2025 – What a Year for The Brightwell!

2025 has been an incredible and memorable year for The Brightwell!  This year we proudly celebrated our 40th anniversary. It is amazing to think how far we have come since the original Centre opened in Nailsea in 1985, and how much we have grown since moving to Bradbury House in Bradley Stoke in 2012.

Alongside all the fun and excitement of our anniversary celebrations, it has also been one of our busiest and most productive years ever. One of our major challenges was our anniversary crowdfunding campaign, “40K for 40 Years.” We set ourselves the ambitious goal of raising an additional £40,000 above all our regular fundraising activities. Thanks to the generosity of our corporate partners, long-standing supporters, members, their families and friends, and so many new donors who gave to us for the first time, we reached our target in early October!

And that wasn’t all. We have been truly inspired and humbled by the range of fundraising efforts from individuals and groups; golf days, marathons, a 100km bike ride, dance events, and much, much more. Alongside this, our own events, including our most successful corporate abseil day to date, our popular monthly quiz and bingo evenings, several popular draws and a lively dance show, helped make 2025 a record year for engagement and building community spirit.

As a charity, we do not receive statutory funding or financial support from larger national charities. We are truly grateful for the support of our Corporate partnerships, Grants and Trusts, local Groups and Associations, Town and Parish Councils which make an enormous difference, enabling us to sustain and expand the therapies and services we offer. This support directly impacts the lives of people living with MS and other neurological and chronic conditions and underpins all the work that we do.

Therapies remain at the heart of everything we do. This year we delivered thousands of oxygen therapy sessions, one-to-one physiotherapy appointments, classes, groups and Specialist Clinics. Our 2025 Impact Report, due in the New Year, will share even more detail about the difference these services make to the individuals we support.

We have also enjoyed introducing new activities this year, including a dance class, a new early-morning 8:30am MIIT (Medium Impact Interval Training) online class, and the expansion of our Neuro-Pilates programme. Our oxygen therapy hours have been extended on Mondays too, with more updates planned for 2026.

Our staff and volunteers have been nothing short of incredible this year! Our in-house shop has had a record-breaking year with takings quadrupling, and the Brightwell Café continues to grow as a welcoming community hub where people catch up over coffee or enjoy lunch together.  

We were also delighted to launch our Carers’ Support Group, supported by a dedicated information point next to the Café and regular talks and advice sessions. 

One of the highlights of 2025 was seeing Keith Taylor, one of the founders of the West of England MS Therapy Centre and our leading expert in hyperbaric oxygen therapy, awarded a British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours. Keith has dedicated 40 years to supporting people with MS and other neurological conditions, and this recognition is richly deserved. We could not be prouder!

This year we also said a heartfelt farewell to Bhumika, one of our Senior Physiotherapists, and to Alex, our Physio Assistant.  At the same time, we were delighted to welcome Arron, a newly qualified physiotherapist, to the team.

All of these events, stories and more can be found on our Blog.

Behind the scenes, significant progress has been made too. We upgraded our entire IT system, including a move to Windows 11, thanks to the generosity of corporate supporters. The Oxygen and Physiotherapy departments now benefit from new energy-saving LED lighting, and we have a new 5-Year Business Plan (2025–2030), available to download via our website footer.

Our marketing and communications have continued to grow too, with record levels of engagement on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, plus the launch of our brand-new YouTube channel. Our monthly newsletter now reaches more people than ever. All our links are available on our website. Please follow us and keep up to date.

We are also working on several exciting projects, including a new therapies booking system and  a new CRM system, and exploring extended opening hours alongside new ways to reach newly diagnosed individuals and those living with long-term conditions.

We know that 2026 will bring its own challenges, especially in fundraising, but we also know that with our amazing team and our wonderful community, we will maximise any opportunity and continue to rise to the challenge.

A huge thank you to every single person in our Brightwell Community for your support, commitment and enthusiasm throughout 2025. It has truly been one of the busiest and most memorable years in our 40-year history.

If you would like to discuss any of the points in this review or explore future partnership opportunities, please do get in touch.

Warm regards,

Doro Pasantes, CEO