Urgent funding plea for charity's therapy services

A charity that helps people who have had a brain injury has made an urgent call for funding.

Headway North Staffordshire in Cobridge has been running since 1985, but now its speech therapy and counselling services are under threat due to a lack of funds.

Graham Maddox, who was supported by the charity, now leads woodworking classes.

He could only say the word "help" when he started therapy with the charity. "I improved such a lot that I can hold down a conversation," he said.

He explained: "I saw the wood service and I thought 'I can bring some skills for therapy, other people, learn them things'.

"I was so improved that the therapist let me loose in the wood room. Now, I run it."

Headway said it needed to raise £44,000 to keep its counselling and speech and language therapy services going for 12 months.

The charity's help had given Maddox his life and his independence back, he said.

"It's given me a second family, a second home. I worked hard to be able to talk. To me, it's a miracle."

Samantha Holdcroft, who works for the charity, said last year the organisaion supported 238 people and was hoping to help a larger number this year.

"Graham's one of our success stories, that's walked through that door and can now go on and live his life and get that independence back," she said.

"It makes me feel so proud that he's done it. I've been there through every struggle, I've seen all the battles he's had to face."

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