A brain injury survivor from Haverhill has helped a local charity receive £500 from a Cambridgeshire Freemason Lodge for rehab equipment to help others with their recovery.
Dean Osborne was 26 years-old when he sustained damage to his left frontal lobe in a car accident in May 2013, which has left him with mobility and memory difficulties.
Dean, now 31, is supported by brain injury charity Headway Suffolk with his recovery programme, which includes accessing Headway’s satellite hub service at Chalkstone Community Centre in Millfields Way on Wednesdays, which helps users with rehabilitation, life skills and social interaction.
Headway identified a need for a variety of new equipment to help users with cognition, fitness, concentration, planning, memory and judgement, as well as creating greater social skills and team work.
This includes cooking items to help improve daily living skills with preparation, planning and dexterity, giving clients better options and variety of learning and making meals to aid life skills. The supportive aids are designed to help those with limited co-ordination and one-sided weakness.
Using his links with a previous employer before his accident, Dean put Headway in touch with the Cambridge Masonic Lodge of Three Grand Principles No 441 to fund the purchases. The Lodge meet on the first Monday from October to April at Freemasons Hall in Bateman Street, Cambridge.
Worshipful Master Paul Ashby and Charity Steward Bob Hammett presented Headway and Dean with a cheque for £500 at the Chalkstone Community Centre on Wednesday 20 December.
Headway Suffolk moved its premises in Haverhill to the Chalkstone Community Centre in the summer to meet the growing demand of its service in the area after three years being based at the Burton Centre in Camps Road, which helped to establish its service in the town.
The service is open every Wednesday from 9.30am – 3.00pm, and it helps users who may have cognitive, physical and sensory difficulties with rehabilitation, life skills and social interaction to help aid their recovery. It also gives family carers much-needed respite.
The move to the Chalkstone Community Centre has enabled Headway the use of a greater space and multiple rooms, along with the opportunity of opening a second day a week to meet demand.
The cost of the service for new referrals is £52.41 for a full day and £29.11 for half a day.
To learn more and take advantage of a free ‘taster’ day, contact Zellah Andrew on 01284 702535 or email: [email protected], or visit the website: www.headwaysuffolk.org.uk/haverhill.
Headway identified satellite hubs in towns across Suffolk to reduce fatigue (a common effect of brain injury) and travel costs to its main hubs in Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich. Haverhill was the first established and remains the most popular, with 15-20 users every Wednesday.
The Chalkstone Community Centre is owned by River of Life Community Church, who are fundraising to refurbish the centre: https://mydonate.bt.com/events/buildit