Headway Bradford is a local branch of the national charity, Headway - the brain injury association, based in Nottingham (Registered Charity No. 1025852).  The Bradford branch is run by a small group of volunteers.  We aim to provide support and self-help for people whose lives have been affected by brain injury and hold three meetings a month where people who have sustained brain injuries, their family members and carers can meet others in the same situation and ask for any information they may need.  We have our own website, produce a newsletter for our members and arrange occasional social events.  

In conjunction with our head office, we produced an A4 booklet 'After brain injury: an information resource for families and carers' which we place in hospitals where Bradford residents may be admitted following a brain injury.  The booklet gives information for each stage from admission to discharge and has a section on Sources of Support after discharge.  The 200 copies we had printed and started distributing in September 2014 have now almost all been used.  The booklet was recently given a BMA Award, and we are in the process of having more copies printed.  

Survivors of brain injuries, their family members and/or carers very often feel quite isolated in the aftermath of a brain injury and find that being able to meet others who have been through similar experiences and being given the right information and/or signposted to services/organisations where they can receive help is a great support.  Brain injury is not as common as heart disease, stroke or cancer, but it changes the lives of those who sustain one and their family members.  

The results of a brain injury are many and vary from person to person.  They include memory problems, concentration problems, anxiety, loss of control of emotions, speech and language difficulties, difficulties with perception, executive function problems,epilepsy, which may be coupled with physical disabilities.  We also work to raise awareness about brain injury.