Church is where Baking workshop is the best thing since sliced bread! Christmas really begins! Warburtons, the national bakery, offers free bread making/dough shaping/ sandwich Headway ’s annual Carol Service on Sunday th making workshops to schools in our area, and - evening, 9 December, was a wonderful gathering of old much to our delight– we discovered that the friends as well as new ones. company had recently extended this service to The annual service has been held at St. John the Baptist include organisations such as ours. Church on Frenchay Common for many years. It is a major Hence there was much excitement when, on event in our calendar and it heralds the start of our 16th January, Warburtons school visit team Christmas festivities. St. John’s is the perfect setting for the arrived at Headway Centre to deliver a service, not just because it is such a beautiful church and is workshop for 13 of our service users. Our only a stone’s throw away from Headway Centre, but workshop lasted for around three hours and because many of our past and present members and involved an overview of the history of New Year message from the Chief Executive volunteers worship there regularly. Warburtons, a talk on healthy eating (the The event is very special for us because it is the time when eatwell plate) , a practical session, some taste Welcome to the first Newsletter of 2013. Christmas has come and gone – and thankfully, so has the snow! We had some Headway Bristol’s extended ‘family’ of friends, supporters testing, and questions and answers. wonderful Christmas activities such as the Christmas Shopping event, the Carol Service and the Christmas Party. All were successful and enjoyable and we thank everyone who attended, took part and supported us. and past service users come together. With the kind Afterward Mike, one of the service users, permission of Revd Stephen Pullin, Vicar of St. John’s, described his experience to me. “Lorna and The New Year has brought some new staff. Johnny Swithinbank joins us as our new full-time Fundraiser. Johnny has the service is delivered each year by our dear friend Revd Gemma from Warburtons began their session worked previously for Crisis Ministries and is looking forward to the challenge of helping to raise funds for the Neil Mobbs. Although now retired Neil still provides some organisation, so that we can continue to develop and grow our services. I am sure you will see him around – you can’t by telling us about their company and how they miss him, as he is 6ft 7in tall! Michelle Almey, Marion Gray & Georgie Moore have joined us as new Support/Outreach voluntary chaplaincy services at Frenchay , and his made bread. We had to wash our hands and warm, gentle manner endears him to everyone. Workers. Michelle has worked in Care for many years and has a wealth of experience to bring, Marion has worked at wear hats and aprons so we could make bread BIRU (Brain Injury Rehab Unit) for the last 8 years – and so is very experienced in our field and Georgie has been Others who are integral to the magic of our event are Alan shapes out of a ball of dough. I made a man, working for Team Brain Injury. Brown, Organist, who played for us again this Christmas others made a star or a mouse or a hedgehog.” It would be remiss of me not to mention that Brian Taylor joined us at the end of October last year as our new even though he, too, is retired, and the big-hearted “While we ate lunch our bread shapes were Apprentice. Brian is studying Business Administration (focusing on Marketing and Fundraising). He has particularly members of Dursley Male Voice Choir, patrons of baked for 25 minutes and then cooled for us to enjoyed selling Christmas puddings and helping out at our events. We are very pleased to have them all join our team Headway Bristol, who all travelled some distance to attend and are looking forward to working with them. eat. We also sampled pancakes, rolls and fruit the service and lead our singing. loaf which everyone loved. We all got to take Lucie Henley left during January as she was offered the opportunity of an Occupational Therapist role with Bristol City A highlight of every year’s service home a Warburtons product too. It was a really Council. We wish her well and I am sure we will keep in touch. is the musical contribution by some good session and everyone had a great day. I would like to take this opportunity of saying a few words about our wonderful paid and volunteer staff teams. of our music loving service users. We have grown considerably over recent years and our existing team (paid and voluntary) have welcomed the This year our group sang the lively For information about the workshops email newcomers, shared their wealth of experience and helped them settle in. Similarly, our service users have also been Calypso Carol. Their joyful voices [email protected] welcoming, sharing their personal stories – which have given the new staff and volunteers insight about how brain injury lifted the roof of the church and can affect people. I would therefore like to say a very big thank you to all our paid and volunteer staff - their hard or telephone brought big smiles to the faces of work, commitment and loyalty are very much appreciated. And thank you too, to our service users. They are all, quite 07713074311 the audience. simply, amazing - their strength, humour and resilience are both inspiring and humbling and it is a real joy working alongside everyone at Headway Bristol. The Trustees of Headway Bristol We