Celebration time as annual awards honour `inspirational` people

11 December 2009

What a way to end the year! There was an air of celebration and heart-felt emotion as Headway supporters from across the UK packed into The Dorchester Hotel to celebrate and acknowledge the incredible achievements, outstanding dedication and inspirational bravery of some very special people at the Headway 30th Anniversary Awards Luncheon.

To celebrate the charity's 30th anniversary, eleven Lifetime Achievement awards were presented at the ceremony on Thursday 10 December, alongside the annual awards for Achiever, Campaigner, Carer and Volunteer of the Year.

Use the related news link on the right to read the inspirational stories of all the finalists at this year's event.

vli Ltd Achiever of the Year

After being welcomed with a champagne reception, more than 400 guests took their seats for the presentations. The first award to be presented was for Achiever of the Year, sponsored by vli Ltd, which went to Thomas Birch, from Headway Nottingham.

Thomas, 21, sustained a brain injury while serving with the Royal Marines in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The Land Rover he was travelling in came off a cliff and plunged 100ft to the bottom. Thomas sustained multiple head and neck injuries - including three fractures to the skull - plus serious internal damage.

Since the accident, with the help of Headway Nottingham, Thomas has made a miraculous recovery and is now on his way to fulfilling his dreams of becoming a personal trainer. Throughout his arduous battle to rebuild his life, Thomas has endeavoured help those similarly affected by brain injury by raising awareness of the impact it can have while volunteering at Headway by running specially-designed fitness classes for service users.

Thomas said: "I feel over the moon. I did not find out until today that I had won. It feels so good to get this after the last few years."

Thomas went on to thank his friends and family for helping him pick up the pieces of his life. He said: "It was like being a new-born baby again. It was back to square one and I had to learn everything again.

"But my family have been so helpful and have not shouted at me when I can't do something or get something wrong.

"And my brother, Ryan, has made me laugh so much. He's made me feel so much better so often. My friends have been good, too. When it's so difficult to talk you find out who your real friends are and those that stick by you are great people."

Equally deserving of recognition and admiration were the two remaining finalists in the Achiever of the Year category: Adam Harden and Hayley Roberts.

Over the past seven years, Adam has made an incredible recovery from a road traffic accident that almost cost him his life. Adam, who attends Headway North Herts and Stevenage, went from being in a vegetative state, while also deaf, mute and blind in one eye, to this year being able to give his sister away at her wedding, and delivering a moving brother-of-the bride speech.

To celebrate his achievement of being a finalist in the awards and in lieu of the wedding he is unlikely to ever enjoy, Adam was supported at the event by a huge group of friends, family and even members of the medical team that helped him on his road to recovery.

Hayley, from Headway Cambridgeshire, was just 18 when she was hit by a car while on holiday in Greece. Hayley spent the next six months recovering in Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. She had sustained a severe brain injury in the accident and was faced with having to rebuild her life from scratch, gradually relearning basic life skills such as walking and talking.

In 2008, while still trying to rebuild her life, Hayley fell pregnant. It is the manner in which she has coped with not only the pregnancy, including difficulties with balance, but also how she has adapted to being a mother that caught the judges' eyes.

Clarke Willmott Campaigner of the Year

The next award to be presented was the Clarke Willmott Campaigner of the Year, which went to Dorset schoolboy Tom Kelly, with Wendy Morrell and Helen Stokes worthy finalists.

15-year-old Tom began campaigning to raise awareness of brain injury in 2008 after his mum Imogen caught him cycling home from school without a helmet.

Realising she couldn't convince him on her own to wear his helmet, she contacted Headway Dorset and arranged for Tom to meet service users directly affected by brain injury. Since then, Tom has done numerous sponsored cycle rides to raise awareness and money for Headway and has appeared several times in his local press to spread the cycle helmet message.

Wendy sustained a brain injury while training to take part in the Paralympic Games in Barcelona. She was in hospital for 11 months, followed by several years of physical and cognitive rehabilitation. With the help of Headway West Suffolk, Wendy's confidence grew and she began campaigning on a variety of disability issues. Now, she regularly travels the world to speak at conferences and events to raise awareness of brain injury.

While working at specialised care unit Christchurch Court, Helen was inspired to support Headway's Action for Brain Injury Week, which had the theme 'use your head, wear a helmet'. Helen launched a fun and interactive campaign for primary schools throughout Northampton to educate children on the benefits of wearing a helmet while cycling while lobbying local MPs to support Headway's call for a cycle helmet law change.

