Our People

I have been involved with sport for most of my life and until recently managed 5 leisure facilities in Portsmouth. I first became involved with Headway Portsmouth as a Trustee back in 2015 where I introduced the Headway Portsmouth to the wonders of tennis and the physical and mental benefits to the individuals have been clear to see. I also took part in various fundraising events with the most exciting one being a 10,000ft skydive in 2017 raising funds for the Charity.

Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic I found myself being made redundant, but I was lucky enough to have Headway Portsmouth offer me the above position and I have never looked back. My passion for sport has led me to implement more sporting opportunities for our Service Users, as the benefits to the them is incredible to see, with many of them not believing that they are able to take part in activities such as tennis or cricket but once they have given it a go and realise that they are able to play the sport their reaction is amazing to see and it never fails to remind me why I love my job so much!

I have been working for Headway Portsmouth & SE Hampshire for over 8 years now and absolutely love the role as no day or individual is the same and I believe I can offer empathy and a listening ear to all the referrals I see and over my time with Headway Portsmouth I have built up a good amount of knowledge which enables me to offer guidance and support to the referrals. I support people at the earliest stage of their rehabilitation, sometimes whilst still in hospital and I work very closely with the Neuro teams at Queen Alexandra Hospital within an inpatient and outpatient setting. I receive referrals from patients and family members who are in hospital or already been discharged and are in their early stages of their rehabilitation offering the emotional support following their brain injury alongside giving information and guidance on the benefits they are entitled too, applications for blue badges and travel scheme's, carers support and any other relevant information and guidance. This support often continues once they have been discharged providing further information around brain injury and coping mechanisms for both the individual and their families until they are ready to join our outreach social inclusion programme.

I have lived in Portsmouth ever since my job with the Royal Navy brought me here. I have 3 almost grown-up children and have now spent several years working in the charity sector and in education. Headway is the perfect job- a great team and great people. My role here is to provide a link between those leaving hospital and when service users are ready to attend our groups. In my downtime I love to run, sea swim and I am a passionate allotment holder. I also have close links to the school I used to work at in Portsea and am a Special Needs Governor there.

I have lived in Hampshire for 30 years and my family have all grown-up but here in Headway we are like family sharing good times and the bad., we laugh a lot, and help and support each other when we need to.

My husband was in the Royal Navy, and we moved about quite a lot, so over the years I have enjoyed working in several roles, Administration Assistant, Hotel Receptionist, Auxiliary Nurse and Pre School Assistant, to name a few, but out of them all Headway Portsmouth has certainly been the most enjoyable. 

After a varied career as a Bank Manager, Funeral Director and the Senior Customer Operations Manager at the Mountbatten Centre, I have finally found my niche in Headway Portsmouth. I’m loving the job, the people and of course my work colleagues.

In no other job have I been able to use my vocal ensemble (singing) and acting prowess or indeed have I ever had a more captive and intrigued audience.  I hope that everyone enjoys the sessions as much as I do.

I have been Chair of Trustees since 2005. I am a Partner and National Head of the Court of Protection team at Shoosmiths solicitors, with over 25 years’ experience of working with clients who have suffered brain injuries. My work brought me into contact with Headway Portsmouth and SE Hampshire on a number of occasions and I quickly released the huge importance of the organisation in supporting those who had suffered traumatic brain injuries.

I am a passionate advocate for vulnerable and disabled people, which is reflected in both my work and my role as Chair of Trustees. Court of Protection work enables me to make a real difference to the lives of disabled clients and their families by arranging matters such as care, housing, therapies and equipment. Being Chair of Trustees involves me leading a charity that significantly improves the quality of life of survivors of brain injury, and their families.

My professional experience has therefore given me a wide understanding of the issues faced by those who have suffered brain injuries and their families. This has helped me in my role as Chair of Trustees,. Similarly, the broad range of matters that the Trustees encounter at Headway has broadened my knowledge of brain injury and leadership.

I am a Clinical Neuropsychologist working in neurorehabilitation. In this role, I support people to adjust to the changes that can come with an acquired brain injury. This might include changes to thinking skills (e.g. memory),emotions (e.g. anxiety), and behaviour (e.g. difficulty managing what we say or do). Neuropsychologists use knowledge about how the brain works to understand why something may go wrong and consider what might help in day-to-day life.

I first became involved with Headway Portsmouth & SE Hampshire when I was working at a local hospital. It was wonderful to see the support Headway offered to patients and their loved ones during such a difficult time. I would often signpost or refer people to Headway to support their ongoing recovery outside of hospital. I was delighted when I was asked if I would be interested in being a Trustee for the charity and have been in this role since 2018.

Outside of my clinical role, I work at a University and teach psychologists to understand brain injury and how to support people who might be struggling with this. We also undertake research to explore how to improve the lives of people affected by a brain injury or other neurological conditions.

Although everyone’s experience of brain injury is unique, so much can be helped by sharing these experiences with others. Headway Portsmouth & SE Hampshire is a great place to do this!

I am an associate lawyer at Enable Law solicitors, Southampton, and I specialise in clinical negligence litigation. I first became involved with Headway Portsmouth and Southeast following some fundraising activities that I completed on behalf of the charity. I was then invited to become a Trustee.

As a lawyer, I have assisted many individuals who have suffered brain and head injuries and therefore my skills were very transferable to my role as a Trustee. I have also personally experienced family members suffering from brain injuries and therefore this was a subject very close to my heart. It is a privilege to be part of a charity that helps so many people and it is great to working alongside likeminded people to deliver such a fantastic service.

I live and work within the Portsmouth area and my introduction to Headway Portsmouth and South East Hampshire began through my professional connections. I am a Senior Associate Solicitor at national law firm Irwin Mitchell. I specialise in dealing with cases for people that have sustained an injury through no fault of their own . I have done this for over 14 years since qualifying in 2007.  I specialise in acting for those who have suffered an acquired brain injury (as well as amputations, orthopaedic  and fatal accidents) it was however my work in relation to brain injury that brought me into contact with Headway.

Headway brings enormous support to people within the Portsmouth and surrounding area not only for the individual who has sustained the brain injury but their family too. This is right through from the Hospital project that Headway runs supporting people within Queen Alexandra Hospital at the outset of their journey through into the community and the weekly sessions. I was appointed a Trustee in 2021 and look forward to supporting Headway Portsmouth in delivering its services.

Brain injury has been a feature of Jenny’s life since she was very young, after her grandmother had a stroke in 2005 and cousin a brain haemorrhage in 2008 and is grateful to be able to support Headway as a trustee.

Jenny has more than 5 years’ experience delivering marketing campaigns across a wide range of FTSE 100 companies, her career has spanned growth, awareness, retention, strategy, and CRM. More recently, she has joined she has joined Delonghi as their Customer Experience Development Lead.

Jenny has a passion for increasing diversity and improving opportunities for everyone and will be of great benefit assisting with the Charity’s social media channels.