Headway Worcester has been awarded £50,000 from £385,000 earmarked for communities in the West Midlands to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June.
The brain-injury support organisation, Headway Worcester will use their share to host the world’s first ‘Acquired Brain Injury Games’. Here at Inspire Neurocare, we're thrilled to hear that this exciting new initiative will take place in our city, and over the coming weeks we'll be sharing more information about how the people we support and our staff teams will be getting involved.
This world first will see people with acquired brain injuries taking part in a series of sporting events testing their physical attributes and building on their life skills, creative abilities and cognitive awareness. With local schools, colleges and universities being invited to take part, this will raise awareness of ABIs in the wider community. The inaugural ‘Queen Elizabeth II Games for People with an Acquired Brain Injury’ will take place this summer in the city, and is in response to what the charity sees as an injustice within sport, as people experiencing ABIs are unable to compete in the Paralympic Games if they show no obvious physical disability.
Mandie Fitzgerald, Chief Executive at Headway Worcestershire, said:
“The Acquired Brain Injury Games will provide a fun way to acknowledge the wonderful skills and talents of the people we support, while also ensuring adults with an acquired brain injury know about the valuable support Headway Worcestershire and other charities offer in the community.
We would like to say a heartfelt thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund for helping us stage this event as part of our Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and for giving us the opportunity to educate and inform the wider community about the impacts of an acquired brain injury.”
This funding has been awarded from The Platinum Jubilee Fund, which was launched in November last year as a £3.5 million programme with grants of up to £50,000 available to 70 organisations, celebrating Her Majesty’s 70 years of public service.
As the Platinum Jubilee forms part of #Celebrate2022, a significant year of celebration and national pride, The National Lottery Community Fund has committed an additional £1 million to a further 21 community groups to ensure as many people as possible can come together to mark this momentous occasion.
For the latest news about Headway Worcester's ABI Games, please visit their website.
The games take place on 27th and 28th August 2022.