A new sensory room has been opened at the Oxford Head Injury Services activity and rehabilitation centre in Kennington.
The project was made possible through a generous contribution from Play2Give, the Didcot-born charity founded by long-term supporter and brain injury warrior, Andy Baker MBE and has been named “Andy’s Room” in his honour with the official opening commemorating the new area.
In a special celebration marked over cake and fizz, the grand unveiling and ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday (January 29) saw charity members and trustees and service users of both organisations come together. Along with local dignatories including Mayors of Didcot and Oxford attending, the celebratory afternoon paid tribute to the charity stalwart, who has made it his life’s mission to make a difference to Oxfordshire healthcare over two decades, driven by his own personal life experiences.
“Andy’s Room” is now providing a calm, comforting and joyful space for adults living with acquired brain injuries. 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 and yoga sessions, music therapy and one to one 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.
37-year-old 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 from a playground accident at school, the latter of which inspired his early fundraising for Oxford Children’s Hospital 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, who attends the specialist neuro-rehabilitation unit twice a week 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 for the Didcot man, celebrating more than £35,000 raised for Oxford Head Injury Services over a decade. In 2021, in recognition of his services to charity, Andy was awarded with the MBE.
Andy founded Play2Give in 2007, to continue his teenage fundraising he first began on Valentine’s Day 2003, to give back to the organisations that supported him and helped him in his recovery. What began as a school fundraiser for the 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, as a thank you for his life-saving brain surgery aged 12.
Matilda Badham, Marketing and Communications Manager at Oxford Head Injury Services, said: “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 circumstances. The support from my team and the community is truly special and opening this room named after me is one of the proudest moments, and one of the many greatest achievements in Play2Give’s history books.”
Founded in 1982, Oxford Head Injury Services, formerly known as Headway Oxfordshire, provide 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, please contact matilda@oxfordheadinjuryservices.org.uk or visit www.oxfordheadinjuryservices.org.uk
For more information about Play2Give and how its work fundraising continues to support vital projects like Andy’s Room, visit www.play2give.org.uk