Connections with Other Organisations

The fifth episode of MBH and Connections: The Podcast is here. This time around I am talking to another professional - Steve, CEO of Herefordshire Headway. Steve had recently met with my colleague to discuss Headway working in partnership with MBH. In this episode, Steve and I reflect upon the parallels of how our charities assist people with brain injuries, and discuss what our working in partnership might look like in the future, and the benefits of our combined approaches.

Herefordshire Headway:

https://www.herefordshire-headway.co.uk/

To find out more - 

About Conductive Education and the Professional Conductors' Association:
https://pca-ce.org/about-conductive-education/

About Megan Baker House:
https://www.meganbakerhouse.org.uk/

Don't forget to follow us on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/meganbakerhouse/?locale=en_GB
https://www.instagram.com/meganbakerhouse/?hl=en

If you have any questions, you can also write to me at:
kelly@meganbakerhouse.org.uk

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and welcome to Episode 5 of MBH and Connections the podcast, celebrating Conductive Education Awareness Week 2026. Now, hopefully you should all know me by now, but if you don't, that's okay. My name's Kelly, I'm your host, and I work at Megan Baker House, otherwise known as MBH. This is a Herefordshire-based charity providing conductive education sessions for children and adults with neurological movement disorders. Here I am for the fifth time this week, and we're talking about conductive education and the power of connections in line with CE Awareness Week. I'm here today with my fifth guest of the week. This is a bit new because all of my previous guests this week have been people that I know and have worked with professionally for some time, meaning that I've already had an established connection with them before this podcast series started. However, today I'm talking to a completely new person who also works for a Herefordshire charity. This conversation came off the back of a meeting last week where we spoke about our two organizations working in partnership. And this resulting conversation is a great example of how we in CE can connect and work in partnership with other organizations for the benefit of the people we are striving to help. And that reinforces the holistic nature of CE. So without further ado, let's jump into this conversation and have a listen. So I've got Steve with us, and Steve is the CEO of Headway in Herefordshire. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_01 1:30

That is indeed.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

Well, with that big welcome to you, Steve. Welcome.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Yeah, it's good to be here. I'm really going to enjoy uh chatting with you, Kelly, and it and hello to everybody in um Megan Baker House Podcast World.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Yeah, and hopefully that's growing by the day by the time these episodes come out this week. So uh yeah, reaching lots and lots of people, which is always good. So, Steve, can you just briefly explain? We know you're from Headway in Herefordshire, but what does your organisation do? And who do you support, if I can ask?

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Yeah. Okay, so Herefordshire Headway uh is based in Craddon Hill, and we are a reablement and sort of community centre for people with acquired brain injuries and their families. We've been there since we bought it off the RAF back in 2000. Uh, not me, I wasn't there then, but um uh they bought it off the RAF. It used to be the RAF Navi, and then we've sort of reconfigured it and over the years developed it, and now it's uh a very uh well-equipped um centre. Um, as I say, acquired brain injury is uh anybody who has had a stroke or uh trauma through a car accident or accident at work, etc., or maybe an illness such as a brain tumour um or any sort of brain inflammatory sort of disease. Um, and we're there to support them and their families.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

Is there a biggest challenge that's ongoing for adults living with neurological conditions, especially within Herefordshire?

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Yeah, it's a good question. The I I've been with Headway for about a year and a half now, um, and the the two things really that I would say I've noticed and see as some of the biggest challenges that we've got, two of the biggest challenges. One is funding uh to access services beyond the NHS and and other sort of um social care provision. Um it does appear to be a sort of ever-decreasing circle with more people uh bidding for less funds. Um and so funding uh beyond anything statutory is is difficult. Uh, and I would say in Herefordshire, being one of the most rural counties in Britain, um, transport is another issue, and within that, it goes from sort of being able to afford uh modified vehicles to having um community support with regard to transport, and also um well, we're right in the midst of uh another petrol hike at the moment, so that doesn't help, and state of the roads as well, without getting political, that doesn't help.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

Yeah, we don't have to.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

So those two those two things, funding and certainly transportation within the county, uh, I see as big challenges.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

And being from Herefordshire myself, uh yeah, I can kind of agree with you on those. I can very much relate on that, uh on that front. But um, yeah, so Headway is a charity just like MBH. And we here have our Conductive Education Awareness Week going next week. Um, I say next week, it's gonna be right now by the time this is aired. That's following our conductive education conference. Now, a lot of people ask us what is conductive education? And I was going to ask you if you understand what conductive education is and what we do to help people with neurological disorders. And I'm also just gonna caveat this question, Steve, by saying there is no pressure whatsoever if you don't know.

