Charity broadens horizons after moving to new base in Bury St Edmunds

A West Suffolk charity which joined forces with its eastern counterpart last year has moved to a new base in Bury St Edmunds – enabling it to expand and improve its services.

Headway Suffolk, which supports people with acquired brain injuries, formerly operated its Bury hub in premises in Northgate Street.

However, after outgrowing this space the hub made the move to a new home in St George’s House, Olding Road, on January 2.

Hub manager David Crane said: “It has enabled us to do so much more. We didn’t feel we could grow in the old building, but now we can.

“Following the merger with East Suffolk Headway in Ipswich, finding a new base here was one of the main priorities.

“We have multiple rooms now, which means we can have a separate area for arts and crafts, a new space for exercise, and a communal area for clients.”

The hub raised money for new furniture and equipment, including a set of parallel bars to help clients walk, through fund-raising and donations, and some county councillors also allocated money from their locality budgets.

Staff at the hub are looking at taking clients for classes at Abbeycroft Leisure Centre and taking them shopping at Asda, in Western Way.

Headway Suffolk CEO Helen Fairweather said: “It is great news and will make a lot of difference.

“The charity is growing. We are hoping to expand our client base and offer our services to more people, and also expand on what we have offered in the past.”