A Place at the Table

Aim

Keep free daily meals, community and opportunity on the table for people rebuilding their lives after brain injury!

We support people whose lives have changed in an instant.  

Brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability for people aged under 40 globally.  It can affect memory, movement, communication, emotions, identity, every part of a person's life.    

Working across 17 London boroughs, Headway London offers specialist support and services for over 950 survivors, family, friends and carers each year. Our Day Service in Hackney provides a supportive community, empowering people with acquired brain injuries - our members - to make the most of their skills and abilities.

A shared meal at Headway London is about far more than just food.   

It's a space where the only other person in the world who seems to understand can listen to what you have to say over the clinking of forks. 

It’s a hub of activity and belonging, where members feel seen, heard and embraced by a community that is truly their own.  

Those who choose to take part in preparing and serving the meal can help with any task, big or small, and become part of a team that forms the beating heart of our East London Day Service.    

"The Headway kitchen is a lifeline for me. I re-learned so many life skills that I lost due to my brain injury. I love the buzz and being part of a team making the magic happen."  - Kitchen Project member 

Kitchen manager Thomas has been cooking with members for 15 years:

“Every day, we serve a delicious lunch to everyone at our East London base. The kitchen is a creative space where we pour love and joy into our food, and everyone has a say in how it comes out.   

We rarely make the same thing twice and are always experimenting and inspiring one another, from Turkish barbecues to Thai curries, via Caribbean jerk and the occasional shepherd's pie.” 

Every meal is the result of a close collaboration between the members, staff and volunteers who come into the kitchen on any given day.    

Last year, the kitchen served over 13,000 meals – more than ever before - and we need your help to sustain this.  

In contributing to this campaign, not only will you feed our community, but your donation will also create meaningful roles for our members.  

Members of the Kitchen Project at Headway report feeling valued and appreciated in a way that can be hard to access when excluded from formal employment.  

"For me, the kitchen seems to bring back my ability to function, be part of a team, and have a kind of purpose. It's taught me a lot of resilience, a lot of joy, and a lot of understanding." - Kitchen project member

From a £5 contribution towards fresh ingredients to a £1000 gift allowing us to bring life-changing opportunities to more people living with acquired brain injury across London, every penny in the pot keeps our community kitchen cooking!

Donate today to keep food, community and opportunity on the menu.

Above: Artwork by Submit to Love Studios artist Sam Jevon

Campaign photography by Emily George, captured at previous Headway EATS events

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 10th December 2026 at 3:06pm