Corporate support makes a huge difference in powering our work to improve the lives of people with cerebral palsy in Scotland.

One particular company who has been significant in helping to ensure people with cerebral palsy have access to specialist therapy, support and information this year is Allied Vehicles Group.

Allied Mobility is part of the Allied Vehicles Group and is the UK’s leading provider of wheelchair accessible vehicles. Allied Vehicles are a business which is local to us who feel passionately about supporting their local community.

Since early 2022, Allied Vehicles have been active supporters of our work. Participating in our Dragon Boat race in June 2022, Allied vehicles took three boats of 18 people each. Their commitment came from all levels of the organisation with each boat captained by members of the founding family: Gerry, Peter and David Facenna. ‘Peter’s Pirates’ took the top spot, beating the eight other teams in the tournament. Together the Allied paddlers raised a fantastic £4,800 for Cerebral Palsy Scotland.

This sparked a fundraising flame in the hearts of the Allied team who subsequently sponsored our Burns Night Firewalk in January 2023. Allied kindly provided the Glasgow Tigers Speedway as a venue for the event with hot food and drinks for all participants. We had 11 Allied employees join our brave firewalkers, raising a fantastic £2,100. The Allied team certainly brought the heat to a cold January night and had excellent team spirit.

The Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust also provided a vital stop-gap to keep our Baby Buds sessions running in a two-month gap between funding. Baby Buds is a crucial chance for families to come and have regular support from our specialist therapists to help develop their child’s movement and enable play, exploration and communication. With the Trust’s help, we have been able to keep the group running, with more new families attending.

Outwith their fantastic fundraising, Allied Vehicles have been active members of our awareness raising work. David Facenna (Corporate Culture Director) and Gemma Žak-Duport (Group Head of Communications and Engagement) attended our reception at the House of Lords, Westminster. The event brought key people and organisations together to consider how we can build a better future for people with cerebral palsy. We were delighted to have our Allied friends attend in support of our mission to improve the lives of people with cerebral palsy in Scotland and further delighted to welcome David as a new member of our board of trustees earlier this year.

The Allied team have been hugely supportive of our work and we are thrilled that they are headline sponsors for our next Dragon Boat race day happening on 10 September.

Hear from David Facenna, Corporate Culture Director at Allied Vehicles about their experience supporting Cerebral Palsy Scotland:

Cerebral Palsy Scotland are a vital support for people with cerebral palsy and their families. We have been delighted to be able to support Cerebral Palsy Scotland. Our staff have also embraced the partnership through taking part in Dragon Boat racing and the Firewalk. Being able to take part in such engaging activities, whilst supporting such a worthwhile cause has been fantastic for our corporate culture and for building collaboration and teamwork.

We cannot thank the Allied Vehicles Group enough for their continued support in powering our work. Every day in Scotland, people with cerebral palsy and their families are not getting enough support. Because of Allied’s kindness, we have been able to continue providing specialist therapy, support and information for children and adults with cerebral palsy when it’s needed most.

If you would like to find out how your workplace can support Cerebral Palsy Scotland, please contact our team at GetInvolved@cpscot.org.uk.

Fundraising organisation Cerebral Palsy Aberdeen (CPA) has announced that it is to close on 19 June. Remaining funds from CPA are to be transferred to Cerebral Palsy Scotland and ring-fenced for use by people with cerebral palsy living in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Set up on 18 June 1973, Cerebral Palsy Aberdeen was dedicated to raising money for the purpose of distributing grants to benefit people with cerebral palsy and related conditions.

CPA’s Chairperson, June Waters, is due to retire from the committee on 13 June 2023, leaving only four committee members, none of whom are available to act as Chairman.

Initially an Aberdeen Committee of the Spastics Association, it became an independent charity at a later date, known as Aberdeen and District Cerebral Palsy Association, more recently changing name to Cerebral Palsy Aberdeen.

The charity gave regular funding grants over its nearly 50 year lifespan. For example, aA PhD student was funded for three years to carry out cerebral palsy research, Cerebral Palsy Scotland was funded to run outreach therapy sessions for adults with cerebral palsy in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, public parks and gardens received funding for play equipment, and many individuals received grants for equipment such as standing frames, all-terrain buggies, specialised wheelchairs, trikes, electronic devices, iPads, and specialised items not supplied by the NHS or Local Authority.

Commenting on CPA’s closure, Cerebral Palsy Scotland CEO, Stephanie Fraser, said:

“We were all very saddened to hear of the decision to close Cerebral Palsy Aberdeen. The charity has a long history of helping people with cerebral palsy and their families in the Aberdeen City and Shire area. We would like to sincerely thank the CPA committee and supporters for putting their trust in us to manage the charity’s remaining funds. We’re committed to using these to support children and adults with cerebral palsy from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to access our specialist therapy and other services.”

