A BRAIN injury charity and a volunteer service which helps physically disabled adults have joined forces to give service users a new lease of life and independence, it was announced yesterday.

Headway based in Faraday Road will collaborate with charity Enrych, which helps people enjoy leisure and learning activities through volunteer partnerships.

To celebrate the partnership Jo Heaven, who is a project co-ordinator at Enrych gave a presentation to service users at Headway’s centre.

Jo, who also runs the Emporium of Loveliness in the town centre said the charity’s service users would be matched to volunteers with similar interests,

She said: “It’s about building firm friendships and giving people the opportunity to do things they may have missed out on since their injury, such as going to the theatre or the cinema, which they may not have the confidence to do at the moment.

“It gives the members as we call them independence, stops them being isolated and allows them to do activities they used to do and hopefully make a great friend along the way.”

Headway sees 89 service users weekly and helps them re-learn skills and stay active with courses such as cookery and armchair yoga.

Sonia de Blaquiere, service development manager at Headway said she welcomed the collaboration.

She said: “We are really looking forward to working together. Headway has provided cognitive rehabilitation therapy for adults with a brain injury Swindon for the last 28 years.

“We are always looking to work collaboratively with other agencies and having Enrych at our centre today will give our clients more opportunities to be able to have more community involvement.

“It is giving our service users independence to live a normal life, whether it be going to the cinema or going fishing. We help people who may feel lonely or isolated and not know what they can do to regain confidence and our work with Enrych will work perfectly with that.As a team we are very much looking forward to it.”

Enrych celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and has been working in Swindon since 2012. Currently the charity is working with 14 members and 10 volunteers but volunteers are always needed for the many referrals from health professionals, agencies and self-referrals.

Headway Swindon supports brain injury survivors, their families and carers across the region. To volunteer for or donate to the charity visit headwayswindon.org.uk

For more information on Enrych contact Jo Heaven on 07771804365 or www.enrych.org.uk