This blog was prepared by Ellis Meade, Trainee Solicitor in the Neurolaw team who works with clients who have sustained traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.
This year’s Volunteers’ Week takes place from 1 – 7 June each year. Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering. This 38th annual Volunteers’ Week is taking place during the #MonthOfCommunity. The #MonthOfCommunity is comprised of various events which encourage participation in activities within local communities.
The Hugh James Neurolaw Team supports numerous charities and during the last few months, our staff have continued their extensive volunteering work with organisations such as Headway, RoadPeace, Horatio’s Garden and the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA).
This year’s Action for Brain Injury Week took place between 16th and 22nd of May and the Neurolaw Team extended its long-term support for leading charity, Headway Cardiff and Southeast Wales, by further raising awareness of what can be for many brain injury survivors, a hidden disability. The Team’s ‘Hats for Headway’ video was selected as the best group entry for the 2022 competition.
The Radyr and Morganstown Festival 2022 hosted an exciting variety of events between 30 April 2022 and 15 May 2022, with all proceeds going to Headway Cardiff and Southeast Wales. Long standing members of the Neurolaw Department, Charlotte Fletcher and Kate Coles recently volunteered at the Headway Coffee Morning in Radyr which raised a massive £1,200. Anu Manda, a Solicitor in the team and new member of the Headway Fundraising Committee, recently volunteered at several Headway events such as the Trail Races, the Concert in Radyr Park and the Closing Concert. The festival and the efforts of the numerous volunteers involved will go a long way in raising the profile of Headway in the local community and highlight the fantastic service and support the charity provides.
Ellis Meade, Trainee Solicitor in the Hugh James Neurolaw Team said:
On a personal note, I have been delighted to have been given the opportunity to volunteer with Headway Cardiff and Southeast Wales at Rookwood Hospital in Llandaff. The day centre at Rookwood provides specialist neurological rehabilitation services and with the long-standing support of Headway individuals with acquired brain injuries can visit on a weekly basis. My volunteering takes place every Thursday and I am assisting a wider team of volunteers in the operation of the centre. It has been fantastic to be involved in such a worthwhile project which provides invaluable support and a day of respite for those who have suffered life changing injuries. I am looking forward to my continued involvement over the next few months where the team will be assisted by a new team of volunteers and also moving their base to the new centre at Llandough Hospital.
On Friday 20th May, members of the Neurolaw Team took part in a 32-mile static relay with South Wales Police for the Andy Cox Challenge, organised by RoadPeace. The Challenge raised just shy of £70,000 and we were extremely pleased to have played a part in this.
In recent months, volunteers from the Team were delighted to assist with the opening of the latest Horatio’s Garden project at the Welsh Spinal Injuries Unit at the University Hospital Llandough. The Team rolled up their sleeves, planting hundreds of shrubs and flowers in a space which will provide home away from home for individuals facing long stays in hospital.
