THE British Chamber of Commerce (Britcham) in Shanghai recently donated

150,000 yuan (US$18,100) to CereCare, a privately-owned cerebral palsy rehabilitation centre in China.

"We are delighted to be able to support CereCare, one of the only organizations in China that provides treatment for kids with cerebral palsy (CP)," said Ian Riley, chairman of the Britcham in Shanghai. "We hope to continue our support over time in order to help CereCare increase the number of CP children it can help."

BritCham's donation will finance training in specialized therapeutic techniques for CereCare staffers. The BritCham-sponsored training programme is part of CereCare's overall plan to improve the quality of care at the Tse Kong Wellness Centre in Shanghai.

Set up last December with the aim of helping CP children achieve their full potential, lead meaningful lives and make contributions to their communities, the Tse Kong centre is currently treating 31 children with cerebral palsy.

The Shanghai Disabled People's Association reports that 60,000- to 70,000 people with cerebral palsy live in the city.

"With few therapeutic programmes and no provisions for handicapped children in local schools, facilities like CereCare's Tse Kong Wellness Centre are badly needed," said Iris Lieu, director of CereCare.

BritCham Charity Committee Chairman Alan Brown, chairman of Unilever, has also donated

10,000 yuan (US$1,150) to CereCare through sponsorship of an Englishman's bike ride from Shanghai to Hong Kong.

Edward Genochio travelled

20,000 kilometres by bike from England through Europe and Asia, raising money for local charities along the way.