The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre welcomed Members of Parliament to Portcullis House this week to advocate for crucial early intervention therapy for infants displaying signs of cerebral palsy and developmental delay.
The event was spearheaded by CEO Madeleine Cassidy, who is concerned that NICE guidelines for cerebral palsy in children and young people (2017) are not being met and that not enough babies receive specialist therapy and intervention at an early enough stage.

The event sponsored by Watford MP Dean Russell provided an invaluable opportunity for MPs, including Daisy Cooper (St Albans) and Sir Oliver Heald (North East Herts) to gain an insight into the critical role that early intervention therapy plays in physical health, educational attainment and ongoing support requirements.

Dean Russell MP

Daisy Cooper MP

Sir Oliver Heald MP

From 1 April 2024, our new price list will come into effect. All our therapy is subsidised from our charity’s reserves and fundraising. Like most other charitable organisations, The Bobath Centre has experienced a large increase in its costs, and we have reached a point where price increases are unavoidable.

We know our therapy is so important for your health and wellbeing and we are working hard on improving our fundraising efforts to continue to offer a subsidised price.

The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre marks World Cerebral Palsy Day – October 6th 2023 – with an Open Day at its Centre in Watford, opened by special guest Liz Green, High Sheriff of Hertfordshire.

The event was attended by over 40 guests who toured the purpose-fitted, National Training and Therapy Centre. Supporters, health visitors and beneficiaries, were given demonstrations of Bobath therapy, research work and training courses, and had chance to hear moving first-hand experiences from families living with cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions

The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre quoted in the Mail Online’s feature on clinical negligence claims relating to traumatic births.  The Mail Online has 22.5m followers on social media and 24m monthly visitors to their site.

The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre has teamed up with Watford Community Lottery  and its first draw takes place on Saturday 24th June.   60% of all proceeds go to local Watford charities.  Nominate The Bobath Centre as your chosen charity, buy a ticket, and you could be in with a chance to win the £25,000 Jackpot!

The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a substantial three-year grant from City Bridge Trust, the City of London Corporation’s charity funder, committed to creating a fairer London for all its residents. The grant will be instrumental in supporting the charity’s neurotherapy services, to people with physical disabilities and improving the lives of people with cerebral palsy

The grant from City Bridge Trust will enable the National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre to expand its services locally, and in the boroughs of Hillingdon, Harrow, Barnet and Enfield.

Commenting on the award, Madeleine Cassidy, CEO of The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre, stated, “We are grateful to City Bridge Trust for the grant which will have a profound impact on the lives of our community with cerebral palsy. This funding will enable us to further our vital work in supporting people of all ages with cerebral palsy and their families, empowering them to lead fulfilling and independent lives. The team at The Bobath Centre look forward to expanding our programmes and collaborating with City Bridge Trust to create lasting change.”

City Bridge Trust’s support for the charity’s neurotherapy services is particularly welcome, since neurotherapy is not available to most people via the NHS.  The project will deliver specialist neuro-Physical, Occupational and Speech and Language therapy to at least 40 people over the next three years.  Anyone who thinks they might benefit is very welcome to apply.  The Centre already offers free welcome sessions and no referral is required https://bobath.org.uk/bobath-therapy/support-for-cp-community/welcome-session/ 

For more information about The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre and its services, please visit www.bobath.org.uk.

 City Bridge Trust Chairman Giles Shilson said: “We’re delighted to be able to support the National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre to expand its neurotherapy service. This funding will open up access to neurotherapy, which can have a really significant effect in improving quality of life, to many more people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to receive it, making a positive and lasting difference to their lives and those of their families.”

The Bobath Centre’s Rajkumar Rajan, clinical expert physiotherapist and Bobath Tutor, presented his research findings on “Scaling home programs for practicality and to help families recognise small steps of progress” in May at the EACD (European Academy of Childhood Disability) international conference in Ljubljana. The outcome of the research was that the parents were able to recognise small steps of progress made by their child while practising the activities recommended by the Bobath therapist.

Raj also presented a poster entitled ‘Converting individual therapy activities into goals can help measure progress in activity and participation’. This research focussed on measuring the process by which the children achieve their activity and participation goals at the end of a treatment block.

The EACD conference is a high-profile platform for experts, researchers, and practitioners from around the world to exchange knowledge, share advancements, and collaborate in the field of childhood disability.
Congratulations Raj!