SPEAKER_01 5:24

Okay, okay. Uh well, um, I'll tell you a little bit of my background. It is it is uh relevant. I am actually a chartered physiotherapist as well. Um, and although I've specialized for most of my career in sort of musculoskeletal sports injuries and then laterally cardiac rehab, I do know a little bit about conductive education. I sort of know some of its um history, um, and I recognize that it is it is all about challenging the brain to adapt and rewire through repetitive uh movements. Um it it is, and in that way, it's it's an intentional repetitive movement combined with speech that that can help. I call it neuroplasticity, but as I say, rewiring and and adapting. And I do know that that you use it for cerebral palsy, Parkinson's, um, which are out of our uh remit at Headway, uh, but also stroke, which is part of our remit, and um and multiple sclerosis as well, I believe.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

So, yeah, well, you answered that absolutely beautifully, Steve. So, you know, 10 out of 10 for you. Um, it helps that obviously you've brought that, like from being a physiotherapist, brought that sort of professional uh background to had that little bit of insight into the industry through uh your background as a physio. Um, also, yes, just to you mentioned a couple of things there, neuroplasticity being one of them. Uh yeah, neuroplasticity, which is, as you know, the brain's ability to rewire itself, that is absolutely one of our fundamental underlying principles, if you like, in conductive education. We're very much working along that theory. Um, and you also mentioned the word conductor, which again, you're absolutely right. I'm just gonna give a little bit of context to our listeners here that uh a conductor is uh the somebody who works in the profession of conductive education, leading those sessions as the teacher, educator, therapist, etc. Um, so yeah, you did answer that absolutely beautifully.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

It's quite interesting, actually, because earlier on in a podcast episode, I was trying to put conductive education into layman's terms for you know people who may not have ever heard of it. And it's interesting because even as conductors, sometimes it can be quite difficult for us to explain what what it is. Um, so it's interesting to have that sort of more basic explanation, but then that more professional explanation between the two of us as well. So it's all good. Thank you. So at Megan Baker House, we feel that conductive education complements other services like those offered by yourself at Headway. We're very big on um collaboration or for the good of the um participants or you know, patients, how I don't know how you refer to them. Um, but yeah, I'm just wondering, what are your thoughts on our connections together?

SPEAKER_01 8:39

Um well, uh, I will say, first of all, before I answer your question, that Headway uh very much um is a charity that where possible likes to collaborate um with other agencies, be the charities or be the NHS or social services, etc. Um, I see it as offering holistic quality. That's what I call it. Um collaboration brings a wider skill set together. Um, it also can bring sort of differing beneficial perspectives, and both those things mean a better service for clients, which is what we may call patients, we call clients. We do work with um, as I say at Headway, we we offer classes in various things from art, music, exercise, pottery, horticulture, etc. Um, and the horticultural side of that we do in collaboration with somebody called Growing Point, uh, the local charity. Some of our individual sessions include music counselling, speech, and we do offer health checks. And again, the collaboration there is with Taurus and their sort of TOR community program. And then we offer a number of groups, um, without sounding like an advert, but we do offer another support groups, I should say, carers support group, but also something called Sey A Phasia or an aphasia support group, and that is with the charity say aphasia. So we we have a number of examples already that we do collaborate, and anything that helps the client and is not obviously financially sort of um draining for us as a charity. Obviously, we we've got to be careful that we um in in working together, we're not we're not um, I suppose, disadvantaging our charity markedly to do that. Um, but certainly we've found ways of doing that. And I think somebody like Megan Baker House, I do know that we share at least one client uh at the moment, and I do know that that works really, really well. You know, conductive education is for people with acquired brain injury um uh and can be very beneficial for that group uh of people, and um it'd be crazy if we didn't complement each other, wouldn't it? Uh across Herefordshire.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

