Neural Pathways have had a busy summer planning for and running 2 large events;
Accessible Music festival for All - In July we supported a group of people with disabilities and a partner organisation to run a hugely successful music festival in Chase Park, Whickham. The event featured a wide range of local musicians across genres from folk to classical, hop-hop to rock and everything in between. The park was filled with music, laughter and a wide range of stalls and the whole vent was truly accessible to all with wide walkways across the grass and to each stand and attraction. The talent contest was energetically and hilariously entered by 3 of our staff in full sparkly Abba costumes but was won by one of our clients who did a great comedy routimne! All in all it was a great bit of team working between us, our clients and a partner organisation which has led to ongoing benefits.
Running Our First Conference for Professionals - In September we ran an Innovation in Neurorehabilitation conference at Teesside University, we had an unprecedented number of people attending and filled up their 250-seater lecture theatre for an engaging and thought provoking programme. We covered the cost of the conference by charging our exhibitors and this meant we were able to offer delegate places free of charge – not what usually happens in our sector! The feedback from the day indicates that we managed to provide a high quality event with new and different speakers and topics. The day was warmly received with requests to run an annual conference – this was our first try at running such an event and is set to be the first of many!
iPhone App competition – launched at our Innovation in Neurorehabilitation Conference this competition aims to raise awareness of the usefulness of the iPhone and Apps for our clients and for people working in rehabilitation and healthcare. We are encouraging people to dream up an App which would be useful but simple to create. The closing date for entries is 27th September and the person who owns the innovative brain behind the winning App will receive an iPhone as a prize! There has been quite a buzz within our sector about the competition and a growing pile of entries coming in. We hope to create the winning app and make it available for free download.
Success story – one of our patients has recently made such a stunning recovery that local and national papers and Tyne Tees TV have aired his story. Following a spiked during on holiday in Thailand our client was left unable to walk, feed himself, get dressed or do many of the other things he had previously taken for granted as a talented young drummer and music student at Newcastle University. After three years with lots of therapy from us alongside his determination to succeed he is now able to walk a few steps and is nearly ready to move to the bungalow the council have given him and resume a more normal life. He hopes to return to university and re-start his life back in the mainstream. A really meaningful success story!
