About The Brightwell
At The Brightwell, we are dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals living with chronic neurological conditions. With 40 years of unwavering commitment, we strive to empower our members by providing access to a warm and friendly, non-clinical environment that fosters independence, symptom management, and overall well-being.
Our Mission
To build a dedicated and compassionate community, committed to the care and wellbeing of individuals living with neurological conditions, their families and carers.
Our Goal
Is to provide a range of therapies and services to support and enrich the lives of those living with neurological conditions.
The Brightwell is...
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A relaxed, happy and caring space, where people can share their experiences, build friendships and access support when it is needed.
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An accessible building providing therapies and support services by qualified professionals.
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A place where the members, volunteers and staff are the cornerstones of a thriving and vibrant community.
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A hub for self-help and positivity.
What we do ...
Our therapies are provided in a warm, friendly non-clinical environment all with the aim to help reduce the physical, emotional and psychological effects of life with a neurological condition.
We have a state of the art physiotherapy gym, oxygen therapy suite and a variety of individual treatment rooms, housing the wide range of therapies and clinics on offer. We are delighted to have recently opened our Brightwell Café, offering a selection of drinks, hot beverages, and snacks, members can relax and catch up with friends in our comfortable lounge In the summer we have a beautiful terrace, large gazebo and garden area for all our visitors to enjoy.
Under 1% of the Centre's funding is statutory, we therefore rely on donations from the public, organisations and community groups to continue our vital work.
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What our members,volunteers and supporters have to say....
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Our History
Following the introduction of Centres elsewhere in the country, a local group of people living with Multiple Sclerosis, their families and friends were brought together by Jackie and Ray Brightwell. With the support of ARMS (Action for Research into Multiple Sclerosis) a national organisation, they set up the first MS Therapy Centre to support people in the Bristol area.
The Centre was opened in Nailsea in 1985 and at that time only offered oxygen therapy. Over time physiotherapy, exercise and yoga were introduced. We soon realised how important access to on-going physiotherapy was for people living with long-term conditions and the nucleus of our now well-equipped and well-staffed physiotherapy unit was established.
As the Centre continued to grow counselling, reflexology and acupuncture were added to the therapies available. We also started to host various NHS clinics at the Nailsea Centre, these included an MS specialist nurse, a continence clinic and a speech therapist.
The Centre in Nailsea had been expanded to take in three industrial units but planning restrictions, the nature of the buildings and the cramped car parking facilities made improving our facilities and further expansion impractical.
On the 20th February 2012 we opened the doors at our brand new, purpose built Centre in Bradley Stoke.
The Centre was officially opened by The Princess Royal, Princess Anne on the 31st October 2012.
Research into the benefits of Oxygen therapy has been on-going with many agreeing that it can help many conditions, not just Multiple Sclerosis. From the beginning of 2012 we opened our doors to anyone with a neurological condition, as well as to others through our trading arm with all proceeds going back to the Charity.
In 2016 discussions began with the members to formalise this expansion. At the Cente's AGM in 2017 it was agreed that renaming the Centre in memory of Jackie Brightwell would not only be a fitting tribute to a lady who gave so much to help so many but, was also a way of reaching out to those living with neurological issues.
In 2019, we began the transition to The Brightwell - a Centre for neurological wellbeing and physical recovery. Our aims, strengths and core values remain the same as they were way back in the Nailsea days and we hope to continue to provide timely and effective help for the people who need us, well into the future.
Our Sustainability Pledge
For many years The Brightwell has been committed to its Sustainability Pledge, as well as fostering and encouraging a “green approach” to all it does.
Over the years a number of sustainable projects were undertaken with a major step forward in 2019 when a corporate supporter Solarsense generously installed 114, 250 kWh solar panels, that had been donated to them for Charitable purposes and we were fortunate to be one of the recipients.
Thanks to the power generated by these panels, this has saved the Charity thousands of pounds, which has been vital during the period of rapidly increasing energy bills.
It has been a long term aim to raise funds to install our own batteries to store any excess power generated.
Other green projects have included the conversion of the outside lighting to LED, again paid for by a corporate donor, and the gradual replacement of internal lighting to low energy use, although this is still work in progress.
In the summer of 2023, Woodstock Homes, who are a major donor to The Brightwell, offered us a large amount of solar panels which were on buildings they had purchased for redevelopment.
After much investigation, led by Steve Cocks, one of The Brightwell’s Trustees, with an in-depth knowledge of the Charity’s sustainability aims and plans, it was disappointingly realised that due to the age of the panels being offered, plus cost of removing and then installing them, it was not a viable proposition.
Steve was supported all the way through his investigations by the expert team at Solarsense who came up with a proposal to supply us with brand new panels, and it made sense to look at the battery situation at the same time.
However, The Brightwell did not have allocated funds to pay for this major capital expense.
Incredibly, Solarsense supported by Total Access Scaffolding and CEF Electrical offered to provide their services at cost and supplied the equipment at a heavily discounted price. This generous subsidy represents a substantial contribution to The Brightwell, as part of Solarsence’s Charitable targets. enabling us to have an additional 40 x 400 kWh panels and a new inverter, this now brings the Centre’s potential generation 46kWh. As well as this incredible support, Solarsense were also able to offer the 3 x 14kWh Tesla batteries as part of this project.
Doro Pasantes, CEO of The Brightwell, explains the benefits and impact of all this new equipment
“With energy costs rising for commercial properties such as Bradbury House, the costs would have been extremely high without these steps having been taken. This means when the sun is out and even just on a bright day, we will generate enough power to run the centre, even the oxygen generation plant. On days when the sunlight is particularly bright nothing will go to waste as we have such good storage capacity. We are exceptionally grateful to all the businesses involved for their generosity and commitment to The Brightwell.”
Further useful information about The Brightwell....
We very much look forward to welcoming new members to the Brightwell community.
For new members with neurological conditions
Please download our Members Pack.
For new members with non-neurological conditions
Please click here for a registration form
For those with sports injuries
Please click here for a sports registration form.
Ways to keep in touch with The Brightwell
View or download our guide Ways to keep in touch with The Brightwell