Headway Newsletter Spring 2025
Hello Again Everyone!
Here we are in Spring 2025 and the next Newsletter. I hope you have a lovely time over Easter and remember to be Kind to yourself and others.
In January 2024, the staff team, volunteers and trustees worked together to develop the Vision, Mission, Values and Objectives for Headway Gloucestershire and over the last year we have worked with these and we reviewed this in January 2025.
Our Vision is:
To be recognised as the expert provider of support for people with an acquired brain injury and to continue to campaign to ask that people with an acquired brain injury are treated equally in society.
‘Back on track in a way that’s right for you’
Our Mission is:
We will achieve our Vision by providing specialist services and support to improve the lives of people with an acquired brain injury in Gloucestershire; their partners, families, friends and carers.
We offer a warm and welcoming environment for all those with lived experience of acquired brain injury throughout Gloucestershire.
Our core objectives are:
We will:
- Provide therapeutic/holistic activity towards enablement following an acquired brain injury
- Offer opportunities for families and carers of people living with an acquired brain injury
- Ensure that people living with an acquired brain injury and their families have access to accurate information about the benefits and services available to them
- Offer regular, confidential support to people living with an acquired brain injury through either or all of our services (Enablement, Community Links, Family Support)
- Advise, support and educate other professionals and carers on how best to support people living with an acquired brain injury
- Organise social events for people living with an acquired brain injury and their families
- Work with organisations locally and nationally that can benefit people living with an acquired brain injury
- Raise awareness of Acquired Brain Injury and publicise our services
- Improve and expand services for people with an acquired brain injury and provide support at locations across Gloucestershire, not just within the Headway Centre in Gloucester
Our Values are:
Kindness – we will be kind to ourselves and others
Collaboration – we will work in partnership with all those who use our services and our partners to achieve positive outcomes
Empathy – we understand that the lived experience is different for each person and we will do our best to understand and develop an individualised plan
Respect – we will treat each other and all those we work with, with respect
Person centred – we will ensure that we provide our services in the best way we can, with the individual at the centre of the journey
We hope that you agree with these and that you will help us all grow together!
The wheelchair friendly path was completed last year and early this year, we had all the rubbish cleared from the garden. Our new planters/raised beds have been ordered and Mark is organising putting these together. Mark, Sharon, Mike and Paige are working on a plan so that we can all grow things, as well as developing a wildflower area, a sensory area and a boules area. This means that when we get the sunny warm weather (fingers crossed) we can be outside enjoying it!
A small reminder please… As we hopefully spend more time in the garden with the sun (fingers crossed), please can you pop a hat and sun cream into your bag – to avoid any peeling noses or feeling ill from the sun.
The windows and doors are done and the doors that are still yellow will be painted white to tone in. The building is much warmer because of all the measures and we have turned the heating down. The Solar Panels will hopefully reduce our energy costs too, alongside the LED lights.
There are some other works that will take place in the building over the coming year and this will include replacing the laminate flooring in the reception area and the Day Room.
We were lucky to receive some funding from the James Tudor Foundation to pilot something new. This is in addition to the services we currently provide.
We want to provide sessions with tailored activities in up to five locations in Gloucestershire in the longer term. This will increase the support for people with an acquired brain injury by offering Enablement and respite across the County. People without access to a car or public transport struggle to access our offer. Fatigue is also a major issue for people with acquired brain injury, so a lengthy journey is challenging.
Increasing the locations will have a major positive impact on rehabilitation, decreasing isolation, raising awareness, reducing the impact on NHS services and supporting other charities/organisations in Gloucestershire. It also reduces the impact on the climate by providing services locally and increases individual resilience through development of a local support network.
We are starting the first pilot with a group in Cheltenham and below is a picture from the first session.
I continue to look for fund raising, profile raising and grant opportunities and we have been successful in doing this where it supports what we do as an organisation.
The aim of this users with experience panel is to ensure that Headway Gloucestershire (HWG) provide the best service possible in a way that works for the service users. The first meeting took place on 28th March 2025
Objectives
- HWG to provide a way for: –
1. Service users to become part of the process for improving what we do.
2. To increase our communication and provide an additional way for this to take place.
3. To work together and understand the challenges we all face.
What is the users with experience panel?
- HWG are going to pilot a panel of users with experience who attend the day service.
- This is an opportunity for people to share their thoughts and feelings about HWG, make recommendations for change and monitor and shape the success of the service
Who will take part?
- Each day will have a panel member representative of the day service’s community and the support pathways; Enablement/ ICB, Maintenance/ Social and Respite.
- Panel membership will be in place for six months and membership will be reviewed by Lewis and Julie
How will it happen?
- The panel will aim to meet four times a year
- The panel members will gather feedback from the community on their day of attendance (see Information collection form). Support to do this will be provided by their Keyworker where required.
- Panel members will bring the agenda questions, queries and recommendations to the meetings for discussion. Support to do this will be provided by their Keyworker where required.
- Action points and a summary will be generated and available to the CEO and Board of Trustees. Meeting notes will be taken by an agreed individual and approved by the panel.
We have several students from the University of Gloucestershire and Cirencester College working with us and they are amazing. Please bear in mind our Code of Conduct with students, volunteers and our team and ensure that there is no inappropriate behaviour or comments or language. Part of my role is to provide a safe environment for everyone and that includes people working and volunteering here. Please help me to do this by respecting the team.
In the University of Gloucestershire research, one area identified where we could improve what we do, was to try to ensure that afternoon sessions at Headway were improved. We have started this by offering two additional woodwork sessions and some additional fitness sessions. More to follow on this in the months to come.
We are working through the feedback and will update you as we make progress.
Fruit at coffee break
Hopefully you are enjoying this!
ABI Week 19th – 25th May 2025
More to follow on this!
ABI Games
Please talk to Lisa if you would like to know more about this amazing event being hosted by Headway Worcestershire.
In addition to my role as CEO of Headway Gloucestershire, I have also been voted to be Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Gloucestershire VCSE Alliance (this is an unpaid role) which is the independent voice that informs, strengthens and develops the Voluntary Community & Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in Gloucestershire. More information can be found here: https://www.glosvcsalliance.org.uk/
Thank you all for everything, as always.
Julie
Julie Reader-Sullivan
(CEO Headway Gloucestershire)
