We are Cerebral Palsy Cymru

Our new name and identity have been created to reflect our position as experts in cerebral palsy, our Welsh heritage and most importantly to ensure that we are easily found by families living with cerebral palsy.

In the autumn of last year, we consulted with our staff, trustees, families, volunteers and supporters. They recognised that we are a positive, empowering and caring organisation who put families at the heart of what we do. However, there wasn’t a clear understanding of the breadth of what we did - that we are a centre of excellence in Wales for cerebral palsy and an essential service.

We had originally planned to launch our new name and identity at our Birthday Ball on 12^th June. However, as the coronavirus crisis hit, and we entered a period of financial uncertainty, we had to stop and think as to whether this was still the right thing to do.

We realised there was never going to be an ideal time, certainly not in the next 12 months and we would be holding back on something that we knew could help families, particularly at this time. We remembered the determination of our Founder parents, how they didn’t give up in the fight to bring a Bobath centre to Wales. Now it is time for us to fight to still be here for children and families at a time when they need us most, and in the future too. Having a new name and identity is one of the ways we are strengthening the charity and making sure that families who need us can find us easily.

The Bobath approach will always remain at the heart of what we do, as it is the framework that guides our clinical reasoning. We recognise, however, that over the last 28 years we have evolved and what the centre now offers incorporates a wider perspective.

Our therapists will continue to be Bobath trained; we have simply turned Bobath on its head so it is now our foundation and put cerebral palsy at the forefront. We realise, however, that it might take some time to get used to our new name and look!

It is not the grand launch that we planned originally. However, what is more important is that it happens now so we are better able to support families in Wales living with cerebral palsy.

Because we know - we are needed more than ever.

FAQs about our rebrand and name change:

Why did you rebrand and change your name?

Our new name and identity have been created to reflect our position as experts in cerebral palsy, our Welsh heritage and most importantly to ensure that we are easily found by families living with cerebral palsy.

How did you arrive at the new identity?

In the autumn of last year, we consulted with our staff, trustees, families, volunteers and supporters.

They recognised that we are a positive, empowering and caring organisation who put families at the heart of what we do. However, there wasn’t a clear understanding of the breadth of what we did – that we are a centre of excellence in Wales for cerebral palsy and an essential service.

What does the new logo mean?

Families are at the heart of our organisation. They always have been, and always will be.

The tangram is a puzzle consisting of seven flat shapes, called tans, which are put together to form shapes. We love the way that the tangram enables us to be creative and, most importantly, child-friendly!    

Are you going to be changing what you do?

The Bobath approach will always remain at the heart of what we do, as it is the framework that guides our clinical reasoning. We recognise, however, that over the last 28 years we have evolved and what we offer today incorporates additional leading clinical practices.

You’re taking ‘Bobath’ out of your name – will the therapy treatment remain the same?

All of our therapists will continue to be Bobath trained.

However we will also continue to develop our services in line with the leading, wider international research and practice in the treatment of cerebral palsy.

I feel sad that you’re no longer called Bobath, how will you honour the history of the charity?

We understand that it might take some time to get used to our new name and look. Our team, especially those who have been with the charity for many years, feel the same!

However, we have simply turned Bobath on its head so it is now our foundation and put cerebral palsy at the forefront.

We also know that the Bobaths were pragmatists and interested in enabling people with neurological conditions and their families to access good services, and therefore we believe they also would have seen this as a positive step forward for our beneficiaries.

We will always be proud of our history and will share our story from the beginning, back to 1992 when we began as Bobath Cymru.

Are the shops changing too?

As we return to different degrees of normality, and as resources allow, you will also see our new name and brand on our shops and Centre. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, these changes may take longer than we had originally planned.

How will I explain the change to friends and family who support you?

We have been working on this project for over a year now. We had originally planned to launch our new name and identity at our Birthday Ball on 12th June. However, as the coronavirus crisis hit, and we entered this current state of major operational and financial uncertainty, we had to stop and think as to whether this was still the right thing to do.

We realised there was never going to be an ideal time, certainly not in the next 12 months and we would be holding back on something that we knew could help families, particularly at this time.

We remembered the determination of our Founder parents, how they didn’t give up in the fight to bring a Bobath centre to Wales. Now it is time for us to fight to still be here for children and families at a time when they need us most, and in the future too. Having a new name and identity is one of the ways we are strengthening the charity and making sure that families who need us can find us easily.

Do you only treat children who have cerebral palsy?

We provide individually tailored therapy for children who have cerebral palsy and other allied neurological conditions. The other conditions we treat present in a similar way to cerebral palsy.

Are you using the funds people have donated recently to your emergency appeal to re-brand and change your website?

No, this work was commissioned in the autumn of 2019 after many months of preparation and planning. 

We launched our emergency coronavirus appeal on 1^st April 2020 in response to the shattering income losses we now find ourselves facing. All money donated to that appeal is being used to fund services for children and families living with cerebral palsy across Wales.