After three years of volunteering to bring people affected by brain injury together, Lorna Walker is beginning a new chapter with Headway Shropshire – using her own lived experience to help grow peer support across our communities.
Sometimes the person who understands best is the person who has been there themselves.
Following her own acquired brain injury, Lorna Walker wanted to create the kind of connection and understanding that can make such a difference when life has changed unexpectedly. Three years ago, she began running a voluntary peer support group for Headway Shropshire – creating a relaxed space where people affected by brain injury could meet others who understood, share experiences, ask questions or simply enjoy being around people who ‘get it’.
What started as a voluntary group has continued to grow. Lorna now supports groups in Shrewsbury and Telford, and a new Market Drayton group is planned to begin in January 2027. The aim is simple: to make peer support easier to find for more people across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and the surrounding areas.
That work has now led to another important step. In October, Lorna joined Headway Shropshire as our Community Outreach Worker, giving her the opportunity to build on what she has already created and help us grow our peer support offer even further.
For us, this is exactly what Headway should be about. Support is not only about what happens immediately after a brain injury. It can also be about rebuilding confidence, finding your place again, connecting with other people and discovering new ways to use your own experience and strengths.
Lorna also recently took that message to a much wider audience. On Friday 2 October, she joined BBC Radio Shropshire to share her story, talk about the peer support groups and help raise awareness of Headway Shropshire as we prepare to relaunch our newly renovated Headway Hub.
We are also delighted that Lorna has been nominated for the Stephen McAleese Volunteer of the Year Award at the Headway Annual Awards 2026. The awards take place on Thursday 10 December at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London and celebrate people making an exceptional contribution to the Headway community across the UK.
Whatever happens on the day, we are incredibly proud of what Lorna has already achieved. She has taken her own experience of brain injury and turned it into something that is helping other people feel less alone – and we cannot wait to see where she takes the groups next.
Want to find a peer support group near you?
Visit our Neuro Wellbeing Support Group page or contact Headway Shropshire to find out about current groups in Shrewsbury and Telford and the new Market Drayton group planned for January 2027.