June 1st 2023 – The Bobath Centre proudly announces its transformation and rebranding as The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre. Effective from June 1st, the organization will evolve into a Charitable Incorporated Organization (CIO), signifying a significant milestone in its remarkable journey.

For over 60 years, The Bobath Centre has continuously evolved to meet the changing needs of the cerebral palsy community. The decision to rebrand as The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre reflects the organization’s commitment to expand its services and provide comprehensive support to people of all ages, from babies to adults, throughout the nation.

With an experienced team of therapists at its core, The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre remains committed to providing exceptional support. These skilled professionals specialize in Bobath therapy techniques, focusing on movement, function, and overall quality of life improvement. Through their expertise, they empower individuals with cerebral palsy to reach their full potential.

Beyond its direct support services, The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre is deeply committed to advocating for disability issues. Through active campaigning, the Centre strives to raise awareness, challenge stigmas, and promote inclusivity in society. By fostering collaboration with other organizations and community members, The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre aims to drive positive change and improve the lives of those affected by cerebral palsy.

As an information and support hub, The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre caters to individuals of all ages, from babies to adults, as well as their families. Through comprehensive resources, guidance, and a nurturing environment, the Centre ensures that everyone receives the support they need to thrive.

Additionally, The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre operates as a National Training Centre, offering specialized courses on Speech & Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Occupational Therapy. These courses are designed for carers, parents, NHS therapists and other health professionals, providing valuable insights, skills, and techniques to enhance the care and support provided to individuals with cerebral palsy.

Mark Gillard from Hillingdon is gearing up to take on the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge to raise funds for The Bobath Centre.  

Mark’s inspiration comes from his friend’s 12-year-old daughter, Erin Duffy, who has cerebral palsy.

The challenge is to climb the three highest peaks in Scotland, England, and Wales – Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon – within 24 hours and, despite a knee injury, Mark is determined to complete it.

We wish him the very best of luck!!

A huge shout out to our incredible runners who took part in the London Marathon and ran for The Bobath Centre raising an impressive £14,000! Thank you David Day, Sean Conopo, Tom Gough, Duncan Harris, Ben Illingworth, Lisa Kidd, Adam Lyons and Leah Maddison, you were all amazing!

If you’re inspired by our runners, and you’re thinking of running the TCS London Marathon for 2024, we’d love to hear from you. Why not join our team and raise vital funds to support The Bobath Centre and people living with cerebral palsy?

Our Fundraising Manager, Nicky West, received a generous donation from Agata Usewicz, Head of Medical Negligence, at Hodge Jones & Allen. We’re so grateful, and thank you for supporting people with CP.

Seeking legal advice can be an essential part of the journey as a family when living with cerebal palsy (CP). If your child has experienced a developmental delay or has CP due to mistakes made during pregnancy or childbirth, our legal partners at Hodge Jones and Allen are on hand to help you.

If you want to find out about the services from Hodge Jones & Allen please contact Agata Usewicz.

Two friends are supporting us by running in the London Marathon 2023, Lisa Kidd and Leah Maddison.

They live in Lincolnshire and train in the Lincolnshire Wolds. The pictures above are from the Wrawby Windmill at Brigg, North Lincs where they started their first long training run, supported by six friends.

Lisa said: “Leah and I joined the running club around the same time in 2016, both of us new to running…and now we run together in every race, supporting each other. If I’m struggling, she tells me we got this, likewise, when she is struggling, I support her. I chose Bobath as my mother has CP, she grew up with many obstacles to fight and I know if she and the family had the support when she was growing up, life would have been a lot easier for her. What The Bobath Centre does for children and their families is amazing and I wanted to support them in any way I could. Even though we have run for some time, this distance will be a huge achievement for us both and we are looking forward to the challenge!”

We’d like to wish them the best of luck!

During this cost of living crisis, we know that many of those in our CP community will have seen price increases.

Our charity has also seen many of its costs increase. We have endeavored to keep our treatment prices as low as possible and for as long as possible. Unfortunately, we now find ourselves in the unfortunate position of needing to increase our therapy session prices. This is not a decision that we have taken lightly, or quickly, but made with careful consideration and, where possible, as small an increase as can be supported.

We aim to be a supporter of the CP community over the long term. For Life. So, we hope that you will understand how challenging this process was and how reluctant we have been to increase costs to you. 

The new prices will take effect from 1 May 2023 – please see our Price List for more information.