Ameer Meredith Carer of the Year

It is traditionally incredibly tough for the judges to choose the recipient of the Carer of the Year award, which was this year sponsored by Ameer Meredith. Thousands of people across the UK do an incredible job in caring for relatives or partners who have sustained brain injuries and they do it for love, not recognition.

The annual awards, however, give Headway a chance to honour not only three special finalists but also acknowledge the incredible dedication and devotion shown by carers across the UK.

This year's Carer of the Year title was presented to Lois Harden, from Headway North Herts and Stevenage. It was a double celebration for Lois who had earlier seen her son, Adam, collect a certificate on stage as a finalist in the Achiever of the Year category.

Lois was nominated for the way in which she's helped her son Adam to rebuild his life after brain injury. She has tirelessly campaigned to ensure Adam received the treatment he deserved and made the choice to give up her career so she could focus on looking after her son, as well as make time for her daughter Kristy. She has shown incredible devotion and strength in helping Adam make a remarkable recovery - and the love Adam has for him mum says everything.

Denver Shaw and joint finalists Pat and Brian Holmes joined Lois as finalists in the Carer of the Year category - with all three incredibly deserving of the recognition they received.

Denver has been the primary carer for his brain-injured wife, Helen, since she sustained her injury in 1998. Over the past 11 years, Denver's unerring love, care and attention has helped Helen make tremendous progress. As well as caring for his wife, who requires constant care, Denver manages to find time to take his elderly neighbour to hospital appointments while also helping establish Headway Warrington, of which he is a key volunteer.

In February 2008, Pat and Brian's daughter-in-law Lisa was shopping for her daughter's first birthday present when she knocked down by a bus. Lisa sustained a serious traumatic brain injury and spent the next three months in hospital. Pat & Brian moved in with the young family to help them cope, allowing their son to return to work. They have spent the past 18 months helping Lisa to become a mum again, providing her with an abundance of physical and emotional support.

Volunteer of the Year

Headway couldn't operate without the generous and selfless support of volunteers; they are the lifeblood of the charity and their support is hugely appreciated. The Volunteer of the Year award is an opportunity to thank everyone who helps Headway on a national and local level, while praising three finalists who have gone the extra mile.

John Barnes was named as the 2009 Volunteer of the Year for his tireless work for Headway West Midlands over the past decade.
Ten years ago, John took on the voluntary role of treasurer at Headway West Midlands. At the time, the Group was relatively small, employing only five people. Today, it has more than 30 members helping hundreds of people in the region affected by brain injury - with John still in charge of the books. He has also been known to offer his business experience when called upon and even test his DIY skills with building maintenance.

Alongside John were fellow finalists Peter Beaumont and Clive Davies.

Ten years ago, 69-year-old Peter Beaumont suffered a stroke that left him with an acquired brain injury. Peter has spent the past eight years volunteering at his local hospital, visiting stroke victims to offer his support. For the past two years, Peter has also been volunteering at Headway Ipswich and East Suffolk where he provides a listening ear to those who need to talk, ensuring the service users know they are not alone and there is life after brain injury. Peter also organises and leads the group's annual carol service.

In 1990, Clive's son Chris sustained a severe brain injury in a serious road traffic accident. While caring for their son, Clive and his wife Julia were introduced to Headway and they immediately offered their support to help the charity grow in their region. Now, 19 years later, Clive is still a stalwart of the local Swansea branch despite his son sadly passing away four years ago. For almost two decades, he has brought comfort and given support to numerous families through visits to homes and hospital wards. He also organises fishing, bowling and golf excursion for service users. 

Irwin Mitchell Lifetime Achievements

To celebrate Headway's 30th anniversary, eleven Lifetime Achievement awards were presented at the ceremony to the following very worthy recipients:

• Gerry Batten
• Liz Batten
• David Chater
• Marette Donaghy
• May Holloway
• Dr Trevor Powell
• Val Pryor
• Maurice Reynolds
• Bridget Shaw
• Jenny Sheridan
• Jane Sloan

Acknowledgements

Headway would like to thank the following sponsors of the Headway 30th Anniversary Awards Luncheon:

• Irwin Mitchell
• vli Ltd
• Clarke Willmott
• Ameer Meredith

In addition, thanks go to everyone who attended the event and, of course, to our very special awards finalists and Lifetime Achievement award winners.