Volunteering

Headway Worcestershire is supported by committed and generous volunteers and we would not be able to offer all the valuable services we do without their help.
Volunteering is a really good way for you to meet new people, enhance your skills and build your confidence. If you are looking to improve your CV it is also a really good way of gaining specialized experience and more general skills that are needed for all sorts of jobs. For those of you who are looking to ‘give something back’ to your local community, volunteering for Headway is a great opportunity to get involved and really make a difference to people who vitally need your help.

Opportunities are flexible and range from traditional roles like fundraising and kitchen support, to supporting in our charity shop or supporting with activities, such as music at our day opportunity centres. We also offer a range of less traditional roles in marketing, PR, woodwork, website design and social media support. We are keen to hear from anyone with a skill or a desire to donate their time! Our volunteers have all sorts of skills and come from all sorts of backgrounds —we value the diversity of our team members for the individual skills and personalities each one brings.
If you would like to have an informal chat about volunteering with Headway, please contact Claire or Pauline on 01905 729729 or email cwtownend@hwtl.org.uk
Many of our volunteers have been with us for years: here’s what they have to say:

Rafe

I am a service user and a volunteer. I volunteer at the day centre in the kitchen, at the charity shop and as part of the interview panel for when we are interviewing new staff. I like to get to work early so I can start prepping; sometimes I turn up over an hour early. I like volunteering because it lets me see things from both sides – I watch the work that goes into setting things up but I also have the insight of a service user. I really enjoy being on the interviewing panel – it was a new experience for me and something I have never had the chance to do before. I think it sends the message out straight away that service users are important. Volunteering gives me a chance to communicate with people rather than being at home sat on my computer 24/7. It gives me a feeling of self-worth because I am doing something that Headway appreciates.

Margaret Baton – Bromsgrove Day Centre

I have enjoyed working as a volunteer at Bromsgrove branch of Headway for around 12 years, together with my friends Jenny and Margaret.
We assist Pam who is a very gifted teacher in operating an arts group. She really has improved the abilities of our users over the years who are able to produce challenging art work, well worthy of display.
A lot of pleasure and satisfaction is felt by myself in contributing to such a happy group.

Vicky

As a volunteer for Headway, I enjoy helping and supporting people with the different activities that are available to them. I particularly enjoy supporting the art/craft sessions and computer sessions but also the many other recreational activities. This could be anything from quizzes, singing, crosswords, bingo and games to daytrips. These activities all help to encourage confidence and enablement of the individual and therefore enhance the skills needed to live more independently. During my time with Headway, I have seen people grow and move on as best as they can in life, whatever the perceived limitations may be. This is very inspirational and I feel privileged to have been involved in their journey forward.

Donations

Last year Headway Worcestershire supported 200 people who were affected by brain injury as well as their families and carers. We estimate we only reach about 18% of those who suffered a brain injury last year in Worcestershire and we need to raise funds so we can reach these people and their families.

What could your donation be used for?

• £10 could provide a couple of hours vitally needed respite for a carer attending a carer’s group.
• £15 could enable a family to speak to a Headway specialist in the hospital immediately when their loved one has had a head injury.
• £20 will pay for a morning session at one of our Day opportunities centres, for a brain injured adult who is not eligible for social care funding.
• £30 could be used for a brain injured person to access vital advocacy support to help them sort out financial difficulties they face after suffering a brain injury.
• £40 could pay for a brain injured person to access hydrotherapy with the support of a trained member of our team.
• £50 could pay for a series of primary school workshops to educate children about brain injuries and on the dangers of not wearing cycle helmets.

Gift Aid information

[to be added to each of the financial donation pages]
If you are a UK taxpayer, the value of your gift can be increased by 25% under the Gift Aid Scheme [expand] at no extra cost to you.
[In order for Headway Worcestershire to reclaim the tax you have paid on your donations, you must have paid income or capital gains tax (in the UK) for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) at least equal to the tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs that you donate to will reclaim on your gifts for that tax year. Other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. The tax reclaimed through gift aid will be used to help fund the whole of Headway Worcestershire's work. Please notify us if you are no longer eligible to gift aid your donations. Please also let us know if your address changes, so that we can continue to claim Gift Aid. Unfortunately if we do not have a current address, your Gift Aid Declaration will not be valid.]

What can you donate?

Link to Charity Shop donations form
Link to fundraising and upcoming challenges
Link to Volunteering – donate your time

A gift in your will

Since the first gift we received in a will, legacies have helped to transform the lives of those affected by brain injury in Worcestershire. Any legacy no matter how small it is, is appreciated and put to good use. To honour the memory of those who have left a legacy, the names of public legators are kept in our book of remembrance, which is kept at our Headquarters.
You can remember Headway Worcestershire in your will by visiting a solicitor and simply adding the relevant clause to it when writing your will or if it’s a relatively small change by adding a codicil.