have a number of events in the coming months and will be publishing a full diary shortly. The first event is the would like to thank everyone who Frenchay 10k run on 14 th April. We hope that many of you will want to take part – and those that are not able to can ventured out on that cold help by volunteering to Marshall or help with our stand on the day. December evening to share in the start of our Christmas We have Action for Brain Injury Week coming up in May. We will have raffles, tombolas, table top sales and our, now season. Thank you, too, to all those who contributed to the annual, Balloon Launch. The week will culminate on the 17 th May with Hats for Headway Day and will end with a collection after the service, and who then bought Christmas Barn Dance. Details are currently being finalised and we will let you have more information once things are confirmed. cards, puddings and raffle tickets at the reception at Headway Centre. Donations on the night totalled an I am also giving you a “heads up” (no pun intended) that we are planning to hold an Abseil event in September. This is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to abseil down the Premier Inn in the centre of amazing £597.00 . Bristol – and also, hopefully, to raise money for us. Anyone interested in any of the events and fundraising activities, should contact Johnny or Brian. Publications from Headway UK We wish everyone a very Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming events in the Spring and Summer. Headway UK has just released a new edition of the booklet Caring for someone with a brain injury . The content has been updated to take account of changes in the health, social care and benefits systems. Stocks of the revised publication will be available in the Resource Library shortly. You will find it in a section containing all of the Headway UK booklets. Please don’t forget to tell us if you are going to be away! A new factsheets is also available for download at www.headway.org.uk/factsheets.aspx . The factsheet, To any service user who is going on holiday, or who will miss a day at the Day Centre for an appointment, please entitled Coping with hemiplegia and hemiparesis , provides information and practical tips for coping with remember to notify us of your planned absence - with as much notice as possible - so we can predict numbers for paralysis or weakness of one side of the body following brain injury. activities, outings and lunches. Tel: 0117 3403771/ 07527 820051; email: [email protected] WINTER ISSUE WINTER ISSUE

Is your home a healthy home? Thank you to the following The Bold Adventurer and Runners Headway Bristol News organisations for their grants Winter Issue The British Red Cross is currently offering FREE Healthy Homes and donations; In April and May a number of people will be taking part in Published quarterly by: Assessments with the aim of improving the safety and well-being of events to raise both awareness of Headway Bristol and some people in their homes. The short, one hour, friendly visits provide Clifton Down Probus Club; Staple much needed funds for the charity. information on areas including fire and fall safety, warmth, grants, Hill Probus Club; The Inner Wheel Headway Bristol In April the Frenchay 10K will be taking place with many people the brain injury association isolation issues and other available services. The visits are open to Chipping Sodbury; The Hoddell Charitable Trust, and The Annette running in aid of Headway Bristol, and then in May Yvonne ‘Von’ Headway Centre residents of Gloucestershire, , Wiltshire and Bath and North East Somerset. Each home visited will receive a free Charitable Trust; also to DHL UK Rawlings will be completing the Aonach Eagach Ridge Walk to Frenchay Hospital Foundation for matching funds Frenchay Park Road Healthy Homes pack containing essentials for coping with the cold raise money for us. For anyone interested in knowing more, here Bristol BS16 1EH weather, power cuts and other household issues. raised by J Simmons at the ‘Take is a link to Yvonne’s Just Giving web page to follow her the Plunge’ dog rescue event. Please also consider people you know (e.g. relatives, friends and progress: http://www.justgiving.com/Yvonne-Rawlings Registered Charity No. 1007207 neighbours) who could benefit from this advice, encourage and help Telephone: 0117 340 3771 them to contact The British Red Cross to find out more. SIMPLE FUNDRAISING Email: [email protected] For information or to arrange a Healthy Homes Assessment visit: Headway Bristol has teamed up with Recycle4Charity to raise Web: www.headwaybristol.org.uk IDEAS Telephone: 0117 3012611 Mufti Days at schools, funds through the donation and recycling Providing services to brain injured adults and of old and unwanted mobile phones and carers in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North OR email: [email protected] workplaces, colleges … Somerset and North East Somerset. Mufti days or dress down days used ink cartridges. are an ideal way to raise funds Please hunt out those old phones and help us turn them into cash. for Headway Bristol. Please think The benefit is twofold as it doesn’t just provide extra funds for us Headway welcomes.. of us and nominate us to your but it prevents old phones from becoming landfill waste. Please New Staff Members… workplace, school or college. send donations of phones and cartridges to us at Headway Centre,

We are delighted to welcome Frenchay Hospital, Frenchay Park Road, Bristol BS16 1EH.