I think it absolutely would. And um, it's interesting because you talk about um Headway offering uh holistic services to people, which is also exactly what we sort of say within conductive education. Now, the way in which you deliver your services and the way in which we deliver our services are different in the sense that you're offering a lot of variety like art, music, counselling, etc. Um, ours is more about obviously the physical movement side of it, but in doing so, we're developing that mindset and that personality to build on confidence that can be applied in every other aspect of a person's life. So, yeah, it sounds like there's definitely a lot of um things we've got in common as two companies. And I did just want to give a little bit of context as well to our listeners again, Steve. This meeting between me and you actually came on the back of a uh meeting that uh my manager Sue had at Headway um this last week, wasn't it? Talking about collaboration. So this is a brand new partnership between Headway and MBH. So yeah, we're looking forward to a bright future together, um, knowing that we do share participants and that in combination we can offer, you know, so much to the people and also their families and carers by extension.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

Yeah, I agree. I think our pieces of the jigsaw certainly fit with your pieces of the jigsaw. And if we can we can build a stronger um picture of rehabilitation and support, then absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Yeah, working for the greater good.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:40

So on to my next question, then, which we may or may not have already sort of answered, Steve. Why is ongoing support so important after formal rehabilitation ends?

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Um, well, I mean, we use that long word that you can get an awful lot of points for if you use it when you're playing Scrabble, and that is neuroplasticity. Um, if you have enough tile size. Um and that's that's really the importance of continuing rehabilitation. Um is that the the the neural tissues, the brain, um, there is not an endpoint to the rewiring and adaptation. And I have seen that. As I say, I know my specialism within um physiotherapy was was more musculoskeletal. But having said that, and at numerous times I have been involved with stroke as a physiotherapist, and uh, and again, that was one of the things I saw is that you there is always the possibility for progress, and so that for me is the key reason why.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

Absolutely, and I think it's amazing, isn't it? The brain is just such an amazing organ and literally has no limit, really, in terms of what it can do and what it's capable of. Um, and it's interesting because really, as far advanced as we are in terms of medicine in the in this modern day and age, there's still so much we don't know, isn't there? It's crazy to think.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

Yeah, absolutely. Um, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

So, Steve, as I say, we've got a lot of um visions and hopes for this newfound partnership between uh Headway and MBH. And do you have sort of a uh vision for that in practice at the moment, what that might look like in practice?

SPEAKER_01 14:33

I yeah, I think I mean it's at very early stages, and I suppose there are lots of things we need to consider beyond that we just realise it's a good idea. Um, but I think the first and foremost is is how we share information. Um, and that um before we even do that, we talk to our clients um and and really let them consider what that might look like, and they that they have that voice and that part of that decision making as a key stokeholder. So I suppose I suppose that's that's the next, very next thing. Beyond obviously theoretically, uh we know it's a good idea, um, then the practicalities of information sharing, um referral across across the the charities, um uh recognizing that um, as I said before, that we're offering holistic quality, we're offering a better service to clients, um, and how will that look um and impact each charity, hopefully beneficially? As I say, that the only thing we've always got to consider is that we don't financially uh um limit ourselves with regards to that. But yeah, I think stakeholders, key stakeholder clients, secondly, uh sharing of information, thirdly, um good referral, and then ongoing communication and reviews of clients and just how the service looks.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Yeah, definitely 100%. I think that's uh sounds brilliant. And um, yeah, I think as well, I think it's gonna be safe to say this is just me supposing at this stage that a partnership is gonna improve not just the continuity but the confidence for the people that you support and the people we support. Um, you know, do you think that's gonna happen? How do you think that might work?

SPEAKER_01 16:37

No, I think that's absolutely uh right. I mean, as I say, we don't offer conductive education at Headway. And so, as I mentioned a jigsaw piece earlier, that's certainly a key component of um improving their sort of ortho function, you know, their their bodily function, and and we can support that with with um what we do at Headway, which is more task-based function, but still has a uh you know a uh progressive um uh benefit to them. But the two together, the more specific educ uh conductive education tied to our more task-based um uh activities, will will definitely work well.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

Absolutely. I mean, in conductive education, we very much uh say that every task we do in a session has an application in day-to-day life. And, you know, it's about how you transfer those skills you've learnt in a session with us into other aspects of everyday life. So I think, as you've just said, between what we offer and what you offer, it's going to give people that many opportunities to practice skills that they've learned with us, and especially when it comes to something like art or music, which might be a bit more of a hobby for some people, being giving them the chance to use those skills on something that they're really, really interested in, it just reinforces all of that learning and that neuroplasticity, as we say, doesn't it? Reinforces that brain making those connections. So, yeah, um just as a few last questions, then Steve. Uh, what gives you hope about the future of uh partnership working in Herefordshire?

