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Newsletter  April 09

April 2009 ISSUE 75

 

HEADWAY SURREY 

NEWSLETTER

 

HEADWAY SURREY, 7 Faraday Road, Guildford, GU1 1EA -  01483 455225

 

Spring is here!  I hope you are all enjoying the better weather and the explosion of colour in our gardens and hedgerows.  I always have to be careful in these introductory paragraphs not to steal our Chief Executive, Oliver McGeachy’s, thunder, as he and his team deserve all the credit ... but I know he won’t mind my mentioning the very rapid progress that is being made with the building of New Headway House.  It is well ahead of schedule and it looks as though it will be complete in the early summer.  Though we are all looking forward enormously to our return to North Road, it is also a time of considerable anxiety for our members, who have adapted so well to Faraday Road ... only to have to cope with the change of location and environment once again.

We are planning the formal opening of New Headway House in partnership with Radian, probably to coincide with our AGM in October.

Oliver has also made very good progress in the negotiations concerning our contract for 2009/10 and beyond with Surrey County Council, always a source of concern at this time of year. 

Your Council of Management has continued to debate at length the investment of some of the funds released from the sale of the North Road site.  I think we have achieved the best possible outcome:  we will not be generating much income, but the money is well spread, and should be safe and secure (you will understand the careful wording, as frankly virtually nothing financial is entirely safe and secure these days) ... but we have had good advice and will continue to monitor the situation very carefully.

The tragic death of the actor Natasha Richardson from a fall whilst skiing reminds us of the importance of Headway’s educational and preventive work, a role which we can easily neglect when we are so focused on people who are already head injured.  Dr Neil Martin, head of neurosurgery at the UCLA Medical Centre in California, told BBC Radio Five Live: "It's profoundly unusual for a minor head injury, as was described, to result in a life-threatening medical crisis.  But falling even from a standing position is a six-foot fall as far as your head is concerned, so you can get a tremendous impact if you fall unprotected, or fall on your back and your head whiplashes into the pavement or hard snow.  So it's possible to get a severe injury, even from what ostensibly looks like a mild fall."  This message is such an important one for us to communicate.  People who have experienced a fall should always be checked by a competent clinician.

As the message of condolence to Natasha Richardson’s family on the Headway national website says, many of you will have been through the experience of anxious waiting at a hospital bedside, hoping and praying for the recovery of their loved one.  Headway UK notes the reaction to the news of Natasha’s death in this country, as people realise just how easy it can be to sustain damage to the brain.  They believe this heightened awareness will lead to changes in behaviour, including more people wearing cycling and skiing helmets.  We hope they are right.

 Jenny Griffiths OBE, Chair

 

     Putting our Members first

 

The suspense is almost too much. We have watched the new resource centre in North Road rise from the rubble of the old Headway House and the builders are now talking about really serious issues like “handover dates”. The move back to our home ground is imminent.

It seems like no time at all since we had our “balloon” party, last summer, to say goodbye to the old Headway House. Within days of our moving to temporary accommodation in Faraday Road, demolition workers were on site in North Road and the old 1930s clinic building was no more. Almost magically new foundations were laid, walls started to appear and suddenly the new building had a roof.

Over the past few weeks we have watched the builders move in to the final phase of fitting out the interior. Standing in the middle of the new centre, now, you get a real “feel” for our new home……and boy – does it feel good!

The move to our temporary centre at 7 Faraday Road, Guildford was, in itself, daunting. It was, however, well planned and executed and, as it turned out, went without a hitch. It wasn’t just an issue of moving desks, filing cabinets and equipment. Our members had to be moved too – and helped to feel comfortable and confident in a completely new setting.

It speaks volumes for the hard work of Headway Surrey staff and volunteers, and the support of our members, that, despite our temporary arrangements, the organisation did not simply stand still. We managed, in fact, to take some fairly major steps forward in developing a more comprehensive service in Surrey than we have ever managed before.

