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By becoming a member of The Brightwell, you can access all the therapies and services we offer including Hyperbaric Oxygen, Physiotherapy, Support and Community. Becoming a New Member – Your Brightwell Journey By becoming a member of the Centre you will be able to access all the therapies and services we currently offer. How to Join... Step One Call us on 01454 201686 or email us at hello@thebrightwell.org.uk to arrange a visit, a personal tour of our facilities and have a chat about your specific needs and aims with one of the team. Step Two Once you have had your visit, please complete the information in our Membership Pack. The annual membership fee is only £40 per annum. Please click on the image below to download your Membership pack . If you prefer, you can collect a hard copy from the Centre, or we can post one to you. A member of the team will gladly help you to complete the forms if required. Step Three Once we have all your information, one of our team will contact you to book your Clinical Assessment. Step Four Have your assessment with one of our Physio Team. Discuss and agree on the most suitable and beneficial therapy plan for you. Step Five Start benefiting from the therapies we offer and enjoy being part of The Brightwell Community. Non-Neurological Conditions If you are recovering from an Injury, Long Covid, Cancer or any other health condition that you feel would benefit from the therapies we offer, you can also self-refer and become a member, this is £50. Please note that any therapies offer great value for money, but are not subsidised by the Charity for non-neurological conditions. Please download the Non-neurological Registration Form here. Sports Injuries If you would like to benefit from using our Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to accelerate healing from a Sports Injury please download the Sports Injury Registration Form here. Contributing by Standing Order Click here to find out how to contribute by standing order. Our Member Journey Officer If you have any questions please call Dawn Wright, our Member Journey Officer on 01454 201686 or email hello@thebrightwell.org.uk We very much look forward to welcoming you to join us at The Brightwell.

See all the latest news, events and updates from The Brightwell in our newsletters. Brightwell Newsletters Enjoy this page to look at our latest newsletter, view some of our previous editions and subscribe, so that you keep up to date with all the latest, news, Events and updates from The Brightwell. First name* Last name* Email* Submit Our latest newsletter Previous newsletters 2026 January February March April 2025 January February July August March September April October May November June December 2024 January July February August March September April October May November June December

The Brightwell, incorporating The West of England Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre, offers specialised therapies including physio and hyperbaric plus many other support services. As a charity we rely on fundraising and donations to continue our work. Welcome to The Brightwell About Us At The Brightwell, incorporating the West of England MS Therapy Centre, we are dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals living with chronic neurological conditions. With over 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. We welcome members from the Greater Bristol area, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath, Wiltshire, South Wales and from all across the South West and the M4 corridor. There are always lots of social activities and events taking place and a huge and varied number of ways to be involved in fundraising and volunteering . Click here to find out how to Become a Member. Therapies that we offer Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Oxygen Therapy for Sports Injuries Physiotherapy Neurophysiotherapy Exercise Groups and Classes Online Classes FES Clinic Counselling Complementary therapies Acupuncture Massage and Reflexology Conditions that we support Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke Parkinson’s Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Sports Injuries Motor Neurone Disease, Functional Neurological Disorders, Long Covid Post Operative Recovery Cancer Therapies at The Brightwell Oxygen Therapy For Neurological Conditions Oxygen Therapy for Sports Injuries Oxygen Therapy for Other Conditions One-to-One Neuro Physiotherapy Groups and Classes Online Classes FES Clinic Specialist Clinics Support and Information Our Impact Report for 2024 This is the first time that we have produced an Impact Report in this format and we are delighted with how it gives a great representation of everything that goes on here at The Brightwell. The report is packed full of great images, facts, statistics and information. The report includes sections on Our Story So Far Who We Support Our Therapies A Letter From Our Chair A Letter From Our CEO 2024 In Numbers Fundraising Stories from Our Members Meet Our Volunteers Acknowledgements. Whether you are a New or Existing Member,Volunteer,Member of Staff or Supporter this is an excellent document, offering so much information regarding the Charity, its work and people, operational insights and community. You can view or download a copy of this report by clicking on the image above or click here .. A hardcopy version can be available on request, please call 01454 201686.

