Thanks to the generosity of the West Lancashire Freemasons, The Brain Charity will be able to provide crucial support to 128 children in Liverpool and Merseyside who are neurodivergent or living with a neurological condition.
The £60,000 grant will specifically benefit The Brain Charity’s ‘Brain Changer Arts Project’, a groundbreaking initiative that leverages arts-informed therapies to not only improve the physical health but also enhance the emotional well-being of the participants. This support will make a meaningful impact on the lives of these children and their families, helping them thrive despite their challenges.
Brain Changer Arts Project consists of two components: The first is ‘Physiotherapy Through Dance’: These sessions involve choreographed dance routines based on a variety of physiotherapy exercises. They are conducted by a professional dance instructor and a physiotherapist. The second is ‘Occupational Therapy Through Crafts’: These sessions focus on arts and crafts activities designed to enhance participants’ creativity and provide social and confidence-boosting opportunities. They are led by a professional artist and an occupational therapist.
Statistics indicate that one in six people in England live with a neurological condition impacting their daily lives. Liverpool, being one of the most deprived areas in the country, has a significantly higher disability rate (23.8%) compared to the national average (17.7 %).
Living with a neurological disability from a young age can have a huge impact on a child’s motor function and physical ability. The resulting lack of independence can cause a great deal of mental health and wellbeing issues, not allowing them the full experience and freedom of being a child.
The children really enjoyed the exercises, which teach neuro-divergence and muscle memory through exercises involving balance and changing movements using a variety of props, capes and music to engage and teach the children balance and co-ordination through play. The session led by Christina and Leila was fun and engaged all of the children to follow the exercises and to help them. It was a funny, lively and inspiring session and goes some way to showing the work that The Brain Charity does in schools throughout the Northwest
The Brain Charity’s Project Co-ordinator Christina Beaumont said: “We’re hugely grateful to West Lancashire Freemasons for their generous grant. Therapy approaches like ours can deliver lifelong benefits to some of our most vulnerable young people, but provision has been drastically cut in recent years. Thanks to this grant, many children in Liverpool will gain the independence and self-confidence that helps them to flourish in the future.”
The grant from West Lancashire Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales. Mark Matthews, leader of West Lancashire Freemasons, said: “I’m really pleased we’ve been able to help The Brain Charity with their vitally important project to help local children who have brains that work a little differently from the majority. This wonderful therapy can lead to a real improvement in their condition, but also see a major boost to their confidence. It’s something that can benefit them all their lives.”
