A car dealership in Cheshire Oaks has supported a Saltney therapy centre by getting people to sing.
Mitchell Mazda chose to support the Neuro Therapy Centre through their annual Sing Your Heart Out event.
Katherine Robinson, a member of the centre and a Mitchell Mazda customer approached the company initially for sponsorship of a flashmob event that she was organising in Chester City Centre in November.
The car firm sponsored t-shirts and leaflets for the centre’s flashmob on November 26 in Chester , which raised £1700.
Katherine started attending the Neuro Therapy Centre in 2016 to seek support and therapies to help her deal with the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Her previous career as a dance teacher and choreographer inspired her to use these skills to raise funds for the centre.
She said: “My health means I have become ineffective as a performer, unreliable as an employee and it has forced me to give up my career. My condition causes widespread, complex pain and extreme fatigue.
“The centre is a lifeline and without it I would be isolated, locked inside my condition and without hope. By providing physiotherapy it focuses on helping people like me come to terms with our conditions and learn how to adapt and cope.
“I’m starting to rebuild my life and use my skills whilst managing my fatigue and pain. This is why I wanted to give something back.”
The Mitchell Group then selected the centre as the charity to support for their tenth Christmas customer singing event.
As part of the event, Katherine choreographed a dance routine performed to a soloist singer and explained to the audience how she benefits from visiting the centre.
More than £3,400 was raised at the event which was presented to Katherine and the centre’s community fundraiser Alison Mowlem.
Centre manager Jane-Johnston-Cree said: “We were really pleased to hear that we had been selected as a beneficiary this year. We support people from across the region who have a wide range of neurological conditions, so a lot of people rely on our services to manage their conditions. It is great to have such local support. Together these two events have raised over £5,000, all down to people’s generosity and Katherine’s enthusiasm.”
The Neuro Therapy Centre supports people with neurological conditions including MS, Parkinson’s, ME and MND, and their carers from across Cheshire, North Wales and the Wirral.
More details at www.neurotherapycentre.org.
