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As part of our ongoing support programme for carers, we are delighted to announce  our next event on 27 March at 2.30pm.   This will be A Talk by a Senior Carers Support Officer from the Bristol and S. Glos Carers Support Centre.   The Bristol and S. Glos Carers Support Centre offer a range of services and information to help support carers in their caring role and improve wellbeing.   Bristol and S. Glos Carers Support Centre  also have a “Carersline”,  this is a confidential phone and email information and support service for carers in Bristol and South Gloucestershire for you to ask questions or talk about any concerns about your caring role. 0117 965 2200 carersline@carersbsg.org.uk www.carersbsg.org.uk Mon to Fri: 10 am – 1 pm Mon to Thurs: 2 pm – 4 pm (Closed on Bank Holidays   The talk on 27 March will be held at The Brightwell and is a free event and open to all carers. There will be an opportunity for questions, followed by an informal 'tea and chat' session, supported by Wendy Patterson, our Carers Group Coordinator.   Please call Reception on 01454 201686 if you are planning to attend. We look forward to seeing you then.

March is a time when women and women’s history comes into focus. 8 March marks International Women’s Day, and 30 March is Mothering Sunday. On International Women’s Day our thoughts turn towards influential and inspirational women across history, many of whose contributions have been erased or forgotten. And on 30 March we take a moment to appreciate our own Mothers, or those who have provided love, care and guidance in lieu of our own, through choice or circumstance. We also take particular care to reflect on those precious women who are no longer with us. On these days it is a reminder to thank these resilient, powerful, successful, loving women of the past and present, and remember with affection and often awe, their contributions to our society as well as our own upbringing, wellbeing and lives. At the Brightwell, we also turn our focus to a group who often go unrecognized—those balancing motherhood with additional caring responsibilities or their own chronic health conditions. For those living with neurological conditions or caring for loved ones who do, daily life can be an extraordinary challenge. Whether they are managing the complexities of multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, or Parkinson’s, or supporting a child, partner, or elderly parent with a neurological disorder, things can be additionally challenging. In a society that often takes the unpaid caregiving of both sexes and all ages for granted, March serves as a good reminder to check in with those women you know with caring responsibilities to ensure that they are not left feeling isolated or unheard. The Brightwell provides therapies and treatments for those with neurological conditions, but also looks after those who care too. Please check the website for details of our next carer support session. We also welcome anyone to our café and are hosting a Celebration of Mothers Tea on 27 March 3:00pm-5:00pm. Tickets are £10, available on our website and at Reception, but they are limited, so hurry! In conjunction with Bradley Stoke Town Council we are celebrating International Women’s Day by co-hosting a showing of Copa 71. This incredible film tells the story of the unofficial women’s football world cup of 1971, that drew crowds of over 100,000 but was then erased from history. There will also be speakers and promises to be a fascinating evening. The event is on 7 March  at 7:00 pm for a 7:30pm screening. Tickets are available from Bradley Stoke Town Council, see Bradley Stoke Town Council website for details.

When and where 12 Mar 2025, 19:00 – 22:00 Bradley Stoke, Bradbury House, Wheatfield Dr, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS32 9DB, UK About The Brightwell Quiz night is back! Doors open at 6.30pm & the quiz starts at 7pm. A fun evening with various rounds including picture and music rounds too! Feel free to come on your own to make new friends, as a couple or with a larger friends/family group. Raffle tickets will be available to purchase on the night for a Quiz exclusive Raffle. You are welcome to bring your own drinks (alcoholic or soft drinks) and nibbles to the event. Buy Tickets here

Running is a great way to fundraise and this year we are extremely lucky to have secured a number of spaces for half marathons and the London Marathon. Bath Half Marathon Ross, Lydia and Ben are running the Bath Half Marathon for us on March 16th. Founded in 1983 the Bath Half Marathon is one of the longest established and most popular road races in the UK and the largest charity fundraising event in the South West region raising around £2 million pounds each year. The team are smashing their fundraising goal so far, if you wish to donate you can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/page/ross-vickerman-1730115827652?msockid=17cbdf630fa869311fe1ca330e1368f8 London Landmarks Half Marathon In April we have 5 brilliant people running the iconic London Landmarks Half Marathon. We had 5 people run this for us last year and they collectively raised over £4,000. This year Nic, Hope, Libby, Robbie and Becky will be running over 13 miles past the iconic London Landmarks whilst raising money for The Brightwell. If you wish to help them reach their fundraising goals you can donate to their pages below. https://www.justgiving.com/page/nic-hope-1736331867576 https://www.justgiving.com/page/robbie-puddick-runner https://www.justgiving.com/page/becky-spicer- https://www.justgiving.com/page/libby-bell-1 London Marathon The London Marathon takes place at the end of April and George is running on our behalf. George, a sports lecturer at a local college, is taking on the challenge and running an incredible 26.2 miles through London for The Brightwell. You can help George's fundraising efforts by donating at https://www.gofundme.com/f/london-marathon-the-brightwell-charity Great Bristol Half Marathon Lastly, the Bristol Half Marathon takes place in May where an incredible team from Rugged Interactive are taking part. Rugged Interactive kindly loan us the Cardio Wall, which is a valuable piece of equipment in our gym used during exercise classes. 4 brave Rugged Interactive employees are taking part in the scenic Bristol run whilst raising funds for us. You can help their fundraising efforts by visiting their page https://www.justgiving.com/page/rugged-interactive-bristol-half We also have spaces still available for the Great Bristol Half Marathon. If you wish to secure your space send us an email at community@thebrightwell.org.uk A big thank you to this years runners for taking on the challenge in support of our charity, we wish them the best of luck.

