West Midlands homebuilder donates £1,500 to support people with movement disorders
Solihull-based David Wilson Homes has donated £1,500 to NICE, a centre for movement disorders, as part of its Community Fund scheme.
The Birmingham charity, located close to the housebuilder’s Tenchlee Place development, teaches children and adults with movement disorders certain strategies to gain greater control over their movement through Conductive Education (CE).
CE is based on the concept of human potential, which means everyone has the capability to learn and develop irrespective of their starting point. The charity believes that individuals affected by disability issues and movement disorders should not be limited by their disability but, instead, focus on what they can do.
Sadie Newman, Trusts and Grants Fundraiser at NICE, said: “This donation from David Wilson Homes will be used to specifically support our Milestone service which assists families at the very start of their disability journey.
“These sessions are for children aged up to three-years-old and their parent or carer and gives disabled children the very best start in life, whilst also ensuring their parents and carers can provide the support they need to enable their children to flourish.”
The community the charity serves is represented widely across NICE. It not only supports its community via its service delivery, but the people it supports are also integrated into its decision making and planning to ensure its beneficiaries' voices are always heard.
As the only centre in the region offering Conductive Education and, with NHS services continuing to be stretched for resources, the charity’s delivery is significant in supporting both children and adults affected by cerebral palsy, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis (MS) and strokes. It supports over 250 families annually.
Sadie continued: “Going forward, we are refurbishing our old student block into the NICE Community Hub - a dedicated space where families and carers of disabled children and adults can socialise, meet, study, and work. Previously, the space was unsafe, leaking, and could only be used for storage.
“By transforming it, we will create a welcoming ‘home-from-home’, allowing families to stay connected to NICE even after their children move on to secondary school.
“The Hub will be of immense significance to the community, particularly to families who often feel isolated due to the challenges of caring for a disabled family member and can find it difficult to relate to families outside of NICE who aren’t going through the same things.”
David Wilson Homes’ donation was made as part of The Barratt Foundation, which is designed to support national and local charities, large and small, across the UK to leave a legacy in the communities in which the housebuilder operates.
Each year, NICE must raise over £500,000 to ensure its services for the community can continue. As such, support from organisations like David Wilson Homes are invaluable in ensuring it can help anyone with a movement disorder.
Sadie added: “Movement is an integral part of who we are. A lack, loss or difficulty with movement has a major impact and affects every aspect of daily life, especially for the children we support who have been born with a lifelong condition.
“Basic skills such as sitting up, crawling, and talking become unimaginable milestones for families at the worst time in their lives. This is where NICE becomes a family’s salvation, with power in the knowledge that every child can be better.”
Helen Lewis, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes Mercia, said: “We are proud to support NICE and its continued efforts to uplift those struggling with various mobility conditions and issues.
“We hope that this donation will encourage more people to learn about NICE and support the charity so that it can carry on its incredible work.”
For more information about the charity and to learn how to support it, visit the website at NICE.
