As we ushered in 2016, did you make any New Year’s resolutions? If it was a get-fit-type promise to yourself, we could help you out. We have so many exciting new challenges for 2016 to help inspire you to achieve your fitness goal. Whether you want to take on a walk, jog, run, cycle ride, a once-in-a-lifetime trek or an ‘extreme’ challenge such as a muddy obstacle course or exhilarating skydive, we have it all! Take a browse through our variety of challenges and sign up to any that catch your eye. As always, you won’t just be taking this on for yourself, you’ll be doing it to help the one in six people in the UK who have a neurological condition. Join us and be part of our big family, #TeamBrainAppeal.

A new tablet-based clinical record system is changing the way stroke patients are treated in the Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) at the hospital. 
This clever technology manages the entire patient’s stroke journey from admission to discharge, with all their medical records made easy to access – and update − at the swipe of a finger. Along with eliminating duplication of records during the patient’s stay, it also frees up valuable time for senior clinicians to spend more time on the wards rather than writing up notes.
The National Brain Appeal is now supporting the next phase of this project and funding more tablets for the department to see the process fully rolled out.

In December, one of our supporters, Meta Wells-Thorpe (above), took part in a campaign for the group Remember A Charity – aimed to encourage people to think about leaving a gift in their will to their favourite charity. Legacies are a hugely important source of funds for the work we do and can make up almost half of our annual income. If sorting out your will is on your to-do list this year, read our guide.

• Our Valentine’s Day raffle. Show your love for The National Hospital by buying a few raffle tickets – first prize is brunch for two at Marcus Wareing’s Tredwell’s; second is a dinner for two with wine at Ciao Bella; plus a bottle of pink Champagne and many more prizes. Tickets are only £1 each! (Minimum online purchase is £5).
• An extreme cycle race in the Alps. We’ll be promoting it on Facebook and Twitter and in our e-letter to get everyone behind our rider and raise lots of money to help the vital work here in Queen Square.

For more events, personal stories and how you can get involved, please visit nationalbrainappeal.org, or follow us on Twitter @brainappeal and Facebook at fb/TheNationalBrainAppeal

Theresa, Marcelle, Brooke, Laura, Cara, Louise, Leigh and Tina