Marion Gray, Georgina Moore and MARCH Michelle Almey who joined us in Tuesday 5th CARERS GROUP & DROP-IN A big ‘THANK YOU’ to the following for their personal PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO GIFT AID January as Support Outreach Headway Centre donations and fundraising efforts for Headway Bristol - YOUR DONATION. IT CAN INCREASE THE VALUE TO US BY UP TO 25% Workers to help meet growing APRIL B Hockin, W Martin, Doris Snell, P & J Shellard, Mrs E Wright, G demand for our services. And Tuesday 2nd CARERS GROUP & DROP-IN Bryant, Mrs S Sanders, S Bennett, N Taylor, Brenda & Hugh welcome to Jonathan Swithinbank, Headway Centre Williams, D Millar, Ellie Jackson and Bradley Stoke Sports Centre our new full-time Fundraiser, who started at the same time and has hit Saturday 13th CELEBRATING CARERS 2013 over 60’s, J Ewer, C Somers, D Stokes, S Simpson, Gilvrie Lock, Lucy & Louise Baker, Victoria Jane Hairdressing, Pam Southwood, R & S the ground running! UWE Exhibition & Conf. Centre, Filton Hansford, D McCutheon, and M Wigley. New Volunteers… Sunday 14th FRENCHAY 10K RUN In October we were joined by Isobel UWE, Blackberry Hill (11:00 start) Thank you to everyone who Fraser, a student in her second year MAY Do you own a banger that’s gathering dust in the garage? donated items for at UWE. Tuesday 7th CARERS GROUP & DROP-IN Then you can do your bit for charity! the Christmas New Students on placement … Headway Centre Tombolas and/or Giveacar is a UK based fundraising organisation that specialises in bought tickets - In November we welcomed a new Monday 13th to Sunday 19th ACTION FOR BRAIN INJURY WEEK student, Megan Love, on work auctioning or scrapping old cars for charitable causes throughout the we raised £89 Week of events to include: world, including Headway Bristol. They provide a FREE service which is from the Tombola experience placement; and in Asda Bag Pack - 13th January Gemma James began a available throughout the UK. They can arrange the collection of the in Withywood Table Top Sale - 14th placement too. Both girls are vehicle and, depending on its age and condition, they can either send alone. Stall/tombola (Redwood rest.) - 15th students at Filton College and are it for environmentally safe disposal and recycling at an Authorised studying Health & Social Care. Balloon Launch - 16th SIMPLE FUNDRAISING Tombola (Withywood Centre) - 16th Treatment Facility, or to a salvage auction. ... and says farewell to... IDEAS ... and says farewell to... Hats for Headway Day -17th This means that a large portion of the proceeds are donated to a JUNE Does your employer run a Volunteers Duncan McCaig, who left nominated charity of the vehicle owner’s choice! Tuesday 4th CARERS GROUP & DROP-IN Charity of the Year us for a paid role, and Liz Tyrrell Since 2010, when Giveacar was set up, the organisation has raised who, because of health and Headway Centre scheme? over £500,000 for over 450 charities. transport difficulties, reluctantly Sunday 9th BRADLEY STOKE 10K RUN If your workplace is looking resigned from her volunteer role in More details in next issue To arrange collection of a car, visit December. Liz had been a very for a charity to support JULY Giveacar.co.uk or call 020 0011 1664, please nominate Headway active member for seven years and Tuesday 2nd CARERS GROUP & DROP-IN quoting HEADWAY BRISTOL as your her ever positive energy will be very Headway Centre Bristol. much missed.. preferred charity.