Monthly donations

Monthly donations are a great way of keeping our services available to those that need them.
To start a monthly donation, please complete the following standing order form and send it to your bank:
Standing Order Form [Download/print]

One-off donation

Make a one off donation using Paypal [details from Simon]
Send a cheque to Headway Worcestershire, The Mill, Gregory’s Mill St, Worcester, WR3 8BA. Please make cheques payable to ‘Headway Worcestershire’.
By bank transfer using these bank details: [On STANDING ORDER FORM]

Text giving

Headway Worcestershire are a member of ‘justtextgiving’. If you would like to donate to Headway Worcestershire via text please follow the following instructions. You will only be charged for your donation and 100% of the donation will go to Headway.
1. Input our unique code into the text message: LPKM22
2. Input the amount you would like to donate e.g., £1, £3, £5, or £10
3. Send the text to 70070
4. You will receive a text as confirmation of your donation
5. Don’t forget you can still Gift Aid the donation!
http://www.justgiving.com/en/justtextgiving

Fundraising

Fundraise for Headway and your efforts will make a difference to real people in Worcestershire. Find all the ideas, inspiration and resources you need right here. For more information please contact Claire on 01905 729729 or email cwtownend@hwtl.org.uk

Upcoming challenges:

25th Anniversary Appeal!

[needs 25th anniversary logo]
In 1989 Headway Worcestershire grew out of a small room next to the fire station in Malvern Link, manned by volunteers, family members and carers of people with a brain injury. It was set up initially as a support group to cover a gap in the service for those affected by brain injury. Since then Headway Worcestershire has grown from strength to strength, diversifying and building its services along the way. We want to keep this legacy going for the community to use for years to come.

We plan to launch an anniversary fundraising appeal with a target of £50,000. The fund will be used to support people at home and people who also attend our day centres who do not qualify for state funding and have not the private means to pay for these services.

You can text a donation to this appeal through ‘justtextgiving’ by texting ANNI25 to 70070 and the amount you would like to donate – Thank you!

Click here for ideas and inspiration to support this challenge!

Steve’s Nottingham Marathon

[official photo of Steve completing the London Marathon (April 2014]

Headway Worcestershire support worker Steve Jones is one of 10,000 runners taking part in the ‘Robin Hood’ marathon which is being held in Nottingham in September. Steve has worked for Headway for over five years and will be running the full 26 mile marathon on behalf of Headway and is a keen to raise enough money to take Worcester Day Centre service users on a trip. He recently completed the London marathon in***** on behalf of Headway Worcestershire (see photo).

To support Steve’s effort, you can text a donation to ‘justtextgiving’ by texting STEV14 to 70070 and the amount you would like to donate – Thank you!

Please visit our just giving page……[hyperlink] to see all of our current fundraising challenges!

Other challenges

Links to any just giving pages

Ideas and Inspiration!

Below are listed just some of the ways our supporters have raised money on our behalf. But we are always looking for more ways to raise valuable funds.

Run for Headway

Looking for a goal for all that training? We have had runners competing in the Great North Run, the London Marathon and many more. For more details of how to get involved please contact us

Bake for Headway

Do you enjoy baking but don’t want to eat all of your produce? Why not hold a bake sale for Headway? Fundraisers (including students from the University of Worcester) have had lots of fun baking cakes and holding sales whilst raising considerable funds for our cause. This is a fun and rewarding way to support our charity.

Jumble for Headway

We have been lucky enough to have fundraisers who have organised very successful jumble sales at their village halls to raise money for Headway. After charging a small entrance fee (usually about 25p) they have helped to sell all sorts of jumble; toys, books, clothes -children’s and adults, bric a brac, shoes etc. and usually tea, coffee and cakes. The proceeds of the sale then go towards specific causes for Headway service users. Why not have a go at organising a traditional British jumble sale!

Jump for Headway

Fancy jumping out of a plane at 10000 feet? Why not do it for a good cause? This is possibly one of the most exhilarating ways to fundraise for Headway Worcestershire but has been an extremely popular choice for would-be fundraisers and thrill seekers.

Get your local school involved

Get your kids thinking about how they can raise money for Headway. Non-uniform days are a great way to raise funds for charity and we have had regular donations from local schools with Harvest Festival donations too. As part of your event, Headway can come and do free brain injury awareness workshops with your school; helping to raise awareness of the causes and symptoms of brain injury.

