Fareham charity sees its services for adults with neurological conditions grow

The Rainbow Centre, in Fareham, is a charity that uses conductive education to teach children and participants with cerebral palsy and adults with a stroke, MS, Parkinson’s, adult cerebral palsy and head injuries to take an active role in their own development, aimed at enabling greater independence for the individual.

Members of the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Association in Hampshire, along with volunteer Louisa Roberts-West, took part in the session.

Louisa said: ‘This place came to my attention through a group member who has been visiting the centre and tagging on to a Parkinson’s group. He and his wife were impressed with the results so I visited.

‘Istvan Szucs, who runs the adult programme at the centre, came to our support group and talked to everyone about what they do and we had a great deal of interest so they invited us along for a taster.

‘We visited the centre for a 90-minute session focused on posture, balance, limb coordination, voice strengthening and fine motor skill exercises.

‘The feedback was really positive and they seemed impressed with the reinforcing techniques used and the attentiveness of the teachers.

‘We are now working on developing a regular slot at The Rainbow Centre for those in Hampshire and surrounding area which is really exciting.’

Lara Bull, CEO at the Rainbow Centre, said: ‘They had heard about conductive education and the benefits. They were so delighted with the session.

‘Our adult service continues to grow and to think there are even more people out there that we can help is wonderful.’

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy is a Parkinson’s-like neurological condition caused by the premature loss of nerve cells in certain parts of the brain.

The association supports people with the condition, and their families, as well as raising money to fund research. For more go to pspassociation.org.uk