June Waters, Cerebral Palsy Aberdeen Chairperson, said:

“On 19 June 2023 Cerebral Palsy Aberdeen (CPA) closed down, exactly 50 years to the day it was set up in 1973. All remaining funds were transferred to Cerebral Palsy Scotland, to be used for the benefit of people with cerebral palsy residing in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.

I and the CPA committee members, Lesley, Rhona, Susan and Amy, would like to thank Cerebral Palsy Scotland for their support over the years, and send best wishes to everyone at Cerebral Palsy Scotland, wishing them well in the future.”

If you’re an adult with cerebral palsy or care for a child with cerebral palsy and live in Aberdeen City or Aberdeenshire, please contact us to discuss accessing therapy sessions.

We’re ambitious for people with cerebral palsy and continue to advocate with government and policymakers for the cerebral palsy community to have life-long access to knowledgeable, compassionate services and support. Find out about our latest policy work.

National Advisory Committee for Neurological Conditions
Our CEO Stephanie Fraser is Chair of the National Advisory Committee for Neurological Conditions. Stephanie has been meeting individually with all members of the committee to identify future priorities for the Committee.

Scottish Government
Recently there have been a number of Ministerial changes in Scottish Government. While this has impacted political engagement and forward momentum, we continue to raise awareness and press for change as much as we can.

• Jenny Minto MSP is the new Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health.  As members of the The National Advisory Committee for Neurological Conditions and the Neurological Alliance of Scotland, Stephanie Fraser will met Ms Minto on 24 May to discuss her priorities for neurological services and for people with cerebral palsy.

• Maree Todd MSP is now the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport. She has responsibility for social care, the National Care Service, mental health and wellbeing, alternative and augmented Communication (AAC), self-directed support and other areas. Ms Todd was previously Minister for Public Health. Because her work impacts on neurological service provision and people with cerebral palsy, we will continue to be in touch with Ms Todd.

• Natalie Don MSP has been appointed Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise. Her remit includes early years, children’s services, children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism, and transitions for those with disabilities and/or autism. We are keen to engage with Ms Don regarding education and services for children with physical disabilities and cerebral palsy in particular.

• We have also been in contact with Dr Una MacFadyen, Lead Clinician for the Children with Exceptional Healthcare Needs Managed Clinical Network,  regarding how Cerebral Palsy Scotland can support their network with developments.

House of Lords and House of Commons
Marking the end of Cerebral Palsy Awareness month, the House of Lords debated the future of Adult Social Care on 30 March. Our CEO Stephanie sits in the House of Lords and participated in this debate, highlighting the perspective of the challenges face by adults with cerebral palsy.

On the same day the House of Commons had an adjournment debate on Services for Adults with Cerebral Palsy.

We will continue to monitor policy debates and developments across the UK as we continue to work positively with Scottish Government to press for change.

June 5-11 is Carers’ Week. As a parent carer, feeling supported and having someone you can ask questions of, get advice from, or just vent your frustrations to, is so important.

If you’re a parent carer of a child or adult with cerebral palsy, here are some places to get support and advice:

• The CP Support (Scotland) Facebook group has over 700 members and is an amazing group to get and share advice with other parent carers:

• Your local Carer centre will be able to support you in lots of different ways and maybe can put you in touch with local parent carers.

• Our Cerebral Palsy Support Coordinator is a listening ear, advising people with cerebral palsy and their families about services and organisations that can support them. To get in touch with her, please contact us.

• Our Support directory lists lots of organisations and services available in Scotland that can support you and your family.

• There are six national carer organisations (NCOs) in Scotland. All offer support, advice and campaign for carers.

• For a podcast, try The Skies We’re Under: Parenting disabled children with Rachel Wright.

More information and resources are also available on the Carers’ Week website.

Our spring newsletter is packed with stories about how your support is helping children and adults with cerebral palsy in Scotland reach their full potential, as well as all the latest news from Cerebral Palsy Scotland.

“Without Cerebral Palsy Scotland the world would be a much more challenging place”

In this edition, Zoe shares her experiences of accessing specialist therapy at Cerebral Palsy Scotland. She talks about how the team here have really helped her physically and mentally since she had two hip replacement operations.

“I definitely learned things I would never have thought of doing”

We also hear from Kerin. Her daughter Mirren came to outreach sessions that our therapy team ran in Dumfries late last year. Kerin was able to learn skills to help support Mirren develop her standing and use her right side to play with toys.

March is cerebral palsy awareness month and our newsletter also updates you on our social media campaign to raise the voices of people with cerebral palsy in Scotland. There’s also a round-up of our latest campaigning and policy work, as well as upcoming fundraising events you can get involved with.

Read spring newsletter