Celebrating Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month with a Special visit to our Friendship Club

26th March | Weekly Friendship Club

We were honoured to recently welcome Mayor Marvin Rees to our Friendship Club on Tuesday 26th of March, during Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. The Friendship Club is a weekly social club for adults with Cerebral Palsy, which is still going strong after 50 years! Around 25 people attend this Club regularly, it is a vital source of support which combats social exclusion and loneliness, something that many people with complex disabilities like Cerebral Palsy face in their everyday lives. One of our members Graham has attended for over 30 years and describes the Club as his lifeline, saying it has given him the support and friendship that he desperately needed. He says the friends he has made at the Club over the years are like having another family.

The Mayor was greeted by the members with warmth and enthusiasm, and there was a wonderful sense of connection established on the evening. One of our members was delighted that the Mayor remembered he used to live on the same road as him!

There was a real sense of excitement in the room and the Mayor’s presence was appreciated by the group, who were pleased he took an interest and enjoyed getting involved. He even took part in a game of Boccia alongside the members. Our member Helen said “He was really nice to talk to, and even said we could go to sit in his Chair!”

Another member Debbie shared that it meant a lot that the Mayor took time to visit the Club, saying “I was surprised by the visit! It was really enjoyable to listen to the Mayor and it was so special that he came.”

As conversations flowed, the Mayor even extended a heartfelt invitation that the group could visit his office and sit in the Lord Mayor’s Chair, an opportunity some of the members are excited to take up.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Mayor Marvin Rees for taking the time to visit the local Cerebral Palsy community here in Bristol, his presence meant a great deal to the members of our Club.