The 20-bed neuropsychiatric hospital for men with mental health difficulties and acquired brain injuries recently got into the festival spirit with a carnival-themed charity fundraiser, raising £135 for Headway.
Headway works to improve people’s lives after acquiring brain injuries by providing support and information services. The charity also provides emergency funds to assist people dealing with financial implications in the aftermath of a brain injury.
The service users at Cygnet Heathers chose Headway as their fundraising focus due to their close connection to the cause as many have received support from the charity in the past.
Benedict Ratcliffe, Speech and Language Therapist at the Cygnet Health Care service, said: “Our carnival festival was a huge success, everyone got involved and the day was full of music, dancing, fun and laughter.
“It’s great that our service users played such a large part in planning the day. It was organised by our Cognitive Communication Club, which is run by the individuals we support, and they were very passionate about supporting Headway.
“It was so meaningful to be able to fundraise for the charity and we all felt like we had given something back to them. It was our way of saying thank you for their support over the years.”
A DJ kicked-off the festival playing some upbeat tunes whilst attendees enjoyed the sunshine. The garden space was decorated with streamers and there were lots of festival-related props on hand for staff, service users and their loved ones to pose with.
Everyone donned their best outfits ahead of a costume competition, with the service users making their own t-shirts to wear, and attendees were armed with their very own festival wristband to wear.
There were also homemade cakes on sale and a raffle, with proceeds going to Headway.
Benedict said: “Not only was the festival important in raising money for such an important charity, but it also gave our service users the opportunity to get involved. Here at Cygnet Health Care, we think it’s important to promote choice and individuality and our service users love having the independence and control of planning an event.
“Days like this help to improve their mental health and emotional wellbeing by bringing people together and reducing isolation. It’s a chance for connection building between our staff, service users and their families as we fundraise for charity.”
