In 2010 a group of service users from Headway Southampton, took part in a project over five months with local artists The Art House and filmmakers The Butterfly Fx. The project involved a number of different workshops including music, art, drama and poetry with facilitators Jenny Winterbottom, Polar Bear, Lisa Calder, Jani Franck, Paul Bickmore and John Pollitt.
The film’s aim was to tell the stories, in a creative and imaginative way, of the individuals taking part, how their lives changed when they acquired their injuries (positive and negative) how they came to know one another through Headway and where they see their lives going, and to promote awareness of the issues surrounding head injury to the wider public and other practitioners.
Creative activities play a pivotal part in the rehabilitation of the Headway users and this programme is specifically designed to help with the cognitive issues, communication, emotional and behavioural difficulties that the group is effected by. Working on this project allowed service users to put into practice cognitive issues such as planning and generating ideas, whilst also developing behavioural and social skills. These skills are often damaged through brain injury, so it is important to provide opportunities to exercise these processes.
The service users involved enjoyed being part of this project, and the end result was a short film called “Bump’s Ahead”.
This project was made possible by the support of the Big Lottery Fund.
Headway Southampton is a local voluntary organisation affiliated to Headway UK. It promotes awareness, provides support and enhances the quality of life for those individuals with brain injury, their carers and families, in a holistic and friendly manner.
the butterfly fx education 