Long-serving Physio bids farewell to children’s charity as new chapter begins

Staff and trustees at a Shropshire children’s charity, which provides specialist services to youngsters with mobility issues, have said farewell to their physio after 16 years and welcomed a new face to the team to lead the next chapter.

Sarah Bew, 37, has spent her entire career working at Oswestry-based The Movement Centre and says it has been a real privilege to have played a part in helping the many children and their families who have benefited from Targeted Training courses for more than 16 years - but the time is now right to concentrate on the next phase of her life.

Staff at the centre, which is on the site of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital but an independent charity and not NHS funded, welcomed new physio Lara Whitton to the team for Sarah to introduce Lara to the families.

“It has not been an easy decision, I have really loved my job,” said Sarah. “It has been so rewarding to see the life-changing difference The Movement Centre has made to so many lives - seeing the amazing goals that have been achieved through the therapy we use and how that has developed a level of independence that in many cases could never have been imagined by families.

“I have mixed emotions at leaving but have decided that now is the time to make a big change in my life. I qualified as a physiotherapist in 2009 and The Movement Centre was my first, and up to now, only job. I actually started here as a student for about a year before that, so I have been here a long time.

“My mum, dad and sister live up in Scotland, at the foothills of The Cairngorms, and I will be moving up there to be closer to them. I intend taking a few months out and then there may be a bit of a career change, not necessarily staying with physiotherapy. There are plenty of options for transferable skills from physiotherapy - so I will just see what happens.

“It has been a fantastic experience for me and I would like to thank the staff and the trustees at The Movement Centre for their support over the years. It has been an amazing team to work with, a small-knit team but we have all got on so well. And then there are the children and the families I have worked with. The Targeted Training is a 12-month course so you really build up a close relationship with those families.”

Sarah said the benefits of Targeted Training are undeniable and the difference it makes to improving various areas of mobility according to the individual needs of children can lead to an amazing transformation for them and their families.

“It is an exciting time for The Movement Centre,” said Sarah. We are looking at potentially broadening out and offering additional services while keeping with the Targeted Training that is so successful.

“The specialist standing frames we use can target different areas of the body that help things like head, trunk and lower limb control, communication, feeding, mobility and stepping abilities. It is literally life-changing for so many children and their families and the difference it makes to the quality of life can be immense.

“It is always lovely to get that positive feedback from them after the course of therapy and see the difference it makes to a child’s level of independence, meaning they are not quite so reliant on their parents. It really is so rewarding.”

Lara, who graduated as a physiotherapist in July, said: “Although I’m newly qualified, I completed a paediatric placement during my studies which I absolutely loved. It gave me valuable hands-on experience and really confirmed my passion for working with children and supporting their development.

“I’m delighted to be joining The Movement Centre, and I’m really excited to see what I can bring to the team. I love working with children, and having already seen some of the incredible work the organisation does, it truly feels like an honour to be part of a service that makes such a meaningful difference to so many children and their families each year.

“I am really looking forward to getting to know the families, contributing to ongoing projects, and continuing to develop my skills within such a supportive and inspiring environment. It’s a wonderful opportunity, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Kate Halewood, The Movement Centre’s Chair of Trustees, said: “Sarah has been an integral part of The Movement Centre for a long time and has been a trusted and reliable member of the team. We wish her well for the future as she embarks on the next exciting chapter where she will be closer to her family.

“Sarah will be very much missed by her colleagues at The Movement Centre and the children and their families who are still going through their Targeted Training courses during this transition. We would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Lara and we are sure that she will be a valued addition to the team.”

Helen Knight, CEO at The Movement Centre, said: “Sarah has been a popular, friendly and familiar figure at The Movement Centre and a trusted, reassuring presence for the many children and their families that she has shared a journey with over the last 16 plus years.

“We have exciting plans moving forwards and welcome Lara who will play a key role in that. But our core philosophy remains unchanged and we obviously stay committed to the Targeted Training that is so vitally important to those children coming to us for our help.

“It is a philosophy that Sarah has been dedicated to during her time with us and while her leaving the centre will be keenly felt, she can rest assured that those core values will continue as we endeavour to carry on treating as many children as we possibly can in the future.”