Headway North London

What's new?

Head On - A Film by William Fairbank

Head On is an investigative piece of journalism about life after head injury. It is an informative educational type documentary to raise awareness of this condition. In his accident in 1987 William received a very serious head injury. After the accident he has had to come to terms with seeing himself and the world in a completely different way. Communicating out how life is for him, and the other head injured people on the film, is the inspiration for making HEAD ON.
Head On by William Fairbank

Chris Hickman's St Christoph Headway Tour

It all started on 11 April 1999, I started off in Guernsey then I cycled through France across the North of Spain to do the Camino de Santiago. I then cycled to Portugal and on to Gibraltar back into Spain and then I cycled to Ibiza back then over into Spain towards Andorra. I ended up in France and on 16 September 1999 I had to stop.

My story begins in September 1999. I was touring around Europe for five months when it came to an abrupt end due to bad weather and lack of money. I knew that one day I would have to go back and complete it, but little did I know then that the following year I would be struck down in a road accident in London.

Now 10 years later, I've been back and completed my journey so that I can finally say 'Yes, I've done it!'

Thanks to everyone who supported me and in particular Anthony Gold Solicitors for their generous donation of £250!

Chris Hickman

Indian Banquet Evening

Thank you for making the Indian Banquet such a great success! In total more than 50 people came to the event and together raised £450 for Headway North London!

The food was sensational, the Indian dancing spectacular and we were even treated to Indian head massage. Not to mention the very impressive Saris!

Thank you also to those who couldn't make it but supported us through a donation. If there is anyone who had been intending to do this but hasn't yet the website is still live.

Here are some pictures from the event:

10 Bridge Walk

On 16 May Headway North London supporters joined other Headway Groups from across London to walk across 10 London Bridges in aid of Headway and to raise awareness of this year's Action for Brain Injury Week (17-23 May).

The City of London provided a backdrop for a great day out for over 100 supporters. In total Headway North London supporters raised almost £2000! This is a fantastic achievement so we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part and everyone who supported us.

All the money raised will directly support the services we provide and help us continue supporting people affected by brain injury.

Photos by Christa Joyce - HWNL Survivor Member. Thanks Christa!

Fundraising Success

We're pleased to announce that thanks to the support of shoppers at Waitrose Finchley Road, Headway North London will receive an amazing £628 from the Waitrose Community Matters scheme! Thanks to everyone who recognised the important work of Headway and put the little green tokens in our box. The money raised will help us continue our work in support of survivors of brain injury, their families, friends and interested professionals.

Psychological Consequences of ABI

This June we welcomed Dr Neil Parrett to talk about trauma after injury. Stress, panic attacks, anxiety and behavioural changes are common effects of a brain injury so understanding psychological approaches to dealing with these issues is a great help. Dr Parrett's presentation is available here to download: Psychological Consequences of ABI

Exciting Multi-media project: Get involved

Photojournalist Max Braun is looking for families who would like to be involved with his latest project. He would like to create a series of short multi-media slideshows (between three to five minutes each) showcasing individual families to highlight how brain injury has affected them as a family and as individuals, including looking at how personal relationships have been redefined.

An example of Max's work is available at http://maximilianobraun.net/. At the bottom of the page, you should see a little 'Play' button. Click on this to begin the slideshow and ensure you have your sound turned on. It is well worth five minutes of your time.

This is a great opportunity to raise awareness of brain injury. If you would like to get involved please email maximilianobraun@gmail.com.

Short Film: Living in the Present

William Fairbank's 4 min LIVING IN THE PRESENT film montage can now be viewed at www.williamfairbank.com
"This brain state affects many brain injured people, like me, and I feel that it is directly related to Short Term Memory problems. The cause may be due to Brain Injury, Strokes, Seizures, etc but it can also be seen in many of us as we age. In 20 years of living within this brain state, I have never heard a medical person speak in a way that I felt that they understood my reality of this moment to moment experience. I have come to understand how extraordinarily hard it is for 'a normal memory mind' to go beyond offering memory improvement tips."

Activities: Rowing

Are you up for a challenge? Have you ever tried rowing? Find out more!