Official opening of our children's centre

Thanks to support from the Welsh Government, The Moondance Foundation and other corporate and philanthropic donors, we were able to purchase and transform our new building into a national centre of excellence that provides world-leading treatment of cerebral palsy to hundreds of families and children across Wales every year.

Our children’s centre first opened its doors in May 2021 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, over 800 families from across Wales have walked through our doors to receive our specialist therapy for their children.

Now that the renovation work is officially complete, we were thrilled to receive a visit from The Duchess of Gloucester, who has been our much-loved patron since 1996, on Wednesday 24th April to officially open our children's centre.  

Alongside meeting a number of supporters who contributed to our ‘Build a Better Future’ capital appeal, which helped fund the second phase of development, the Duchess met with families who have received life-changing therapy and support from us.

Arlo is one of the babies currently accessing our specialist early intervention service ‘Better Start, Better Future’ and his mum Laura was thrilled to receive an invitation to the event.

Our son Arlo was born extremely prematurely and has experienced many bumps along the way. We self-referred Arlo to Cerebral Palsy Cymru after several consultants at the Neonatal Unit advised us to as Arlo was at high risk of cerebral palsy.

Since our very first therapy session at Cerebral Palsy Cymru, we have seen a huge improvement in Arlo's development. 'Better Start, Better Future’ not only provides Arlo with the early intervention he needs, but it also offers parents and caregivers the guidance and reassurance they need to give their little ones the best possible start in life.

We will forever be grateful for the care and support that Cerebral Palsy Cymru have given to our family. Arlo is our little inspiration, and we are all so extremely proud of him.

Being able to meet The Duchess of Gloucester with Arlo at the official opening of Cerebral Palsy Cymru’s children’s centre has certainly been a memorable experience for us as a family and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent the families currently accessing ‘Better Start, Better Future’."

It is estimated that in Wales, every 5 days a baby will be born who will have cerebral palsy, and our specialist early intervention service is the only one of its kind in Wales. Last year alone, we received 86 new referrals to ‘Better Start, Better Future’ and this number is predicted to increase.

Research shows that Early Intervention is vital for a child's development and this is particularly pertinent for a child identified as at high risk of cerebral palsy, where early intervention can influence their long-term progress and the skills they ultimately acquire to help them throughout their lives” says Jenny Carroll, Centre Director and Consultant Physiotherapist. “I am delighted that our children’s centre is now officially open. It is a world-class facility from which we can provide our specialist services, with the space to enable us to see many more children and families. Our next big challenge is to secure the additional investment we need to fund increasing demand for our vital services.”

Also in attendance was Julie Morgan MS, who has been an energetic supporter of Cerebral Palsy Cymru for several years, and The Baroness Morgan of Ely, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Eluned Morgan, who said:

It was a privilege to attend today’s event and see first-hand how this building has been transformed into a specialist children’s centre that makes a hugely positive impact on the lives of so many families across Wales."

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to meet some of the families who have benefited from this charity’s services, as well as the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure that families living with cerebral palsy across Wales can access the specialist therapy and support that they need. I also want to pass on my thanks to all the people who have contributed generously to support the charity."

We would like to thank everyone who attended the official opening of our building. Thank you for helping to make it such a special and memorable event. 

Photography credit: Simon Gough Photography