Windfall delight for Headway Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde from Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation

The windfall from the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation came as a complete shock to Headway community network manager Samantha Ashcroft, who delightedly accepted the cheque alongside some of the group’s members.

The charity, which supports more than 70 local people thanks to the dedication of volunteers and one part-time member of staff, had been nominated by Vincents Solicitors.

The money will be spent on a special project to provide respite care and activities for members, and allow the charity to support a rare treat for their carers.

Sam said: “We are absolutely over the moon with this £2,000 donation, it’s truly amazing.

"We can’t thank Vincents Solicitors and the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation enough for this generosity.

“We rely on donations to provide practical support for local people living with brain injuries, and have a wonderful group of volunteers who help us put on weekly group activities, but there’s never anything spare to do everything on our wish list.

“Thanks to this donation we can do something we’ve wanted to do for a very long time and provide respite care and a wellbeing activity for our carer members who selflessly look after their loved ones 24/7.”

Sam explained that carers often won’t leave their loved one alone for even a few minutes due to the severity of the brain injury, causing them to give up work, socialising, and even things like going to the hairdresser or just popping to the shops.

She added: “All of the family carers who attend our sessions are wives and fiancées of men who have suffered an illness or injury leaving them unable to care for themselves.

"They do it willingly out of love of course, but the sacrifices they make are incredible and there’s very little support for them.

"They give up a lot of the simple things we take for granted and rarely put themselves first, all of which takes both a physical and mental toll.

“With this money we can ensure their loved one is being properly looked after and having a really good time, providing peace of mind while they enjoy a few hours of relaxation at a local spa to recharge a little.”

Vincents Solicitors has a long association with Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) and houses an agency branch at its Garstang office.

Lisa Nickson, Garstang YBS lead, joined Vincents’ Amy Whiteside to hand over the money while volunteering at one of Headway’s weekly drop in activity sessions.

Amy said: “We’re delighted this money will allow the charity to make a wish come true and do something lovely for these wonderfully selfless people.”

Vincents has partnered with Headway as part of the firm’s Queen’s Jubilee year celebrations.

Members of the group are predominantly victims of brain injuries suffered in adulthood though accident, assault or illness. Around a fifth of members are close carers such as partners, parents and children of victims.

Headway Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde meets every Tuesday from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at the Freedom Centre, 8 Langdale Road, Mereside.

Anyone interested in joining the group, either for themselves or someone they care for, should contact Sam for an introductory chat by emailing [email protected]