It’s now super-easy for anyone who shops online to get involved and support the Bobath Centre. Even better, it’s totally free! Simply sign up to Easyfundraising, select the Bobath Centre as your chosen cause, and shop as normal with 7000 of your favourite online retailers. The more participants that select the Bobath Centre, the more donations we receive from retailers.

Experts working across the field of cerebral palsy will take part in an upcoming webinar to discuss the support available to families affected by the condition organised by the NR Times.

Alongside other charities, midwives, nurses and lawyers, we will share the work we do and answer questions from the audience in the live event. The event is sponsored by Slater and Gordon, one of our legal partners.

The webinar will be held on Tuesday, March 14, from 11am to midday, and anyone with a professional or personal interest in cerebral palsy is welcome to attend the free event.

This webinar booking is now closed.

We surveyed people and families living with cerebral palsy in December 2022, to see how they were coping during the cost-of-living crisis. Our findings from 35 families indicate that the CP Community is disproportionately experiencing hardship at this time, due to the added on-costs associated with their disabilities.

The survey highlights that the cost-of-living crisis has left 80% of people having to significantly cut down on heating or not use it at all, and 67.7% struggle to pay energy and heating bills.

We are calling for local authorities, health services, educational establishments and employers to consider the needs of people with CP,  to help alleviate their financial hardship at this time.

“Dreading the next bill over the colder months but have no choice but to use it. We have no heating on when our daughter is at day centre”

“At the moment our heating is set at 17C, but if finances get worse, we will have to lower the temperature.”

“I can’t attend private sessions now because the money needs to go towards heating”

Read the report and if you would like to help towards the cost of therapy of a person with CP, make a donation.

CP Sport is the national disability sports organisation supporting people with cerebral palsy, enabling access and enjoyment of being physically active throughout their lives. It has worked with the FA to create the ‘Cerebral Palsy Football Coaches Workforce Project’ and aims to recruit people wishing to pursue coaching or volunteering and link them with training opportunities.

The charity will support 10 individuals undertaking the FA’s Introduction to Coaching Course and gaining a formal qualification.

CP Sport is setting up regional hubs around England to build communities of people with CP in all regions. Later this year, it will pilot a regional hub in the northeast, and plans to develop hubs in other areas of England, through partnerships with other sporting organisations.

Congratulations Samantha on the launch of your new book, “CP Isn’t Me”. We can’t wait to read it!

Samantha wants to encourage us all to rethink disability as a whole. She received Bobath therapy as a child and Samantha told us, “I don’t think I’d have the skills I have now without their dedication and encouragement!”. 

She tells her story and shows that regardless of ability we are entitled and able to live a normal life without being penalized for doing so.

Order your copy via Amazon, and donate to The Bobath Centre with Amazon Smile!

We hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas and start to the year.

Last year was amazing.

Supporting people with Cerebral Palsy remains at the heart of everything we do, and as the New Year begins, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on all that we have achieved in the past year.

Our charity has continued to develop and last year greater numbers of people came to us for help in what was our 65^th anniversary year:

• We’ve provided over 100 free welcome sessions, giving information and advice about living positively with CP
• 73 babies and 50 children were supported with Bobath therapy
• 29 Adults were supported with therapy & annual reviews and 43 in our online monthly meetups

This year is going to be a busy, but exciting one!

Ho Ho Ho!

Can you believe it’s nearly Christmas? We’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that 2023 brings you and yours joy and happiness. Our team of therapists and staff are taking a well-earned break and so, we will be closing at lunchtime on Friday 23 December and reopening on Tuesday 3 January.

Our recent research revealed that 77% of adults with CP have not been offered an annual review.

In response to this research, we launched our Annual Review service, where adults with CP will meet with an experienced specialist with expertise in neuro-disabilities. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that adults with CP with complex needs have an Annual Review appointment yearly, as the person’s condition may change as strain is continuously put on the body.

We were delighted to launch our Annual Review service for adults with CP last month.
We are thankful to our legal partners Hodge Jones & Allen for hosting the event, Scope for supporting us with the launch and everyone who attended. It was a great turnout!

Agata Usewicz, Head of Medical Negligence at Hodge Jones & Allen said:
“We at Hodge Jones & Allen wholeheartedly support the work of The Bobath Centre in supporting community members with Cerebral Palsy and ensuring they get the proper medical care. When people aren’t receiving Annual Reviews, their lives and wellbeing are at risk – it is crucial that we stand together and support The Bobath Centre in their work.”