For instance, the Friday “Drop In” in Guildford, which was instigated in October, 2009, is now attracting between 10 and 20 visitors a week, and really demonstrates how effective a friendly, socially-based, activity like this can be in breaking down social isolation. We have visitors travelling from all over the County to join in – and anyone with an interest in brain injury is welcome. The concept has now been extended to Chertsey where Wednesday Drop In is now operating at White Lodge - and shows every indication of being as successful as the Guildford project.

Our latest new project is the Befriending Service which is being set up by Josie Taylor. Again, this service is aimed at reducing social isolation for people who are brain injured. Over the past few months, Josie has been working hard – and successfully - to recruit volunteers, with the aim of linking them to individuals who have expressed an interest in using the service. The range of activities they might enjoy is endless but the whole exercise is intended to help build self esteem and confidence and promote a sense of belonging and a feeling of value for people who often have little opportunity to get out and enjoy life. What could be more worthwhile?

So, when we return to New Headway House this summer we will not simply be moving back to a new building. We will be taking with us a range of both new and traditional services. We will be continuing a long tradition of putting our members – and those closest to them – first.
 

Oliver McGeachy, Chief Executive

 

NATS ON THE BUSES!

 

I came to Headway fresh from my first year at university, with all the Social Work buzz
words spinning in my head, Critical thinking, Reflection, Anti-discriminatory Practice, Anti-oppressive Practice, feeling confident that I knew what I was doing – little did I know!!

As soon as I stepped through the door I was made welcome. At first my time was split between the community and the centre, to get to know how each of the services is run. After shadowing the community support worker I was let loose to do some individual travel training. Travel training, a synch I thought – sadly NOT!

Obviously wanting to impress my new placement, I set off nice and early with the bus timetable, my mobile and tom-tom (you never know when you might need your trusted friend to help you out of a tricky spot!) to meet Anna*. I had done this journey before and felt confident, so I chatted to Anna during the journey, reminding her to use her ‘Internal Memory Strategies’ (a new buzz word for me, not really fully understanding what they were) to help remember the bus route by visualising. We got off the bus and I realised (a little panicky) I did not recognise the surrounding area. Obviously I had to explain to Anna that this is what you should not do - and to learn my lesson I set myself some homework, to study the bus route for our next meeting.

Now, what was that buzz word, ah, reflection. What did I learn? What could have gone better? What would I do differently?…. Well, firstly, what did I learn?…Catching the bus from A to B is not as easy as I thought! What could have gone better?…We could have stayed on the bus and got off at the stop and lastly, what would I do differently?………

NEVER USE A BUS IN SURREY WITHOUT KNOWING WHERE YOU ARE GOING!

Thank you, to all at Headway for making my placement enjoyable, and just to let you know I have learnt how to use a bus timetable and can now get from home to the shops without getting into trouble!
 

NAT, Social Work Student

 

SOUTH WEST TRAINS’ ‘TRY THE TRAIN’ DAY

This event has now passed

Following the success of its ‘Try the Train’ days South West Trains is holding a further event to give disabled passengers an opportunity to explore this mode of transport.

The event, being held at Guildford station on Tuesday 14 April, will highlight the accessibility of train travel for groups including disabled and older people, wheelchair users, and people with visual or hearing impairments and those with learning difficulties.

Paul Bentley, Access and Integration Manager, said: “We are aware that transport plays a crucial role in people’s lives but there are a number who lack the confidence or knowledge to travel by rail.

“Our ‘Try the Train’ events have proved both popular and useful to local disabled people and we hope more come along to find out about the service we offer.”

The aim is to introduce train travel to disabled people who may not know the extent of accessibility on trains and those who have not used the train before. It will also provide a forum for regular users to discuss their experiences with South West Trains.

The event will provide information about rail travel, specific rail journeys, information about getting assistance during journeys and an opportunity to look around the trains we operate.

The event – running from 09.30 to 16.30 - is open to individuals, carers and local groups.

Individuals are welcome to turn up on the day.



