New sensory space funded by Play2Give restores hope for brain injury survivors
Oxford Head Injury Services (OHIS) is delighted to announce the opening of a new sensory room at their Activity and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) in Kennington, Oxfordshire. The project has been made possible through a generous contribution from Play2Give, the charity founded by long-term supporter and service user, Andy Baker MBE and has been named “Andy’s Room” in his honour.
Andy’s Room is already offering a calm, comforting and joyful space for people living with acquired brain injury. It provides a safe environment where individuals can regulate sensory elements such as light and sound, reduce overstimulation and anxiety, and re-engage with their surroundings at a pace that feels right for them, as well as a space for speech therapy sessions, yoga and consultations to be provided.
Sensory rooms play an important role in neurorehabilitation. They help people rebuild confidence, improve emotional wellbeing and support cognitive and physical development in a non-clinical setting. For many, they offer moments of peace, grounding and connection, during what can be a challenging and unpredictable recovery journey.
Andy, from Didcot, has been part of the Oxford Head Injury Services community for many years. He was born with a brain injury and went on to experience a further traumatic head injury aged eight, the latter which inspired his original fundraising over two decades ago. He credits the charity for increasing his confidence and rebuilding many life skills over 14 years, with warmth, love and care.
Play2Give generously contributed over £5,000 to help transform the space into a sensory room. In total, Andy has dedicated 24 years to fundraising in support of organisations that helped him on his recovery journey and to give back to local healthcare causes that mean so much. Last year marked a major milestone, celebrating more than £30,000 raised for Oxford Head Injury Services by his volunteer-driven charity, over the past ten years. In 2021, in recognition of his services to charity, Andy was awarded the MBE.
Andy established Play2Give to give back to the organisations that supported him and helped him in his recovery. What began as a school fundraiser for the Oxford Children’s Hospital when he was a pupil at St Birinus School in Didcot at just 14 has grown into a community-wide effort, raising more than £600,000. Play2Give primarily supports Oxfordshire’s healthcare organisations, and his initial fundraising for the children’s hospital at the John Radcliffe, first drove Andy to fundraise in 2003 as a thank you for his life-saving brain surgery.
Marketing and Communications Manager, Matilda Badham, at Oxford Head Injury Services says: “Andy’s dedication, compassion and unwavering commitment to making a difference to others, particularly through organisations that have supported him on his own recovery journey is inspiring. He has turned his experiences into a powerful force for kindness that will be felt across many communities for years to come.
Matilda continued: “A sensory room is an important addition to our Activity and Rehabilitation Centre and strengthens our commitment to holistic rehabilitation and recovery, helping us make the greatest possible difference in the lives of people who have experienced brain injury.
She added: “Andy has been a valued part of our community for many years. Naming the room after Andy felt like the most fitting way to recognise his generous donation and the impact he has at Oxford Head Injury Services. We are grateful to Play2Give for helping us bring the sensory room space to life.”
Andy says: “To raise so much money for a place so close to my heart is really special, and it’s even more special to have funded such an amazing new area for the brain injury centre that has changed, shaped and transformed my life and a space that is really going to make such a therapeutic difference to adults like myself with brain injuries, for a lifetime. Oxford Head Injury Services has been there for me, and my mum, and so fundraising for such an incredibly important resource that’s like a second home is my way of saying thank you and helping others facing similar challenges. The support from my team and the community is truly special and opening a room named after me will be one of the proudest moments of my life, and one of the many greatest achievements in Play2Give’s history books.”
Founded in 1982, Oxford Head Injury Services provides expert rehabilitation, specialist therapies, community support and information for people affected by acquired brain injury and their families. Over 4,000 people in Oxfordshire are admitted to hospital with a brain injury each year, and many face life-changing challenges after leaving hospital. Oxford Head Injury Services exists to help people navigate those challenges with hope, confidence and connection.
For more information about the sensory room or the work of Oxford Head Injury Services or to arrange photographs, filming or interviews of the opening, please contact matilda@oxfordheadinjuryservices.org.uk or visit www.oxfordheadinjuryservices.org.uk.
For more information about the work of Play2Give and how Play2Give’s fundraising continues to support vital projects like Andy’s Room, visit www.play2give.org.uk