Every year thousands of people are affected by brain injury because of an accident. Jenna Towler finds out how Headway can help .

Being the norm not the exception is the view of one member of the brain injury support group Headway The member, goes on: "I get the opportunity to be with other people in a similar situation and not feel I'm different."

The group has been helping people affected by brain injury for a decade. They celebrated their tenth anniversary in February and is one of 115 groups in the UK helping more than 80,000 individuals.

Imagine walking down the street and having people stare at you because you have problems with mobility or communication.

These are the attitudes that people who attend Headway have to contend with on a daily basis.

Severe brain injury can affect everything, including behaviour, mobility, communication, concentration, sight, smell, taste, emotions, thinking, understanding and memory.

But the centre offers them solace from a world where their injuries are not widely understood.

A Headway member explained: "There are no pressures to explain oneself all the time I am treated with respect and dignity.

"To me Headway is relaxing with kindred spirits where I don't have to have my guard up due to the misconceptions of the general public towards those with brain injury."

And the dedicated volunteers at Headway, know from experience, that these kind of injuries can affect any of us.

Accidents do not discriminate, it could happen to you, or one of your family. On the road, at work, during sports, in the home, in leisure pursuits or through illness.

Although Headway, which meets across London, offers a place to get away from the pressures of the real world, the group isn't about escapism. They want to get people back on their feet and back into the community.

Helena Tym, co-ordinator and family support worker in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, says: "People with serious brain injury struggle against overwhelming odds to re-establish themselves in their altered lives. Headway help to make this process less daunting."

People at the Bourne End group say Headway has helped them get on with their lives and make a fresh start after their accidents.

Helena adds: "At our group sessions brain injured people are welcome at any stage of recovery. We provide a meeting place as well as an opportunity to improve social, domestic and educational skills, and provide support and respite for relatives and carers.

"Family support is available by personal visits or by telephone irrespective of whether or not the injured person attends the group."

Headway provides a stimulating and friendly atmosphere where people who are suffering the consequences of a serious head injury can find others in a similar situation and experts in what to do next.

Members of the nationwide charity organisation participate in a wide range of activities, including games, craft and art-work or computer skills.

The Bourne End group have also arranged several outings including a visit to the London Eye to a day at Wisley Gardens.

Visit www.headwayshouthbucks.org or call 0845 22 55 031 for more information and advice. Headway South Bucks is holding its tenth anniversary coffee and open morning on Saturday, March 19 from 10am until 12pm in the Bourne End Community Centre.

Headway West London meets on the first Wednesday of each month from 7.30pm until 9.30pm in the elderly patient unit of Charing Cross Hospital in Hamersmith. For more information call 020 8846 1834