Please note that from 1 March 2025, there will be a change to the suggested contribution levels for the Isobaric Oxygen sessions. Rising energy costs have meant that we have had to review the subsidy we are able to offer Members for two types of sessions in our Oxygen Department.  Isobaric sessions take place on the outside of the Chamber at normal atmospheric pressure, but you are still breathing a high concentration of Oxygen (95%), the same as in an Hyperbaric Oxygen Session. From the 1st of March, the suggested contribution for an Isobaric Oxygen Session will be £10 per hour. Exercise With Oxygen Therapy (EWOT) sessions, includes the use of a Thera-bike to exercise arms and/or legs whilst breathing Oxygen outside of the Chamber. A member of staff will set up the most suitable programme  for the individual on this piece of equipment. The suggested contribution for EWOT session will be £20 per hour. There are no set times for these sessions, but an appointment booked in advance is required. The contribution for block sessions will be £45 per week from the 1st March. Block sessions normally take place at the beginning of the Hyperbaric Oxygen Journey and consist of 15 to 20 sessions, depending on the set protocol. These should be undertaken ideally one session a day over the relevant period of three or four weeks. If you have any queries please visit www.thebrightwell.org.uk/oxygen-therapy  or please call 01454 201686 and select option 2 and one of the team will be delighted to help.

We are really delighted  with our new LED lighting in the Oxygen Suite, installed on Monday 10 February. As you may be aware from previous posts, we are working very hard to ensure that the Centre is as environmentally efficient as possible. Primarily, to keep our costs down but also as part of our Sustainability Pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050. Due to the fact that we have just come to the end of a very cost effective electricity and gas deal, our energy bills are seeing a substantial increase from 1 January this year, despite us being on very competitive tariffs. Our aim is to convert all the lighting throughout the building to LED which will be dramatically more efficient and save the charity money. Over the past few years we have made significant investments in becoming more sustainable, thanks to generous supporters, in solar panels, a new boiler and the outdoor lighting has been converted to LED. The cost of this project was covered as part of a significant donation, last autumn by MS Peoples Help, based in Thornbury. We are exceptionally grateful to them. Equiptest Ltd supplied the panels and installed the new LED panels at a very competitive price. Thank you so much once again to the team at MSPH, your donation will not only help us save money, but the new lighting offers a more pleasant working environment for the staff and Oxygen Operators. Several Oxygen Chamber  users have already commented about how light and cheerful the area feels now. Watch this space for more developments! Click here to find out more about Oxygen Therapy at The Brightwell

Treat yourself to something indulgent this Valentine’s! For a whole week, The Brightwell Café will be offering a delicious, limited edition, Salted Caramel & Chocolate Brownie. For just £3! This decadent treat is from our new artisan supplier, Cakesmiths, who use the finest ingredients to make a range of tasty treats, baked in small batches to ensure quality. So…next time you pop into the Centre, grab yourself a slice to enjoy with a lovely cuppa! Images Courtesy of Cakesmiths

For the whole of January we ran our MOVE4MS programme. MOVE4MS was a month long challenge that encouraged people to build new healthy habits whilst raising vital funds to keep MS therapy affordable & accessible for anyone affected by neurological conditions using therapies at The Brightwell. The best part of this challenge is that participants set their own boundaries! Roger Forbes, one of our members and a Trustee, is a committed member of The Brightwell Community and is often at the Centre having Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment and Physiotherapy. Roger totally got behind this challenge and set himself a goal of raising £500. During January Roger ensured that through a number of different activities he stuck to his personal target and posted updates every day on his Facebook page. At the end of the month as well as achieving his goal, encouraging others to exercise through his positive posts he raised an incredible £1,000! As a thank you he was awarded with a Certificate and a bottle of wine If you have been inspired by Roger and would like to help fundraise for The Brightwell, please visit our Support Us page   www.thebrightwell.org.uk/fundraising  or email  Victoria Hocquard at victoria.hocquard@thebrightwell.org.uk  Victoria will be delighted to help with ideas and give you details of any planned events.

Gluten Free Lemon & Pistachio Blondie - image: Cakesmiths   With everyone looking for some nutritious options following a few indulgences over the festive period, the Brightwell café has been offering a selection of wholesome lunches – from Paula’s delicious vegetable chilli jacket potatoes, packed with veg and beans, hummus and mixed leaf sandwiches and our very popular Tuna crunch specials – all helping us get closer to our 5-a-day (and nicely heart-healthy in time for Valentines Day!). We have also had some updates to our sweet treats…. but even when indulging we are mindful of using quality ingredients. The café has recently engaged a local artisan bakery, and we are delighted to serve some of their amazing blondies and treats – all made with carefully selected ingredients and baked in small batches to ensure quality. We are also pleased that this has helped us expand our gluten-free offerings – including a delicious gluten-free pistachio, lemon and white chocolate blondie(picture shown). As we edge closer to Spring, we look forward to adding further new items to the café, so do pop in and join us for a bite! To find out more about our fantastic Brightwell Cafe please visit www.thebrightwell.org.uk/the-brightwell-cafe

On Sunday we held a 'January Jumble' event which opened our Brightwell Shop up on a much larger scale. From 11am - 2pm the centre was open for charity shopping along with our Cafe serving up hot drinks and cake to enjoy. We had a variety of items on offer including clothes, books, games, household items and jewellery. A number of locals visited in search of a bargain and a slice of cake. In total we raised just short of £400. A big thank you to everyone who donated items in the lead up to this event, without your support this event would not have been possible. And to everyone that attended, thank you, we hope to be able to hold something similar in the future, and we hope to see you there.