Nominate Headway

Many companies and businesses are looking for local charities to become their ‘charity of the year’ offering funds and volunteers to that charity. It means that business can play an important part in helping the most vulnerable people in their community. In addition to this, many supermarkets and local banks run ‘token’ schemes where customers’ show their support by dropping their token into one of three charities. If you know of a business which is looking for a charity to support, please consider nominating Headway Worcestershire so we can continue to provide as many services to as many people as possible.

Host a quiz

Whether it’s a traditional pub quiz or something topical, this is a great way to raise money and get a lot of people involved.

Resources and advice

Headway branded vests

If you are running an event, taking part in a run or walk or collecting on behalf of Headway, we may be able to provide you with a vest to promote our good cause.

Sponsorship forms

We can provide Headway Worcestershire sponsorship forms for your fundraising activities.

Press support

If you would like support to promote an event you are holding on behalf of Headway, please contact us and we will do our best to help you do this. We are also happy to promote your fundraising events on our Facebook page.

Keeping costs down

There are plenty of ways you can get your fundraising started for minimal costs. Local companies may sponsor your event, donate goods or lend you their services for free.

Careers

Working at Headway is so much more than just a job. More than 60 committed staff are employed by Headway to make our projects around Worcestershire successful by helping people with acquired brain injuries to achieve their potential.

What is life like at Headway?

We want to build a charity we can be proud of. So to make this happen, we need brilliant people who inspire and deliver change all around them. That’s why we’re always looking for talented, ambitious and genuine people to come and join us.
We think Headway is a great place to work but if you don’t have time to pop in and meet us in person, why not watch this short film to see the people who work here tell it like it is.
(VIDEO)

Opportunities

To apply for a position, please select the opportunity you are interested in and submit an online application by emailing it to Pauline Gardner on PGardner@hwtl.org.uk, or contact Pauline Gardner for an application pack quoting the reference number on 01905 729729 or PGardner@hwtl.org.uk.
(Box where we can list vacancies and a button that can be clicked to download an application form)
Nothing here for you? We would still love to hear from you if you are interested in working with us.
Click here to make a speculative application

Pay and benefits

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Everyone in our team has the opportunity to help deliver first-class services and whatever job you do for Headway, we’ll reward you fairly for your life-changing work. We value the contribution of every staff member and offer a ‘total reward package’ that includes a competitive salary, generous holidays, supportive leave policies and much more. Here are some examples of the pay and benefits you could expect.

Market competitive salary

Gross salaries are set to take into account market competitiveness and our financial situation. They’re also designed to reward your skills and competences.

Pension

Retirement may seem like a long way off but if you choose to join our scheme Headway will pay 3% on top of your contributions

Annual leave

So you get enough time to relax and wind down, we offer annual leave which is equal to 33 days per year (including public holidays).

Sickness benefit

to help support you when you need it most we offer sickness benefit which is equal to 10 days full pay pro rata per annum.

Supportive Leave and career breaks

There are times when you may want or need extra time off work and we offer a range of supportive leave options. Sometimes these are dependent on length of service and the demands of the services we are providing at the time of your request.

Compassionate Leave

We understand you have a life outside of work and there are when other commitments need to take priority, for example if an immediate relative dies. In these circumstances we will offer limited paid leave in order to give you time to manage at these times.
Emergency Leave – Sometimes unexpected emergencies arise, which mean that you need some time off work and we will allow you to take a reasonable amount of unpaid leave to deal with these emergencies.

Eye care Vouchers

Employees who regularly use computer screens as part of their job are entitled to a free eyesight test and where necessary a pair of suitable vocational glasses at no charge in a range of free frames.

Flu jabs

It is your choice about whether to have a vaccination or not but if would like one and you are not in a priority group and cannot get a free vaccination from the Government, then Headway will pay for a vaccination for you.

Counselling

For those that need it, Headway employees will have access to our counselling service, which is provided by a trained counsellor and can offer help with overcoming difficulties faced either at work or in your personal life.
Mileage allowance: we pay a generous mileage allowance for any travel undertaken during work time

Work-life balance

Headway promotes a healthy balance between work and personal time. As such we offer flexibility on our work contracts to fit the diversity of our employees, for example annualised hours, part-time contracts, bank hours, flexible working and many others.

Training and Development

Headway has a framework of development activities which covers a range of learning approaches, including training courses and e-learning. Each employee will be assessed as to their individual development needs and receive training pitched specifically to them and relevant to the role they are fulfilling.

Christmas

Headway loves Christmas and we subsidise a staff Christmas party every year as a thank you for all their hard work. In the last few years we have been to Sixways Stadium and the Cricket Ground.