Campaigns

Amplifying our members’ voices is particularly important to us, and we are keen to develop our social justice voice and engage with policymakers to directly support more people affected by brain injury.

Public awareness of brain injury is low, and the narratives people do see can be quite detached from the real experiences of people living through it.

We work closely with our members to develop content and campaigns which share their stories in ways that are authentic and raise awareness about the issues most pressing to them.

This can cover film, writing, audio – we try to keep our activity flexible and broad to engage with different members and audiences.

You can read, watch and hear examples of campaigns and content we have created below.

The Magic of Chaos

The Magic of Chaos is a short film about Headway East London directed by award-winning director Kit Vincent in collaboration with our members and staff.

The Magic of Chaos invites viewers into the magical world of our Hackney Centre, a sanctuary for over 200 individuals living with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Through their stories, the film focuses on the often-hidden nature of acquired brain injury; the cataclysmic effect it has on loved ones; invisible disability; and creating a new sense of self.

It is a glimpse into a space where the transformative power of art, music, food and above all community bring light to lives forever changed by brain injury.

Since its premiere in November 2022 at Rich Mix, the film has been viewed over 3,000 times on YouTube; the trailer was screened to an estimated 150,000 viewers on ITV London – Loose Women and This Morning, as well as before films at Everyman Cinemas; and we have hosted screenings at various venues, including the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre.

In March 2025, it won the Smiley Charity Film Bronze Award – Judges’ Choice in the Long Form category.

ABI Week

Every year in May we campaign during Action for Brain Injury (ABI) Week to raise awareness of brain injury.

In 2025 we shared how we are building partnerships with institutions, researchers, and public bodies to drive positive change for our community.

In 2023 and 2024 we joined Headway UK’s campaigns Every 90 seconds and A life re-written to highlight the causes of brain injury and how it can affect anyone, disrupting plans, changing life goals and altering our sense of self.

Through the See the Hidden Me campaign (2022), we invited health and social care workers and commissioners to our centre in Hackney for a day of education, discussion and interactive activities.

In 2021 our members shared their Manifesto for the Future, a reflection on how to build a society that can better support people living with brain injury.

In 2020 we launched Welcome to My World, a member-led campaign which gave an insight into the world and experience of brain injury with a collection of stories from our community.

Home not Alone

In May 2020 we launched Home Not Alone, a fundraising campaign to support our members during lockdown.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we raised over £12,000, which helped us to pay for crisis intervention and daily welfare calls; physical and mental health support and one-to-one remote counselling and therapy sessions; online groups and creative projects to recreate the social networks and community spaces of our centre – bringing people together even while apart.

Matter Magazine

In 20218 we launched Matter Magazine, a brand-new cultural magazine co-edited by a team of staff and survivors, sharing roles in editorial, design and writing.

For many of our members, this was the first time they had publicly shared their experiences in writing, or been given creative responsibilities since their injury.

For others, it was an opportunity to share new talents and interests developed at Headway despite profound challenges.

Read Matter Magazine here!

“It gives me a sense of pride in my achievements, a boost to my wellbeing. It's always amazing to feel that you have helped the wider brain injury cause; breaking down barriers and stigma”

Dave

Headway member