Richard Luke, Specialist Information Officer & CP Programme Lead at Scope said:
“We are proud to support The Bobath Centre in offering this service to the adult cerebral palsy community”

As a result of rising prices on many essentials such as energy, fuel and food costs, the country is currently facing a cost-of-living crisis. Action is needed to support working people, including those living with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

To ensure we can address the issues, The Bobath Centre wants to know how the crisis has impacted you and your family.

We would be grateful if you could please take part in our short survey if you either have cerebral palsy or are a parent or carer of a person with cerebral palsy.

It’s entirely anonymous and hearing from you is very important. We will use the results from this survey to support and evidence our campaigning and lobbying work with politicians, policy-makers and commissioners.

UPDATE: 1 February 2023 – The survey has now closed and results will be shared shortly.

BoBaby was designed to support babies and families, providing fun, therapy-led activities for babies, and giving parents an opportunity to chat with us and each other.

We would be grateful if you would complete our short survey, which should take approximately 3-5 minutes.

This survey has now closed.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

We are delighted to be hosting a Christmas Party with CP Teens UK on Thursday 22 December 2022!

Come & join us for a festive afternoon of fun with food, music and dancing.

This is a free event for young people, but you will need to pay a small deposit to secure your place, which will be returned to you upon attending the event.

Following registration, CP Teens UK will contact you with details on how to pay your deposit. We respectfully ask you to pay within 48 hours of booking.

Booking for this event has now closed.

We want to start sharing more content on our BoBaby! social media and would love to hear your feedback on what you want to see.

We’re thinking of recommendations (e.g. books, toys, and other helpful resources), events that you may be interested in, stories from other parents/carers and much more.

We appreciate any feedback given to us, to make sure our BoBaby Facebook page is interesting, with topics that matter to you.

JMW Solicitors held an Autumn Escape Charity Lunch at The Lowry Hotel, Manchester on Friday 14 October.

Compere Dominic Walker, former radio host and solicitor at JMW interviewed Daisy and her father Neil about their experiences attending Bobath. Daisy did a fabulous job of extolling the benefits she gets from receiving Bobath therapy at our centre. So much so that the 200-plus guests attending the lunch dug deep into their pockets to buy raffle tickets and raised over £4,500!

The Bobath Centre and the sight loss charity, Henshaws, both benefitted from this support and we offer a massive thank you to JMW and all those who gave so generously.

We loved hosting our first Festival of CP on 6 October this year and the feedback we have had has been lovely to hear. Including one person who said, “Bobath put a lot of effort into what was an amazing day!”

We now have three videos from the day to share: Equality, diversity and inclusion from Slater and Gordon; Clinical negligence with Irwin Mitchell and Financial safeguarding with JMW.

More videos and soundbites will be released soon and don’t forget to share your feedback if you attended.

In support of the millions of reasons campaign, on World Cerebral Palsy Day we held an all-day virtual festival to celebrate and support those in our CP community. 

It was a day of inspiring stories, interesting panel discussions about staying active, an interview with two amazing authors of books about CP and some fun dance sessions. Our four legal partners hosted sessions on financial safeguarding, clinical negligence and equality, diversity and inclusion for CP. We also had a CP Legal Question Time!

Don’t worry if you missed the festival, we will be posting recordings on our website soon so stay tuned!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the day.

In support of the millions of reasons campaign, we’re holding an all-day FREE virtual festival to celebrate and support those in our CP community.

From inspiring stories and dance sessions to exciting panel discussions, and much more. Easily accessible from the comfort of your home. We have planned a fun, action-packed day for you. There’s something for everyone!

You can choose from different events running throughout the day, running for 30 minutes each.

All you need to do to gain full access is register for a FREE day pass to the festival.

We are hosting sessions for young people to help you get to grips with your condition.

Our two-day FREE event will be on the 25 and 26 October 2022.

The group aims to support young people through the transition process by having honest and open conversations covering various topics, including:

• What is CP and how this might change as we age?
• How mindfulness can help manage emotional health
• How to be your own advocate

Booking for this event has now closed.

A huge thank you to Nicola for speaking about her experience as a parent of a child with CP and her experience with her son’s therapy with us, including how it’s improved his development.

This year we are celebrating 65 years of our charity and on 14 July 2022, hosted a reception for many of our friends and supporters.

