Cerebral Palsy Scotland

We’re changing our name, and here’s why

In April 2020, Bobath Scotland changed name to Cerebral Palsy Scotland. We want to share with you the reasons behind this move.

Why change?

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Changing our name is one part of much wider work we are continuing to do to increase awareness of cerebral palsy and enable us to reach everyone affected by cerebral palsy across the country.

There is not enough support and services for families and individuals living with cerebral palsy. We hope our change of name will help us raise our game and close this gap so that every person with cerebral palsy can participate and achieve to the best of their ability – this is our key aim.

The name Cerebral Palsy Scotland is also more reflective of the charity today. Providing therapy using the Bobath concept is still the core of what we do, and our superb team of therapists will continue to offer individual therapy to children and adults and run our many therapist-led groups.

But we want to make it much clearer that we now do more, such as:

  • Providing online information about CP and the local support services that are available to people with CP
  • Creating opportunities for families, children and adults with CP to meet each other and to access learning, such as through our annual conference and social groups
  • Supporting families and individuals with their emotional wellbeing
  • Working for changes in policy that improve the lives of people with CP

What else has changed?

As part of this project, we have brought all our online information into one website so that both current and new supporters can easily find the information they need and understand the range of services we provide. Our new website went live in April 2020.

We aim to be clearer and more consistent when we communicate, including how we describe who we are and what we do, the language we use, and the way we look. A strong identity will help us build support and allow us to have a bigger impact.

More support for people with CP and their families

Eighty-five percent of what we spend as a charity comes from our own fundraising efforts. All these changes will help us to raise funds – and hopefully secure additional funding – to provide support and information for people with CP.

We are proud of our services and we want more people to benefit from them and build their skills, knowledge, and confidence. These changes will help to ensure we can have the greatest impact and continue to support as many people living with CP as we can across Scotland.

Who is helping us with this?

We are pleased to be working with Passion4Social, a social enterprise, on this project. They actively increase employment opportunities for disabled people and share many of our values.

Any comments?

If you have any comments on our change of name, please contact Anna Hunter, Communications Manager: anna.hunter@bobath.scot

Leen Van Gestel | Physiotherapist

Leen qualified as a physiotherapist from the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) in 2005. In 2012, she obtained a PhD from the same university for her work on the relation between brain lesions and deficits in strength, tone and walking patterns of children with Cerebral Palsy. From 2012-2014, she combined academic research with part-time clinical work in a private paediatric physiotherapy practice. Throughout this post she worked with a variety of children and young people mainly affected by neurological conditions. Leen completed Bobath training in 2014 and relocated to Scotland in 2015. There, she was employed as a physiotherapist in a special needs school before joining us in August 2017.

Lesley Nutton | Physiotherapist

Lesley trained as a physiotherapist in Manchester and qualified in 1986. She has worked in large teaching hospitals in Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle as well as in the community-based at a special needs school. She has gained a wide range of experience working within the paediatric field in a number of regional specialities based in Newcastle, with a special interest in acquired brain injury. Lesley and her family relocated to Scotland in 2005 and she joined us in 2007.

Petra Mikesková Gurd | Occupational Therapist

Petra qualified as an occupational therapist in the Czech Republic in 2000. She worked for eight years with premature babies, children with CP and other neurological conditions and also with adults in the Rehabilitation Centre in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Petra completed her Bobath training in 2004 and in 2005 she passed Baby Bobath training. Petra is a Bobath tutor and has taught Basic and Baby Bobath courses in Europe. She’s got a specialisation to provide Sensory Integration Therapy and Medical Taping (e.g. kinesio taping). She worked in private practice in the Czech Republic before she joined us in September 2013

Claire McMillan | Speech and Language Therapist

Claire qualified as a speech and language therapist from the University of Strathclyde in 1998.  She worked with children in community clinics, special school and nurseries in Lanarkshire after graduating.  From 2002-2004 she spent some time working with an overseas development charity, working alongside and training educators and therapists, especially in the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).  She began working at Cerebral Palsy Scotland in 2004 and is currently training to become a Bobath tutor.