The AVIVA team with our Brightwell CEO, Doro. We were delighted to welcome a new group of Corporate Volunteers on 17 June from AVIVA, based in Stoke Gifford. This was the first time the team of volunteers had come to help at The Brightwell, and we were very impressed with everything they achieved! They were also assisted on the day by our own brilliant Brightwell Garden volunteers, Jen and Dave, who also did a tremendous job. The team did fantastic work digging out new plant borders for our forthcoming RHS planting as well as digging out space for a new ornamental tree. They worked like absolute stars, and we couldn’t be more pleased! It was hard work – the ground was tough and extremely rocky, and on such a humid and drizzly day it was a real challenge. The team were also very grateful for some extra help from the lovely chaps from P Phillips & Sons, who lent a hand with their diggers whilst also working on the Brightwell garden path! The team were really interested to learn about everything we do here at The Brightwell, and they also enjoyed a light lunch from the Brightwell Café. It was a joy to welcome this group to the Centre, and we are truly very grateful for all their efforts. We look forward to having them back soon! Before the dig After the work

I am a Volunteer Oxygen Operator here at The Brightwell. Here is my story about how this volunteering role has had a massive impact on my life. I was born in Hartcliffe, Bristol, in April 1962 at home and grew up in a loving and nurturing home with my two sisters, Mum and Dad. My childhood memories were so wonderful, and it was a very happy time. Back then, Hartcliffe was the largest housing estate in Europe. Despite its reputation in later years, my family have always enjoyed living there and has not experienced any problems. I attended Whitehouse Primary School, then Hartcliffe Comprehensive, which at the time was the biggest school in the UK, with 2,500 pupils on roll. Although I didn’t enjoy going to school, I had a great group of friends and successfully left with six O Levels to my name. In 1979, at age 17, I applied for my first job with Avon County Council as a Payroll Clerk, a job I really loved and stayed there for years. I met my husband and soulmate, Dave, in March 1979, and we were married in September of the same year. We knew each other before working together, but it was frowned upon to be in a relationship with someone at the same workplace, so we were discouraged from drawing attention to ourselves. It was a very different time back then! Our first house together was in Longwell Green, then Kingswood, which I still live in today. At age 40, Dave was diagnosed with a rare heart condition called Restrictive Cardiomyopathy (RCM). He worked from home, still for Avon CC, after his diagnosis. Working from home is not at all unusual these days, but then it was very rare and we had a huge computer installed at home for Dave! I stopped working at the same time to look after him, and then he sadly passed 5 years later. He was the loveliest and funniest man, and we spent 16 wonderful years together. I still miss him dearly. Following Dave’s death, the next few years were very difficult for me, and I struggled with grief a lot, but this hard time has made me the person I am today and made me much stronger as a result. Much of my life can be described as “light and shade” and even some dark times. Being with my family and Dave brought immense joy to my life, but I have also dealt with some very tough challenges. I was with my second partner for 11 years; unfortunately, this was not a happy part of my life, as elements of the relationship were quite toxic and unhealthy for my well-being. However, he lived with MS, and that’s how I became aware of The Brightwell. Again, as often happens in life, something positive came from a negative situation. I started volunteering there just before COVID in 2019. The staff and members are what make The Brightwell so special, and I have made so many close and special friends. I enjoy seeing members each Thursday in the Oxygen Suite; they know it is a safe space where they feel listened to and valued as an individual. I have benefitted tremendously from volunteering; I enjoy it so much and am committed to the twice-yearly training. I have often felt like I don’t have a specific talent or skill, but I found something that I am genuinely good at through volunteering at The Brightwell. I feel that I can offer genuine empathy and understanding to people because of what I have gone through. I can offer care and support to members, which is so important. In my personal time, I love to dress up in fancy dress, and at Christmas, every Thursday, members expect me to wear ‘festive headwear’. The animals in my life have always meant so much to me. I have had many pets over the years, and Dolly, my Lurcher, who I have had for 8 years now, is crazy and very funny, and I don’t know what I would do without her. In my leisure time, I love walking Dolly and being in nature. I’m a keen crafter too. Love to be with my friends socialising, and even happier if fancy dress is involved! If you see me around the Centre, please come and say hello, and I hope you have enjoyed finding out more about me. Maybe volunteering might be for you, too! Love and Best Wishes Jane.

