“Heads Up” Social Group

“Heads Up” is a new social group meeting weekly at our Centre in Dudley.

The group has been developed by an enthusiastic team of volunteers, Jackie Flavell, Joanne Shinton and Kerry Foster, who originally met at Headway Black Country’s Carers Support Group.

Their wish was to form the group in the hope of offering, Survivors, Family and Friends who have been affected by acquired brain injury a chance to meet others and make new friends in an understanding environment.

The group is just going into its 2nd month. The feedback from those attending has been very positive. Being able to chat with peers, sharing good and bad weeks in this some-times unfamiliar world after brain injury, can make all the difference.

Kerry also works within the Personal Injuries Team at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors in Birmingham who are also very supportive of the group.

The group meet every Thursday between 7pm and 9pm at Headway Black Country, Martin Hill Street, Dudley DY2 8RT.

For more details contact Headway Black Country on 01384 869961. Everyone is welcome, it is not necessary to be part of other Headway Groups to join us.

Volunteering with Headway Black Country

“I started volunteering at Headway Black Country in 2015. I come in once a week on Mondays and help in the IT session. Each client is an individual and work at their own pace. I am usually assigned a client to work with depending on what the Learning Coordinator (LC) has planned, but I am there to help anyone that needs assistance. I help clients with their IT/computer skills including numeracy, literacy, memory recall and working towards whatever goal is set before them.  This is by prompting them and helping them get answers by giving them clues. I also report any progress made by clients or difficulties encountered during the session.  When the session is over, I help during the lunch break by making hot beverages and supervising lunch. I enjoy coming to Headway Black Country  every Monday because everybody is accommodating and it is a very happy working environment. “ Oscarine, Rehab Support Volunteer.

Raising Awareness

As part of our mission to spread awareness of brain injury our  Outreach Team has been  presenting to Health and Social Care students in colleges in the Black Country.

The Team have given presentations with question and answer sessions to over 160 Health and Social Care students studying through The Stourbridge College and Dudley College of Technology, with more planned. We aim

to provide  health and social care professionals of the future with the knowledge to recognise and support survivors and carers of acquired brain injury. In turn, when they go out into the workforce or onto further education, they will be able to share their awareness of brain injury and Headway with their peers and colleagues.

The presentations have been well received by students and lecturers alike, with feedback comments including:

I wish I had known about the charity when my grandad had his stroke so that my family could have had more support. I will be following the charity from now on”;

“It was really powerful, I can’t believe no one knew of the charity”;

“I have learnt a lot of information about people who have head injuries and I will use this knowledge in the future”.

 Our experience is that unless people have a personal experience of brain injury or Stroke , their appreciation of the often life changing effects, is quite limited. By working in this way we hope to positively change the way that professionals of the future think about brain injury and so improve the services provided to survivors and carers long term

Donate to Headway Black Country – its Easy

easyfundraising is the simplest way to raise money for Headway Black Country. Shop with any of over 3,300 well-known retailers via the easyfundraising website and a percentage of what you spend is passed to Headway at no additional cost to you.

Retailers include Amazon, M&S, Vodafone, eBay, Tesco, Viking and many more. Please register to support us at:

Online Relaunch

Our brand new website is now live at www.headwayblackcountry.co.uk The new site, created for us by Citizen Click, is a significant move forward in our online presence.

Designed around the needs and interests of key user groups, the site offers a much clearer sense of how we work with and support individual survivors and carers.

Offering a fresh, accessible and engaging introduction to Headway Black Country we hope the site will help people affected by acquired brain injury and stroke get the information and services they need more easily.

Our News, Twitter and Facebook feeds now sit on the home page so that recent news can be seen at first glance.  We now have an online calendar which is being developed to keep service users better informed and to publicise our events and activities. In due course, all our online forms will integrate with our IT system making referrals and enquiries much more straight forward.

We are still developing some of the content. In particular, we are developing, in consultation with survivors, an area specifically for them.  If you have suggestions about this or about the new site generally please let us know at admin@headwayblackcountry.co.uk

Walsall Neurology Question Time – 16 April 2018

Black Country Neurological Alliance is holding its “Question Time for Neurology: A Continuum of Care” on Monday April 16th at Walsall Village Hotel. This is timely as Neurology provision in Walsall has been an ongoing concern for over 2 years. The event will begin with presentations from an expert Panel  including a Lead Consultant Neurologist, the Acting CEO of the National Neurological Alliance and a Walsall GP.

Light refreshments and drinks will be available during the event. Tickets are free: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bcna-question-time-walsall-tickets-43174474014?aff=eac2

Thank you to Donors and Fundraisers

Since our last Newsletter we have continued to received fantastic support by way of donations and fundraising. We are very grateful to all the staff of JMP Wilcox, to Netherton Wives Group and to staff at FBC Manby Bowdler Solicitors who have all again supported us with their fundraising activities. We have also received a significant number of donations by private individuals and other organisations.

Donations and fundraising make a significant contribution to the work we do, They help us to  keep going those activities that do not, in themselves, attract income. For example, in this issue, the work of our Outreach Team. Thank you to all who have helped us through donations or fundraising.

New West Bromwich Carer Support Group

Following an identified need for support in the area, we have started a new Carer Group session in Sandwell. The meetings take place at the YMCA café, in Carters Green, West Bromwich on the third Friday of every month from 10:30am until 12:30 pm.

Whether you are already attending a carer session, or if you have never joined us before, the sessions offer time out to relax and chat in a supportive, caring environment.  Come and join Nick and Kath at the next meeting on 20th April. We look forward to seeing you there.

Carer Group Dates

DUDLEY – Meetings held 10.30 to 12.30 at: The White House, 10 Ednam Road, Dudley DY1 1JX – Thursdays;  29th March, 26th April, 31st May,28th June, 26th July, 30th August, 27th September, 25th October, 29th November

WOLVERHAMPTON/WILLENHALL/WALSALL – Meeting held 12 noon to 2 pm at: West Park Hospital meeting room – Wednesdays; 4th April, 2nd May, 6th June, 4th July,  1st August, 5th September, 3rd October, 7th November, 5th December

WEST BROMWICH – 10.30 TO 12.30 –  Café, YMCA, 38 Carter’s Green, West Bromwich B70 9LG  – Fridays: 20th April, 18th May, 15th June, 20th July, 17th August, 21st September, 19th October, 16th November, 21st December