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Headway Bristol needs to What’s new in the library Hot cuisine raise approximately In 2012 the patience of our catering £100,000 pa to enable us to Thanks to ongoing support from Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, which funded the volunteers was tested as the old continue to support brain cooker in the kitchen at Headway creation of the library in 2011, we have been able to add some really Centre became very temperamental. injury survivors. We are great books to our shelves in recent months. When finally a hinge on the oven door Hello to all readers. My name is Jonathan Swithinbank dependant on the generosity Touching Distance, the autobiographical book by James Cracknell, is one began to sag we just had to act. and I have been appointed Headway Bristol’s new of our supporters. of them and it is proving very popular with our members. In his book Imagine our surprise and delight then, when we received word that Clifton Fundraiser, replacing Alex Pelling. I am very excited Thank you to everyone who James, Olympic gold medal winning rower, tells how his Down Probus Club wished to donate a about joining Headway Bristol, having worked for Crisis continues to financially seemingly perfect life was devastated when he suffered a little over £1500 for a specific item. support the work we do. We seizure a year after being knocked off his bicycle by the The club’s donation enabled us to buy Centre Ministries before (a charity helping homeless couldn’t do it without you! wing mirror of a lorry in Arizona. a smart new cooker, along with some people). If you have any ideas about how to fundraise extra catering In an instant James, the athlete who knew no limits, equipment for or would like to help at any future events please get in Thank you to everyone who transformed into a very vulnerable individual; unable to our cookery touch, I would love to hear from you: helped pack bags and complete even the simplest of tasks. rehab The book travels the roller-coaster ride through James’ recovery. It is a sessions. [email protected] or 0117 3403771 fundraise at Asda, Patchway, Thank you to in December, we raised gripping and uplifting read that gives deep insight into the mind of one Ray Eachus £620!! Brilliant job! Also of the greatest endurance athletes the world has ever known. and members of Clifton Donations in Memoriam many thanks to staff from Another truly inspiring read is our latest addition, The Miracle, written by singer and songwriter Shelly Poole, wife of Ally McErlaine, ex-lead Down Probus Club for your donation, George at Asda, Longwell which is allowing our service users and Donations were received from Frenchay Parish Church, also guitarist with the Scottish rock band Texas. Mrs S Pool, Mrs N Waite, Mrs K New, and P Tile (in Green, for their donation of volunteers to produce amazing dishes - all cooked to perfection! memory of Jan Weatherstone), and A J Wakely & Sons (in £30.00. Shelly describes how, one morning in September 2009, 40-year-old Ally was found unconscious at home, having stopped breathing after an memory of Paul Retallick). enormous seizure. Doctors discovered he had suffered a devastating Useful websites brain haemorrhage, and said it was very unlikely he would survive. The Carers’ Support Centre (CSC) Christmas 2012 Over the long months that followed, a rainbow army of provides low-cost holidays for carers medical experts, alternative practitioners, religious (either alone or with the person they Thank you to everyone who attended the Christmas devotees, spiritual healers and mystics joined forces with care for) to have an affordable Christmas Fayre at Bradbury Hall, United Ally’s family and friends to achieve the impossible and break in disabled accessible Puddings bring Ally back to life. caravans in Torbay and the Reformed Church, Henleaze. We raised Thank you to Cotswolds. £926! A great effort by everyone involved. The book compels you to read to its amazing conclusion, See www.carersholidays.org.uk everyone who while entertaining you with numerous astonishing, bought or helped The CSC also has a list of local heart-warming and amusing moments. carer’s groups , and provides a A very special thank you … sell Christmas A new list of QuickReads has just been published for 2013 and will start confidential carers’ support line, a ..to Pat & John Davies and Wendy Reed of the puddings. We to appear on our shelves over the coming weeks. team of carer support officers, and Carers Group, and to volunteer Maureen raised a grand runs workshops, training and events. Membership is free to all Headway Bristol members, and is only £5.00 a Chambers, for their donations of beautiful total of £2,280! See www.carerssupportcentre.org.uk handmade and iced Christmas cakes. The cakes, year for carers, family members and other professionals. As a member We still have some available at £4.50 per Accessible Countryside for raffled separately, helped raise over £200 ! you will be able to borrow books, CDs and DVDs; access information pudding; contact the office if you would like one. packs, leaflets, magazines and booklets; access resources on computer Everyone is a directory of and television; and receive reference and support meetings. accessible walks and trails, plus sports and tourism information and Ways to give If you would like to join the library, please call us on 0117 3403771. much more, for wheelchair users and mobility impaired people See: This is a very cost You can now donate to www.accessiblecountryside.org.uk effective way for Headway Bristol via your Celebrating Carers 2013 Neuro Symptoms is funded by donations to be mobile phone. South Gloucestershire Council and its partner organisations are running the Western General Hospital, made to Headway Bristol. Donations can be made If you wish to donate by this Celebrating Carers event again this year as part of their commitment to Edinburgh, to provide advice on a through the justgiving.com website and individual method please text HWBR16 and the amount you want supporting people who look after someone else. At the event Carers will range of neurological symptoms and fundraisers are able to set up their own personal page, to donate get an opportunity to share information and advice while having some fun treatments. There are links to a linked to Headway Bristol, to detail what they are doing collection of really useful leaflets, to raise funds; e.g running a half marathon, trekking in (£1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10) to 70070 and relaxation. articles and booklets. See Peru. The individual’s page shows how much has been You will receive a text back thanking you for your There will be a variety of entertaining and factual workshops, plus over 50 www.neurosymptoms.org raised, messages from supporters etc. Supporters can donation and giving you the option to increase it by 25% stands covering the wide range of services and support available to family sponsor the person online using a credit or debit card. by signing up for GIFT AID. carers. There is also the option to gift aid all donations and You only pay for the cost of the donation, there is no increase the value of the donation by 25%. Headway Bristol will have an information stand at the event on Saturday, charge for the text. www.justgiving.com/headwaybristol 13 April 2013 from10.00 am-3.30 pm at UWE Exhibition and Conference Centre, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, BS34 8QZ Entry is free.

