Chairman of Sedgemoor District Council makes a late Christmas Gift

Mrs Jane Moreton, Chairman of Sedgemoor District Council, recently visited Bridgwater charity, Brainwave to make a welcome late Christmas gift. After visiting Brainwave’s Centre last June, Jane chose the Charity to benefit from Sedgemoor's Christmas Raffle, which raised an amazing £220. Christine Cryne, Brainwave’s Chief Executive Officer, said “Enquiries to Brainwave about our services have been growing at 30% a year and we have almost doubled the number of families on our Programmes in five years. We receive no funding from Government and so donations like this are invaluable. We are really indebted to Jane for thinking of us and we are grateful to everyone who bought a raffle ticket. It was a really nice late Christmas present!” Brainwave was established in 1982 in Bridgwater, Somerset but over the last few years it has expanded to include two additional Centres (Witham, Essex and Warrington, Cheshire) and to run outreach clinics in Ireland and Scotland. It chose to open new Centres so as to bring its services closer to a wider range of families, reducing the amount of travelling they have to do. The Charity works with families to deliver individual, home based therapy and exercises for children with disabilities and Development Delay to reach their full potential. This can be anything from walking to recognising numbers. The charity looks after a whole range of children with conditions including Cerebral Palsy, Down’s syndrome and Autism. Editor’s notes 1. Places on the programme are available for children at the South West Centre (Marsh Lane, Huntworth Gate, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 6LQ). For more information see www.brainwave.org.uk ; email: enquiries@brainwave.org.uk or phone: 01278 429089. 2. Brainwave’s team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists development therapists and teachers seek to transform the lives of children with disabilities. By working with parents, giving them relevant therapy equipment and teaching them correct handling skills, they are empowered to actively participate in their child’s development. 3. Families are invited to the Centre for a two day Initial Assessment where the child is assessed and a programme designed for the child. On the second day the family are shown how to undertake the exercises, which they then carry out at home, retuning to the Centre every 4-6 months when the exercises are adjusted. 4. Brainwave currently has over 480 families on Programme and the enquiries are growing at 30%. See the charity’s video at http://uk.youtube.com/BrainwaveCentre. 5. Brainwave uses mainstream neuroplasticity techniques in its programmes. Most of it therapists NHS trained. 6. The Chairman of Sedgemoor District Council is the district's first citizen and the civic figure head for the whole Council. For the 2009/2010 year Councillor Mrs Jane Moreton has been elected as Chairman.