Michael Leech and Gavin Moth Many of us will be familiar with the spectacular displays at RHS Chelsea, but from July 2026 there is a wonderful new venue to add to the diary. The RHS Badminton Flower Show, set within the magnificent Badminton Estate in South Gloucestershire, is one of the most exciting developments in the horticultural calendar for years, and, as it turns out, one with a very personal connection to the MS community. (www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-badminton-flower-show) How it all began Behind this garden are two passionate gardeners: Michael Leech and Gavin Moth. Michael explains how the idea took root: "Having built a 'long border' entry at RHS Tatton Park in 2024, I caught the bug. The following year, I looked at the 'pocket planting' category at RHS Hampton Court, whose theme was 'resilience'. Rather than the obvious route of climate-resilient planting, my mind moved in a different direction, towards the quiet, daily resilience of people living with their own personal challenges. I'd seen Gavin's social media presence, 'The MS Gardener', and noticed he lived nearby. The thought struck me: why not use garden design to tell the story of an MS diagnosis? I got in touch, we met on a bench by the river, me with a scribbled design and a half-formed idea, and somehow I managed to sell him on it." Gavin's story: from intensive care to the RHS For Gavin, this garden is far more than a horticultural project. It is, in many ways, the culmination of a life reshaped by MS. In January 2012, he was diagnosed whilst in intensive care following a catastrophic first relapse. Months earlier, a numb arm had prompted a visit to a specialist but raised no serious alarm. Then, after a game of football, everything changed. "I started to feel very unwell, I thought it was flu. But my partner, who had only just agreed to be my fiancée, knew better. After speaking with our GP, I was sent straight to the hospital. The next day, I was convinced I was having a heart attack." The relapse left Gavin completely immobile, his hearing, speech, and vision all seriously affected. He spent several months in the hospital learning to work with a body that had fundamentally changed. That same year, he came home and married. The road back was long. After nearly two years struggling with employment, he became self-employed, and it was then that he found something unexpected: "I realised that gardening really helped me, both physically and mentally. It gave me something back during those very stressful times." That quiet revelation proved to be the seed of something far bigger. Almost twelve years later, Gavin returned to college to train as an RHS Horticulturalist, retrained as a professional gardener, and built a growing social media presence as 'The MS Gardener', documenting life at the intersection of horticulture and MS. It was through that platform that Michael found him. When the two confirmed they lived in neighbouring towns, and the show garden idea took shape, fundraising began, with modest success. The real turning point came when Michael made contact with The Brightwell. With The Brightwell's agreement to rehome the garden in their own therapy grounds after the show, fulfilling the RHS ethos of sustainability and repurposing, the application for Badminton was made. "It has been a long process: tweaks to the design, real-life commitments, the inevitable slowdowns. But we are absolutely delighted to be confirmed. It still feels a little surreal, if I'm honest. But very, very exciting." The perfect partnership The Brightwell identified the ideal sponsor in Woodstock Homes, a steadfast supporter of the charity since 2022. For Managing Director James Hutchinson, the connection is personal; his mother, Karen, lived with MS and visited The Brightwell for therapy. Woodstock Homes' commitment to sustainability made them a natural fit, and a well-matched three-way partnership was formed. The RHS was impressed. After several rounds of refinements, the application received the green light. James Hutchinson reflects: "Sustainability is woven into the fabric of everything we build. Partnering with The Brightwell to support those living with MS feels like a natural extension of that. I'm hoping to bring my Dad to The Brightwell on 29 July, which would have been my Mum's birthday. To see this garden in its permanent new home on that day will be very special indeed." Here is the approved garden design Now the real work begins Michael and Gavin are deep in preparations, with the show opening on Wednesday, 8 July and running through to Sunday, 12 July. The garden will then be transported to The Brightwell on Monday, 13 July, where volunteers from Lloyds Banking Group and AVIVA will have already prepared the ground to receive it. Doro Pasantes, Chief Executive of The Brightwell, captures the feeling perfectly: "To be involved in an event as prestigious as an RHS show, working with such visionary gardeners, is remarkable. But it's the collaboration between The Brightwell, Woodstock Homes, our corporate volunteers, and our wonderful regular garden volunteers that is truly overwhelming. This garden will bring joy to our members and community for years to come. I cannot wait." We will be sharing updates about the preparation, the resurfaced path, which is a separate project, and the garden relocation. #TheMSGardener #MSAwareness #RHSSHOW #PocketPlanting #TheBrightwell #WoodstockHomes #CommunityProject #CharityPartnership