Active LightWorks is a charity supported by NHR Organic Oils that provides complementary therapies to people in Brighton and Hove. Formed in 2006, we work with experienced qualified practitioners to provide very low cost and free access to therapies.We carry out projects in the local community, and also at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital and Royal Sussex County Hospital, and our main focus is on working with people who have chronic health issues.
We know from our own client feedback that complementary therapy can make a real difference, helping to relieve symptoms of chronic and acute illness. It can also help people to manage stress levels, and aid relaxation and sleep.
We offer a range of touch-based therapies including holistic massage, reflexology, shiatsu, reiki, Bowen therapy, Indian head massage and integrated energy therapy.
All 25 of our therapists are professionally qualified in their field and are comprehensively insured. They donate their time and services out of a genuine desire to make a difference and usually receive a small payment to cover expenses.
Our Hospital Projects
We currently have 7 therapists who volunteer on our hospital projects and we provide about 80 hours of therapy each month to approximately 80 patients and their families, at the two hospitals.
We give reiki therapy to children, babies and their families in the High Dependency Unit at the Royal Alex. The therapy has been really well received and parents will often ask to have reiki as well, which can help to relax them at what is often a very stressful time. The doctors and nurses are delighted that ALW are giving this therapy regularly and have asked for us to place more therapists in 2013.
We also provide light-touch massage therapy to patients in the Cancer Centre at the Royal Sussex and work primarily in the Chemotherapy Unit, the End of Life Care Unit and the Gynaecology Unit.
Community Projects
Over the past year, our new focus has been to work in partnership with other community groups on projects, where we run monthly events and provide a number of therapies using a shared space. This enables us to offer very low cost therapies for between £3 and £6 a session. Our aim is to build longer term relationships with these groups and we plan to run these projects for 6 to 12 months.
We currently give 35 hours of therapy per month on these projects.
Our current projects include:
1. The Dementia Café project – We were delighted to get funding from the Big Lottery Fund to run a 12 month project in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society. We offer hand and shoulder massage to people with dementia and their carers, who attend two monthly evening cafés in Brighton and Hove.
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With thanks to the Big Lottery Fund and NHR Organic Oils for their support
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The events have been really successful and we usually give hand massage to around 10 people at each café evening.
Since the project started in Nov we have given around 70 x 20 mins hand massages.
We have had feedback from the Alzheimer’s project manager and attendees that they really enjoy having the massage, and it is very relaxing and calming for those clients with dementia.
2. The Peer Action project – This is a 12 month project where we see people who are living with or affected by HIV. We have been able to offer a wide range of therapies including massage, reflexology, shiatsu, energy therapy, Indian head massage and Bowen therapy. These sessions are given for a low cost price of £6.
Since the project started in August 2012 and March we have given 110 half hour therapy sessions.
3. Elwyn Jones Court Project with the Elderly – We have recently set up a new 6 month pilot working in partnership with Brighton Council.
This is a monthly therapy event at Elwyn Jones Court Sheltered Housing Unit where we give 30 minute therapy sessions to the elderly residents who are based there for the low cost price of £3. We plan to offer therapy to 16 people each month.
Massage can have a positive impact on physical and mental health. Elderly people can often feel very isolated, so focused touch from a skilled therapist can help reduce these feelings and build a sense of connection.
New Therapists –
We are always looking for new therapists to join us who can give massage, reflexology, Bowen, shiatsu, Indian head massage, reiki and energy therapy.
Similarly, we are still looking for project coordinators, who can run the monthly events.
Our therapists tend to volunteer for one or two events each month. We try to be as flexible as possible and are happy for people to volunteer for a couple of months and then take a couple of months off, if they need to.
We hope to increase the number of therapists and project coordinators we have as this will enable us to carry out more projects and bring more complementary therapy to our local hospitals and community.
Benefits of working with us include being part of a supportive team, receiving specialist training for continued professional development, and for newly qualified therapists, the chance to build up treatment hours.
If you are interested in joining Active LightWorks or have any friends who may be interested see www.activelightworks.org or contact our membership secretary Ewa at ewa-pyrgies@activelightworks.org
Active LightWorks uses NHR Organic Massage Oils & NHR Organic Creams all donated free by NHR Organic Oils.