It was no mean feat, moving from two centres, ten miles apart, into our stunning new home. But thanks to a brilliant team of superhumanly kind volunteers from across the Headway Bristol community, our big move went like clockwork, and we were ready to open the next day.
A transition of this scale truly takes a village, and we are full of gratitude for the dedicated hands, brains and hearts that made it happen. It was overwhelming to see how much Headway Bristol means to so many people – and so we thought they deserved a thank-you post all of their own …
Firstly, thanks to Smartmove removals, who did a generous and amazing job emptying our two centres and unpacking it all into our new home. They did so much heavy lifting and hard work with such cheerfulness and enthusiasm.
We are also incredibly grateful to the team at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, including our trustee James, along with Hannah, Leanne and Declan, who stepped in to get our TARDIS-like stationery cupboards perfectly organised.
Creativity is a vital part of our rehabilitation sessions, so a special thank you goes to Belinda for her wonderful donation of papercraft materials (and help unpacking it all!), ensuring our creative sessions will continue to thrive. We look forward to welcoming her back to run some workshops soon!
We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Darren, handyman extraordinaire, for fixing, drilling, lifting and general miracle-working to get fixtures and fittings finessed.
For the beautiful mural in reception (going up just in time for the Balloon Fiesta!) we thank Millie and Nathalie.
Thanks to too Alan, a fantastic, longstanding friend of Headway Bristol, whose ongoing support means the world to us.
And to Kelsey, and all the other Headway Bristol volunteers who helped paint the new centre before we moved in.
And lastly, heartfelt appreciation to all the staff at Headway Bristol, who have been working extra hours and driving extra miles to make sure everything is ready for the service users.
Our new base at the Woodside Building, located within the Kingswood Foundation Estate, marks a massive milestone for Headway Bristol. This incredible new location gives us significantly more space indoors, allowing us to expand our social and cognitive rehabilitation programs. Even better, it offers beautiful outdoor areas that provide a peaceful sanctuary for everyone. But we’re not finished yet! There’s more work to be done developing the spaces at the new centre, and we’re still on the lookout for anyone who can offer support, skills or sponsorship to help our service users get the most from their new home. If that might be you, please, please contact us. And if you’re reading this and want to know more about Headway Bristol, or about the services we provide, then there’s plenty of information on the website (or just give us a call, we love that too).
As we look forward to our exciting next chapter, we also want to honour our roots. We send our sincere thanks to our previous landlords, Wellspring Settlement and the Brightwell Centre, for providing us with such wonderful homes and support.
And finally, we want to share a warm thank you to our new landlords, Creative Youth Network Bristol, for welcoming us so open-heartedly to the estate. Thank you all for helping us build a bigger, brighter future for the brain injury community!