Headway apprentice wins West Suffolk College annual award

One of the support workers at the Haverhill hub run by the brain injury charity Headway has been named West Suffolk College’s ‘Outstanding Social Care Apprentice of the Year’.

Courtney Prior was presented with the award at the college’s Celebration of Achievement gala dinner on June 25 at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds.

The 20-year-old joined brain injury charity Headway Suffolk at the age of 16 as an apprentice in October 2014, and in just over three years she completed both levels 2 and 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care.

After leaving Ormiston Sudbury Academy in July 2014, Courtney has become a valued member of Headway Suffolk’s rehabilitation support team, who assist clients with a brain injury or a neurological condition with their rehabilitation, therapy, life skills, socialisation and cognitive functioning support.

She provides support at Headway’s hubs in both Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill, where it meets at the Chalkstone Community Centre, as well as in people’s homes and accessing leisure activities, such as going to the cinema, shopping and playing pool, in their local community.

Courtney, who lives in Shimpling, said: “It’s nice to have the recognition that I put a lot of work into the apprenticeship.

“It helped being an apprentice at Headway Suffolk alongside the studying. I enjoy working with the clients and seeing them achieve their goals.”