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PIP made simple Christmas party, party, party!! From 8 April 2013 the Government is introducing a new benefit Everyone at Headway Bristol gets called Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to replace Disability excited in the run up to our Service Users Living Allowance (DLA) for eligible working age people aged 16 to Christmas party at Begbrook and 64 years. Stapleton Social Club. It is a chance for us The purpose of the change is to enable individuals to choose how all - service users, staff and volunteers - to they use their benefit on the extra costs arising from ill-health or get together, put on a show and get into disability. The new benefit is assessed according to how a person’s the festive spirit. It is also one of few opportunities for people who attend at condition affects them rather than the condition they have. different centres and on different days to A claimant will be awarded a level of PIP for a limited period, share each other’s company. e.g. 5 years (in very exceptional cases up to 10 years), after which Service users from each day (Mon-Fri) at the individual will have to make a new claim. Reviews will be Headway Centre choose pieces of conducted at intervals to ensure the individual is receiving the right entertainment that their group will support. The frequency of the reviews will depend on the likelihood perform at the party. In the weeks leading of the person’s condition changing. In some cases these could be up to the event the centre buzzes with weekly or monthly. activity as scripts are written and rehearsed, and outrageous costumes are Just as with DLA, claimants can receive PIP whether they are in or created. out of work. The benefit is not means tested nor is it taxed. There The performances are a great opener to are two components to PIP – the first for daily living needs and the the party. This year’s acts included a second for mobility needs. For those whose needs meet the minimum pantomime (Jack and the Beans Talk), a requirement for eligibility a standard rate of benefit is paid, but comedy sketch, a Christmas carol and an those with greatest needs will receive an enhanced rate. enthusiastic rendition of Black Lace’s Which rate is applicable is determined by assessment against a list ‘Agadoo’. The pantomime costumes were a of criteria. For each criterion met a point will be awarded. To particular hit, as Terry C had ventured into qualify for a standard rate of payment for daily living needs an bright purple spandex and Martyn E was individual must achieve at least 8 points; and for an enhanced rate delightfully over the top as the pantomime at least 12 points are needed. The rules are the same for the Dame! mobility needs component. Anyone scoring below 8 points will not be entitled to PIP. The new system will be applied in England to NEW claimants of disability benefit with effect from 8 April, although initially only to residents of the most northern counties (Cheshire upward). From June onward new claims for PIP will be rolled out across the rest of the UK. Reassessment of eligibility for PIP for those aged 16 to 64 years of age who already receive DLA will commence from October. All new and existing claimants should be receiving PIP by spring 2016. DLA will continue to be available to those who are aged 65 years and over on 8 April 2013 (the date that PIP is All of the acts were terrific, and they introduced). demonstrated just how much effort had For more information visit www.dwp.gov.uk/pip , or telephone the gone into preparing them. Benefit Enquiry Line 0800 882 200 (textphone 0800 243 355) After the performances everyone got stuck Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. into the buffet, and then for those who were brave enough it was time to hit the dance floor to music provided by live Social group get ready for the Magic of Motown! band. Jim V most definitely had his On Thursday, 13 June the Service Users Social Group will be out on dancing shoes on that day. He danced non- the town again, this time at Bristol Hippodrome when the UK's stop until the music ended and nobody number one live Motown concert show returns bigger than ever could keep up with him! before. The show offers fabulous costumes and terrific When the party finally came to an end we performances of the music of the Temptations, Diana Ross & The all departed for the Christmas break tired Supremes, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, but very happy. Lionel Richie and many more. The show starts at A big, big thank you to The John James 7:30 pm. Tickets, priced at £21.00, are available from Lisa at Foundation for the annual donation that Headway Centre; telephone: 0117 3403771. makes the party possible!

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