SPEAKER_01 18:27

Well, um, firstly, I say us. The fact that Herefordshire Headway are talking to Megan Baker House and we're we're we're being open and honest and and looking to collaborate in whatever way we can to help our clients. Um as I said earlier, I all we already work for Herefordshire Headway with um other other um what they call VCSE, isn't it? Voluntary charity and social enterprise groups. Um I mentioned Growing Point, I mentioned Say A Fasia. We're also uh a member of HATS, which is the Herefordshire Activity Together um group, which is a sort of local VCSE providers that that provide inclusive community activities, and there's about 17 different charities under that umbrella. Um so that I think is positive. Um, and also I would say um the NHS's view of VCSE um over recent years has become um more understanding um and has begun to recognize the value that charities such as ourselves provide long long term, you know, the life after a neurological condition, the life after stroke um part of the pathway, as they call it, in um uh at the hospital. Um Herefordshire Headway do do hospital liaison visits, and that's been something we only introduced last year. And again, that really gives me hope that that our NHS colleagues are beginning to understand what we do and beginning to utilize our skills and our support networks um to provide long-term help, support, sense of community again.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

So, yeah, my last question to you then, Steve. Um, is there anything if somebody's listening to this who has maybe had has an acquired brain injury, who uh maybe aren't accessing services such as Headway at the moment, uh, is there any piece of advice you'd say, especially early on in that journey for them to uh you know give them any support or encouragement?

SPEAKER_01 20:44

Yeah, absolutely. Um we we are online at Herefordshire-headway.co.uk. That's the first portal if you want to see what we get up to. Um there's a good overview there, and we also our our sort of quarterly newsletters feature so you can really see what happens at the uh at the centre. Um if you want to speak with us, give us a call, 01432 761000. And if you're still interested after those two things, um come and have a look round. We we love to show people round, we're very proud of the centre and what goes on there. Um, and it's anybody who's interested, we always say, come and have a look round, it's for free. We've got parking. Come with a friend, come with a family member if you if you want to, and just spend an hour with us looking round and chatting about what we offer, and we can then take it from there.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

Yeah, definitely. And I think as well, that just sort of speaks as a takeaway as well, how um open we both are. Because as you were saying, you know, you're very open to visitors, so are we at MBH. You know, by all means come and visit us. If you've got any questions, email us, come and watch your session. You know, we're all very open, just like yourselves are. And I think that's the thing, isn't it? Sometimes it's making that initial step and not knowing where to start. Uh, but simply reaching out can be that first port of call and making all the difference, can't it? Uh get people involved really and get them moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

Absolutely. Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 22:20

Definitely. But yeah, so that'll end our interview then, Steve, for Conductive Education Awareness Week. Thank you so, so much for uh agreeing to have a chat with me. And yeah, I'm really, really looking forward to what this partnership holds in the future.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

Thank you, Kelly. I've really appreciated it. It's been good to chat with you. No problem. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

And that concludes another great conversation. I really, really enjoyed meeting Steve and I'm very excited to see what the possibilities hold for us working in partnership in the future. Key takeaway from the episode, he mentioned that actually the centre is really really open to visitors, and as I mentioned to him at the time, so are we at MBH. So I think it's important to note that even if you are maybe wanting to access services such as Headway or such as Conductive Education, please don't ever be afraid to reach out. We're more than happy to meet you, show you around, show you what's what, and just answer any questions you've got. I think also as well, this conversation with Steve really shows the power of how other businesses, professions, charities can all work together in connection for the benefit of our participants, and that to me really reinforces that holistic learning which is so uh vital within CE. Now, as usual, if you want to find out more about Megan Baker House or Conductive Education, I've put the usual links in the show notes below. Also, if you wish to connect with us on Facebook and Instagram, they are both at Megan Baker House. Go and check those out, give us a follow. This episode has concluded our MBH and Connections podcast mini series. I can't say I'm gonna see you tomorrow for another episode, and I feel a bit lost because I've gotten used to saying that to you this week. But if you have tuned in to any or all of the episodes in the series, I really really appreciate you listening. And the week's felt like a bit of a journey, and I'm glad to have brought you people along with me. The whole reason for doing this series was to help raise awareness of conductive education for Conductive Education Awareness Week. So in the interest of continuing to raise that awareness, please give us a rate and review on the podcast, and that's gonna really help us be seen by more people. Thank you for joining me. Bye.