Groups are asked to book a place. You can do this by contacting their Customer Service Centre:
Telephone: 0845 6000 650
Email customerrelations@swtrains.co.uk
Write to: CSC, Overline House, Southampton, SO15 1GW.
 

 

PLEA FOR KEEN GOLFERS

 

As outlined in our previous newsletter, Clandon Regis Golf Club (www.clandonregis-golfclub.co.uk) has chosen us as their charity of the year and are busy raising funds towards equipping our new Headway Centre and Computer room. John and Gill (male and female captains) are holding a Captains Charity day in aid of us on Friday 24th July 2009.

They are looking for teams of four players to compete. The entry cost for a team is Ł200.00. The game a 9.30 shot gun will be preceded by bacon rolls and coffee followed by lunch, an excellent auction & raffle. The golf club is in a beautiful setting and supplies an excellent lunch!

If you know of any keen golfers that may be interested in entering a team, please ask them to contact me & I can supply them a booking form and details.

Clare Balchin Tel: 01483 455225 – Email: enquiries@headwaysurrey.org
 

 

MARATHON 2009 almost here!

FROM SIX TO FOUR……..

We started the year with a record six runners in this year’s marathon. Unfortunately two runners have had to ‘pull out’ of this year’s event, one due to injury and another due to personal circumstances.

So on Sunday 26th April 2009 after many months of training in very strange weather! Our Four dedicated runners: Carlo Bruno, Hannah Brigstocke, Sally Ashford and Sarah Williams will be pounding the streets of London, hopefully in better weather, to raise much appreciated funds for us at Headway Surrey.

We cannot thank our runners enough for giving up their time over many months for training and for their determination in raising funds, especially in this difficult financial climate. This event really helps to boost our fundraising but also let’s many more people know about the support and work that Headway Surrey can offer.


We wish all our runners well on the day, and look forward to hearing from them after the event!

I will keep you posted in the next edition.

Clare Balchin , PA to Chief Executive
 

 

NEW BEFRIENDING SERVICE UPDATE

 

The Befriending Service is now accepting referrals. The first volunteer and service user have been matched and others who wish to access the service have been placed on a waiting list until they can be paired with a volunteer. A number of applications have been received from potential volunteers and the Befriending Service will continue to be publicised widely with the aim of attracting more volunteers. The next training for befriending volunteers will be on Saturday 18th April from 9.30 am – 12.30pm.


• If you or anyone you know would like to become a Befriender please contact me for further information or to request a Volunteer Befriender Application Form.

• If someone you know or care for is interested in being matched with a Befriender please contact me to request a Referral Form.


Josie Taylor, Befriending Co-ordiantor



Josie’s (Befriending Co-ordinator) Contact Details:
Telephone: 01483 454433
E-mail: jtaylor@headwaysurrey.org
 

 

CARERS SUPPORT MEETING DATES

 

Headway Surrey's support meetings are held upon the second Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm currently at 7 Faraday Road (off Woodbridge Road), Guildford, GU1 1EA

The next meeting dates will be: Wednesday 8th April and Wednesday 13th May

All enquiries should be directed to Lee Bennett who can be reached on 01483 454433 or email leebennett@headwaysurrey.org
 

 

FAREWELL ANDREA

Our Community Support worker Andrea Heels left us on 13th March. We thank her for all the hard work and support that she has given to the clients and their families during her time with Headway Surrey. She will be missed and we wish her well for the future.

We are currently recruiting for this position.
 

 

COME FOR A CUPPA AND A CHAT

A quick reminder to say that anyone affected by head injury is welcome to attend our two weekly free of charge Drop In’s. The kettle is always on!

 Wednesday’s @ White Lodge Chertsey (Rendezvous Building) 11.00 – 15.00

Friday’s @ Headway Surrey, 7 Faraday Rd, Guildford, GU1 1EA 10.30 – 15.00



Details and directions can be found on our website www.headwaysurrey.org (click on Drop In on left hand list) or Contact us on 01483 455225 for further details.




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