News

Waitrose supermarket in Walton Le Dale has awarded £300.00 to Headway Preston and Chorley under its Community Matters scheme.

Since its launch in 2008, the scheme has donated £14 million to local charities chosen by its customers. The more tokens a cause gets, the bigger the donation they receive. Each month every Waitrose branch donates £1,000 (£500 in Convenience shops) between 3 local good causes.

Liz Bamber Charity manager said, ‘we are thrilled to be chosen by Waitrose customers as it shows we are making a difference locally to people who have suffered a brain injury. When I collected the cheque on Saturday 4th February, I was amazed at the amount awarded and on behalf of all of us, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for Headway Preston and Chorley’.

Mark and Nicola Tipping decided to support Headway Preston and Chorley as one of their chosen charities in 2016, for the second year running.

Mark and Nicola, who live in Cottam, Preston, have been supporting small local charities for five years by lighting up their home with over 30,000 lights and encouraging donations. By 2015 the couple had already raised a total of £35,000 and were given a British Citizen Award for service to volunteering and charitable giving.

On 22nd January 2017 they donated £2000.00 of the total amount raised in 2016, to Headway Preston and Chorley.

Liz Bamber, Headway Manager said, “Mark and Nicola have raised thousands for local causes over the last five years and we are delighted that for the last two years, they have chosen to support people with acquired brain injury. If you have not seen their fantastic display, you will need to wait until December 2017! – it really is spectacular, and we thank them very much for including our small charity”.

It is important for brain injury survivors to have access to specialised care as soon as possible to improve their chances of recovery. However, many people are increasingly finding themselves placed on waiting lists to access rehabilitation, and this can lead family members to wonder what they can do to help their relative during this time. A new factsheet has been written by Headway UK on this topic and offers information and practical tips to family members whose relative is waiting for rehabilitation following brain injury. https://www.headway.org.uk/news/national-news/waiting-for-rehab-after-brain-injury-top-tips-from-our-new-factsheet/

Headway will be contributing to the Government’s consultation on improving employment prospects for disabled people, which is due to close on 17 February. The consultation calls for views from the public to better understand what provisions can be made to improve the experience of disabled people in accessing and returning to work.

The consultation is open to people with brain injury, their families and carers, as well as organisations and professionals in the field.

Pam and Andrew Dearden were volunteers at Headway Preston and Chorley from the start of the charity in 2010 until 2015. Pam never thought their life would take the route it did and this week she has published her book Love A x 

To purchase your copy for £7.99 plus postage and packing please email services@headwaycentrallancashire.org.uk. A donation from each book sale will be made to our charity.

Pam Dearden knew she would marry Andrew after their first date. His shiny shoes, shiny car, shiny hair and huge smile lit up her life and there was no going back.
Smooches on the doorstep at 3am soon turned to marriage and children and all seemed rosy.
Before too long however Pam had a niggling feel something was not quite right. A visit to the doctors prompted a scan on Andrews brain which revealed a lurking mass the size of a satsuma.
Doctors where initially confident the tumour would be straightforward to remove, however during surgery it turned out they were dealing with a very rare and complicated Haemangiopericytoma.

This is Pam’s gritty and cathartic story of their families devastating yet uplifting  journey through treatment, recovery and recurring illness, where love shone through to the end.

Liz Bamber, Headway manager said, Pam’s story is one of courage, determination and unconditional love for her husband and her children.

This book will make you cry and hug your family.

To everyone at Headway Preston and Chorley,

I am writing to wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy New Year! 2016 has been an incredibly busy year for me. As
any Corrie fans among you may have noticed, my character – Nick Tilsley – has had quite a time of it recently, which is certainly keeping me on my toes! Its prevented me from making a return visit to see you all, but I remain a proud supporter of Headway and I am honoured to be a patron of Headway Preston and Chorley.
Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas,

Ben

Ben Price Patron, Headway Preston and Chorley

 

To all at Headway

The work done by all over the past 12 months has been again invaluable to those who need the support of our charity. I’m sure it continues to be a great comfort knowing that all our employees and volunteers are there to help in any way they can. Keep up the great work. I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2017.

Best wishes
Graham

Graham Alexander Patron, Headway Preston and Chorley

Headway Preston and Chorley has launched its winter safety campaign urging teenagers and young people to walk away from trouble to avoid a one punch head injury.

Liz Bamber, charity manager said, “this campaign is very important to us at Headway and we are extremely grateful to Ben Pennington and his family for telling their story and supporting our safety message. All of us at Headway wish Ben well in his rehabilitation”.

http://www.lep.co.uk/your-lancashire/south-ribble/walton-le-dale/preston-charity-s-message-to-festive-revellers-after-unprovoked-attack-on-28-year-old-1-8290117

May people fall victim to cyber bullying which can range
from hurtful comments to harassment.

People who have a brain injury can be more susceptible because of the effects of the disability.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself and your friends and also report any cyber bullying so the messages or photographs are removed from view.

To find out how to protect yourself on Facebook or Twitter here. If you are a brain injury survivor and need help to protect yourself contact us on 01772 791450.

Headway in Preston is urging people, especially young people going out celebrating, to keep safe on a night out and be mindful of the effects of a ‘One Punch’ head injury.
Conflicts can happen in the blink of an eye and can escalate into serious assaults often fuelled by alcohol consumption and without any provocation.
Blows to the head can result in traumatic head and brain injury causing many problems which can be short or long term, depending on the severity of the injury. Speech, hearing, sight, personality, behaviour and physical movement can all be affected. This is because your brain controls everything you do, say, think and it controls your bodily movements. It’s our ‘on-board computer’ and if damaged can cause life-changing injuries.
Liz Bamber Charity Manager and mother of a brain injury survivor said,” we see many young males at Headway who have been involved in assaults and most instances happen during a night out. We just want to pre warn people at this time of year to take care of themselves and their friends and get home safely.
Our message to parents is talk to your children before they leave the house, and to partygoers, walk away from trouble and look after your friends. If this advice saves one life we will have done our job”.
If you have already been affected by acquired brain injury contact us for advice and support. http://headwaycentrallancashire.org.uk/about-brain-injury/
Tel 01772 791460

Brain Injury ID cards are now available through Headway UK and applications are being accepted. Earlier this year Headway Preston and Chorley was just one of the groups piloting the ID card scheme and over 40 clients took part. Following a recent evaluation, the card is now open to all clients of Headway who have an acquired brain injury.

Find out how to apply here.