridgwater Town FC.

.................................................................................................................................


Upcoming Events

See below for Brainwave’s upcoming events, or become a

Brainwave Challenger like Christine Thomas and her 10 colleagues

who are running their own event and have already raised £823. For

details of all events, please visit: brainwave.org.uk/events

Date Event Details

22 Aug Vitality Big Half Marathon Running through London by the

Thames. We have limited places

available. Contact:

nickyevans@brainwave.org.uk

28 Aug Cheshire Dash 100-mile cycle in a day through

Cheshire countryside, starting and

finishing in Goostrey. Contact:

joannefreeman@brainwave.org.uk

6-12 Sept Free Will Week See opposite page.

23 Sept Cheshire Clay Colshall Hall at Over Peover.

Pigeon Shoot

Corporate teams of four.

See Page 2. Contact:

caroleheadley@brainwave.org.uk

3 Oct Virtual London Marathon Your run, your way. We have limited

places available. Please contact:

nickyevans@brainwave.org.uk

13 Nov North West Ball New York Glitz & Glamour Ball. Mere

Golf Resort & Spa. Contact:


10 Dec Virtual Balloon Race Great prizes. Hundreds of virtual

balloons! Contact:


18 Dec South West Ball Fairytale of New York Ball. Taunton

School, Taunton. Contact:


.................................................................................................................................


HELP TO CHANGE

CHILDREN’S LIVES

Find out how to leave a Gift in your Will at brainwave.org.uk/gifts-in-will

Registered Charity No.1073238

New York

glitz and glamour BALL

North West

13 November

across 10 stands

Hosted by Lord and Lady Fellowes

at the Mere Golf rESORT AND Spa

.................................................................................................................................

SATURDAY 30 Unlocking Children’s 13 Potential NOVEMBER – brainwave.org.uk2021

South West

18 December

Fairy tale of

across 10 stands

Ball

For details of either

of Brainwave’s Balls in 2021

– Mere (13 Nov) or Taunton (18 Dec) –

.................................................................................................................................

please contact Joanne on 07872 411580

or joannefreeman@brainwave.org.uk


You are invited

Brainwave transforms the lives of children with

disabilities by helping to unlock their potential

and achieve greater independence

Find out how we can help your family or someone you know

by visiting our website and filling out our online family enquiry

form: brainwave.org.uk/family-enquiry-form

Or contact us on:

01278 429089

enquiries@brainwave.org.uk

brainwave.org.uk

Registered Office: Marsh Lane, Huntworth Gate, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 6LQ

Brainwave is a charity

(1073238 / SC039137) and a company

limited by guarantee (3666739)

Brainwave News Summer 2021

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