Held in The Churchill Room, at the House of Commons. Our CEO, Madeleine Cassidy, gave a speech to honour our legacy, outline our plan for the future and give special thanks to our friends and supporters who helped celebrate with us.

It was great to see so many people who have worked with or received treatment from us in the past and present. During the afternoon we launched our #MOVEforCP policy and campaigning framework and were thrilled to pass 1,000 signatures on our petition #freetherapyforCP.

We submitted evidence as part of the APPG on CP’s Call for Evidence regarding Transition to Adulthood. We wanted to bring attention to MPs that there is little support for adults with cerebral palsy (CP).

CP is a permanent, yet fluctuating condition and support is needed throughout a person’s life, not just in childhood. The transition from child to adult health services is a challenging and complex process for young people with CP.

Support Disabled Children’s Partnership case study search.

Our friends over at Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) are currently collating case studies for particular groups of families that were affected by the pandemic.

One group is those who were diagnosed or born during COVID-19 pandemic. The case studies will be used as part of their evidence for the COVID inquiry.

If you or anybody you know are able to help, please contact Cathy directly.

We would like to understand more about the experiences of young people with cerebral palsy in relation to accessing therapy and support.

If you live in the UK and are aged between 16-25 or know someone who is in the same age group, please help.

This survery is now closed.

We partnered with CP Teens UK and hosted a  special SOCIAL MEET-UP that included a fun-filled quiz, dance and a pamper session!

Another event is planned for December. Stay tuned…

This month JMW solicitors completed a coast-to-coast cycle challenge. A huge thank you and congratulations on cycling 170 miles to support people with cerebral palsy.  Please give generously and help them to raise as much money as possible.

In the Bobath Centre’s 65th year, we have launched a petition calling for free specialist therapy for people with cerebral palsy, throughout their lifetime.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition caused by brain damage around the time of birth.

Help celebrate our 65th year!

Founded in 1957, we are now celebrating 65years of Bobath Therapy supporting and changing the lives of people with cerebral palsy and we’d love to help many more.

Can you help us celebrate by making a donation or supporting us with some fundraising activities, including:

• Anniversary or birthday coming up? Why not ask friends and family to donate in lieu of gifts
• Sponsored minute silence – good for the kids
• Team up with colleagues/family to raise £65 in 65 minutes!
• Make all your Amazon purchases through Amazon Smile

We hope you can get involved and support our special anniversary year.

To get started check out our a-z of fundraising!

Although cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common physical disability in childhood, it isn’t high profile in awareness and is widely misunderstood. Through World CP Day, we have the opportunity to raise awareness of CP in our communities and assist others to look beyond the disability.

What is World CP Day?

World CP Day is an opportunity for the whole world to come together to recognise and celebrate the 17 million people around the world living with cerebral palsy.

When is World CP Day?

On 6 October every year, individuals, families and organisations celebrate by sharing stories, hosting events, and wearing the colour green.

What are we doing for 2022?

We are planning our activities, but to start the ball rolling we have the support of the Mayor of Watford to turn the council offices green for the day! And that is just the start of our activities in this special anniversary year of our charity.

What can you do to support World CP Day?

Why not plan a fundraising event? Check out our how to support us section <link> for some ideas or you can take inspo from our green theme colour and: 

• Go green for Cerebral Palsy
• Get your green fingers on and plant a flower or tree in support of people with cerebral palsy. Don’t worry you don’t have to be a good gardener to do this!  When you plant your flower you could donate £! to The Bobath Centre.
• Tell your community about cerebral palsy
• You can help us to celebrate the day by simply telling others about cerebral palsy and about the work that we do at The Bobath Centre

Also, don’t forget to share what you do on social media, tagging us too or contacting us with what you plan to do.

Over the past year we have been investigating the impact of Covid-19 on adults and families of children with cerebral palsy.

Our findings highlighted that the pandemic caused a large amount of daily life changes that were difficult to cope with and had a broad range of negative impacts on our community. Read our report to find out more.

Find out about how we welcomed our patron, the HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, to our Centre here in Watford on 23 February 2022. The visit begins a year of celebrations, as we are celebrating our 65th anniversary this year.

Her Royal Highness was presented with a bouquet by Daisy, aged 6, who receives specialist therapy for her cerebral palsy here at the centre.  The Duchess also met our therapists, volunteers, trustees and supporters before unveiling a plaque to commemorate her visit.