THE Cauda Equina Champions Charity (CECC) has announced that, in partnership with People First Keighley & Craven (PFKC), it has been shortlisted for the National Charity Today Awards 2025 in the Partnership of the Year Award category.
This recognition highlights a unique collaboration born from urgency, compassion, and the shared belief that vital health information should be accessible to everyone.
The project began when CECC Founder Claire Thornber read a Guardian article about a person with learning disabilities who developed Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) but faced devastating treatment delays and a lack of suitable hospital support. Determined to ensure this would never happen again, Claire reached out to Catrina Farnell, CECC Ambassador and Manager of PFKC, to work together on creating an inclusive, easy-to-understand CES resource.
Cauda Equina Syndrome is a rare but serious spinal condition where timely diagnosis and treatment are critical. For people with learning disabilities, barriers such as inaccessible medical information, communication challenges, and a lack of tailored support can significantly increase the risk of harmful delays.
In response, members at PFKC worked alongside Claire to simplify complex medical terminology into clear, plain-language explanations. CECC then paired these words with engaging, accessible illustrations, resulting in an Easy-to-Read CES leaflet designed to help patients, families, and carers recognise red-flag symptoms and act fast.
The impact of this work has been immediate and far-reaching. The leaflet has been officially adopted by the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (MACP), featured on their national CES resource page, and distributed widely across NHS spinal services and physiotherapy networks, putting life-saving knowledge directly into the hands of those who need it most.
Claire Thornber, Founder of Cauda Equina Champions Charity, commented:
“Working in partnership is so important. Catrina and the team at People First Keighley & Craven were extremely passionate about this project. After reading an article in The Guardian about a person with learning difficulties suffering from CES who didn’t have access to any information, I was inspired to make sure that never happens again. Creating an Easy Read version of the CES red-flag symptoms means more people can recognise the signs and get help fast – and now that it’s available on the MACP website, hopefully this will prevent anyone else from missing the information they need.”
Lee Rayment, Founder of the National Charity Today Awards, said:
“This partnership puts clear, usable health guidance in front of people who need it now. Claire, Catrina and their teams have turned lived experience into a tool that can cut delay and harm. We are proud to recognise this work in the National Charity Today Awards’ Partnership of the Year Award.”
The award shortlisting is not only a recognition of the partnership but also a testament to how lived experience, specialist expertise, and collaborative passion can create a nationally recognised, inclusive health resource that changes lives.
