Penny Townsend:
Bella's story
Maintaining Mobility Through Consistent Training
Bella is a 17-year-old young woman with asymmetrical spastic cerebral palsy that affects her whole body. Her right arm is more affected than her left, and in her lower limbs, her left leg is more affected than her right. She experiences significant stiffness in her trunk and limbs, which shapes her movement patterns and overall mobility.
Bella receives Botox in her hips to help manage spasticity and improve her alignment, supporting her ability to move with greater comfort and efficiency. She uses a powered wheelchair in daily life, and she can complete supported stand transfers using a Sara Stedy. Preserving this functional ability is a central focus of her physiotherapy programme. Bella has a naturally warm presence, and although she can be shy with unfamiliar people, once she feels comfortable, she brings brilliant energy to her sessions, with a laugh that genuinely fills the room.
Bella trains at Simply Moving and Sleeping, an adaptable rehabilitation space designed to support functional practice and safe mobility work.
She has been working with her physiotherapist, Penny Townsend, since 2014, she started training at Simply in June 2024 to build and maintain the strength needed for safe standing and transfers. She began using the ceiling hoist and Trainer module at that time, and she has made clear progress since.
At the start of her journey, she required 25 kg of dynamic weight relief for step-up training, and she has now progressed to performing step-ups with 22 kg of support. This improvement reflects her increased lower limb strength, confidence, and control. Bella is consistently more driven when training at Simply than when practising at home, responding well to the structured environment and positive encouragement she receives during her sessions.
Her physiotherapy also incorporates the Trainer module to support strength development for sit-to-stand work, stepping activities, and walking practice.
The ongoing aim for Bella is to maintain her muscle strength, protect her current level of mobility, and ensure she can continue to stand transfer with the Sara Stedy. Through targeted strengthening, structured practice, and the supportive therapeutic relationship she has built with Penny, Bella continues to make steady progress while staying active, engaged, and physically well.
About Penny Townsend
Penny Townsend is a specialist neurodevelopmental physiotherapist and moving and handling consultant, providing children’s physiotherapy, complex‑needs handling support, and workplace/occupational assessments.
She is highly experienced in supporting children and young adults with learning disabilities, conducting sling assessments, and delivering safe-handling training across Kirklees schools.
Her background includes advanced moving and handling qualifications, extensive clinical practice, and recognised professional expertise, demonstrated through her consultancy work, training events, and hands‑on therapeutic sessions.
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