A brain injury charity has made an urgent £44,000 funding plea to keep its counselling and speech and language therapy services running.
Headway North Staffordshire, based in Cobridge, has been operating since 1985, but its speech therapy and counselling services are under threat due to a lack of funds.
Graham Maddox, who was supported by the charity, now leads woodworking classes.
He could only say the word “help” when he started therapy with the charity.
“I improved such a lot that I can hold down a conversation,” he said.
He explained: “I saw the wood service and I thought ‘I can bring some skills for therapy, other people, learn them things’.
“I was so improved that the therapist let me loose in the wood room. Now, I run it.”
Headway said it needed to raise £44,000 to keep its counselling and speech and language therapy services going for 12 months.
Maddox said the charity’s support had given him his life and independence back.
“It’s given me a second family, a second home. I worked hard to be able to talk. To me, it’s a miracle.”
Samantha Holdcroft, who works for the charity, said the organisation supported 238 people last year and hoped to help more this year.
“Graham’s one of our success stories, that’s walked through that door and can now go on and live his life and get that independence back,” she said.
“It makes me feel so proud that he’s done it. I’ve been there through every struggle, I’ve seen all the battles he’s had to face.”
