Cambridgeshire Boundary Charity Ride

Cambridge Advanced Motorcyclists will be holding their third annual charity ride to raise funds for Headway Cambridgeshire on Sunday 28 September from 9.00 am. Riders pay an entry fee for themselves and their pillion and can raise funds through sponsorship as well. Entrants can start their ride - around the boundary of Cambridgeshire at various points. For more information including entry and sponsorship forms, visit the CAM website.

Shop for Headway Cambridgeshire

Headway Cambridgeshire has signed up for The Cambridge Card for all staff, trustees, volunteers, service users and also our supporters. You can now use your Cambridge Card to help raise funds for Headway Cambridgeshire. The card is free for the card holder and attracts a variety of discounts. In addition to the discounts, for every £1 you spend at a variety of shopping, eating out and leisure facilities in Cambridge 4p is donated to Headway Cambridgeshire. As members of the scheme Headway Cambridgeshire is also able to access prizes for fundraising events.

For more information on where to use your card and to register your Cambridge Card, visit the Local Secrets website.

For more information and to obtain a card, please contact Tracey Tingey, Fundraising Officer by email.

Epic cycle ride for Headway Cambridgeshire

When most people think of summer holidays, sun, sea and sangria come to mind. Not for brain injury survivor Dr Tom Howes, however. Tom is spending his holiday cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise awareness and funds through sponsorship for Headway Cambridgeshire. Tom will be joined by five friends taking on the gruelling challenge of cycling the 986 miles starting in Cornwall on Sunday, 1 June and completing the epic journey on Monday, 16 June.

A brave undertaking by anyone, but particularly so when you know that Tom suffered his brain injury when he was knocked off his bicycle when cycling on his way to work on October 1997. The driver of the car claimed at the time that he had not hit anyone and did not report the accident. By chance Tom's unconcious body was spotted lying in a ditch by a passenger on a bus later that day. She made the bus driver stop and help soon arrived. Without the keen eyes of this lady, Tom would certainly not have survived a long cold night, unconscious in a ditch.

Tom spent two months in the intensive care unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital and he was supported through his recovery by Headway Cambridgeshire. After a long haul back to full strength and good health Tom has returned to work as an administrator.

Tom recently visited Headway in Milll Road, Cambridge. He said "Visiting Headway House again and meeting people attending there has reminded me of how excellent my recovery has been. It certainly gives me more incentive to continue to raise money for Headway in the future."

Chief Executive of Headway Cambridgeshire, Andrew Gardner, said, "It takes bravery and a lot of determination to recover from a brain injury. Tom has shown that he has both of these attributes already, and is now taking it to a whole new level by cycling the length of the country. We have nothing but admiration for Tom and his friends and wish them luck in their endeavour."

Tom is raising money for Headway Cambridgeshire through sponsorship. For further information on making a donation please contact Ann Weitzel, Office Manager, at Headway House. You can follow Tom's progress on the cycle journey though his friend's blog.

Bourn Players Support Headway Cambridgeshire

Bourn Players are supporting Headway Cambridgeshire with their latest production, the Cole Porter musical, Anything Goes.

They will donate funds to the charity which supports brain injury survivors across the county. Andrew Gardner, CEO at Headway Cambridgeshire, said:

"We are very pleased to be associated with the Bourn Players and users of our service find drama and music one of the best forms of personal rehabilitation support they can participate in. Anything Goes should be a superb show and I hope that our own production we will stage about brain injury later this year will be as good."

Directed by Denham Pearce, performances will be at the Comberton Village College Performance Hall at:

Thursday 13 March, 7.30 pm

Friday 14 March, 7.30 pm

Saturday 15 March 2.30 pm.

A coffee morning will be held at Bourn Village Hall on Saturday, 23 February at 10.00 am - 12.00 pm and the Players can be seen in action for a preview of the show at Morrisons in Cambourne on Saturday 1 March.

Tickets for the performances are available from Bourn Village Shop and the Cambridge restauraunt cb3, or by telephoning 01954 718554.

Can you volunteer your skills for Headway Cambridgeshire?

Ellee Seymour, a trustee of Headway Cambridgeshire writes:

"Many of us are fortunate enough to possess good health and great skills that have helped us lead a rewarding and productive life. Not everyone is so lucky.

I strongly feel that we should share our skills with others who are less fortunate by doing voluntary work and giving something back to society.

I achieve this by being a trustee for Headway Cambridgeshire, a charity which provides a rehabilitive day service for brain injured adults within the county, and supports their families too.

These are adults who led normal lives until an accident one day shattered their normal existence; they could have had a car accident or a fall, or been left brain injured after medical complications. It is something that could happen to any one of us at any time.

You too can contribute to the successful running of this fabulous centre because Headway Cambridgeshire is seeking new trustees to support its organisation. The centre is based on the Brookfields site in Mill Road, Cambridge and has 61 members from the region, including Peterborough, St Neots, Huntingdon and Royston.

Those who have professional skills in financial, marketing, surveying, social services, neurological, occupational therapy and fund-raising are needed in particular, as well as others who are keen to offer their support.

I find being a trustee extremely enjoyable and rewarding and offer my skills as a press officer - hence this report! I also enjoy going in to meet members and getting to know them.

Trustees naturally play a key role in the running of Headway Cambridgeshire. The skills and experience they provide can make a huge difference to the success of the organisation. It is hoped to recruit new trustees who will be geographically representative of its members.

Trustees meet about seven evenings a year, and can offer continuing support on an individual basis to the centre's new Chief Executive, Andrew Gardner."

Mr Gardner said:

"I don't have a monopoly on good ideas and so by working with a range of people from different backgrounds and with different ideas we can move the organisation forward in new ways and directions. In return we can offer the opportunity to be involved with deciding Headway Cambridgeshire policy and ensuring that charitable funds are spent in pursuit of this.

As well as doing something 'worthy' there is a huge amount of pleasure to be obtained from being involved in helping people achieve their potential. Trustees also get the opportunity to use their skills and experience in an environment that may not be familiar and this can be very rewarding for them as well as they develop new skills and experiences."

If you feel you can help or would like more information then please call Ellee Seymour on 01353 648564 or 07939 811961, or email her at [email protected]

You can also contact Andrew Gardner on 01223 576550 or email him at [email protected]

Other ways to help Headway Cambridgeshire

Headway House in Cambridge has been able to achieve much more thanks to people’s donations and the time given by our volunteers. There are many ways in which you can help us:

If you have a skill that would benefit our members and are willing to give up some time to spend working with them
By giving a donation or gifting an amount in your will. Please email us at [email protected] for more details
By coming to one of our fund raising events
By visiting our shop at Headway House where we offer for sale items made by our members
By visiting our website, you are already helping to raise the profile of Headway Cambridgeshire and its activities!

A company limited by Guarantee, Registered in England No. 3364699; Registered Charity No. 1062886.
Affiliated to Headway - the brain injury association: www.headway.org.uk

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