Over 25 years, Headway East London has developed a very distinct model of support for people living with brain injury, so when planning our 25th Birthday celebrations, we agree that we needed to record and share the stories, memories and achievements of our community and unique history.
Last summer, thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we started to work on an exciting Heritage Project, which includes:
- the differently various exhibition, which brought more than 70 artists living with brain injury to the Barbican’s Curve gallery and had more than 5,5000 visitors
- touring artwork and events from differently various to venues across our 13-borough catchment area, so that we can reach more people in our community: discover differently various in different spaces
- a documentary film about Headway East London to amplify our member’s voices, share the story of Headway and raise awareness of brain injury
- an archive to document our 25 years of work supporting people living with brain injury, so that more people can access the unheard stories and voices of brain injury
Our archive will be held at the Bishopsgate Institute, a library and archive with a focus on London history, the experiences of everyday people, and the extraordinary individuals and organisations who have strived for social, political, and cultural change.
Lived experience is at the heart of our Heritage Projects, which is co-produced with a Steering Group of members and volunteers and a Peer Researcher, a new staff role for a person with lived experience of brain injury, who has a key role in collecting our members’ stories and bringing our members’ perspective into the decision-making process.
Watch this space as we will soon announce new opportunities to discover and celebrate our creative history!
