Press Release: Oxford Head Injury Services Opens New Sensory Room “Andy’s Room” to Support Brain Injury Recovery

Oxford Head Injury Services (OHIS) has opened a new sensory room at their Activity & Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) in Kennington, Oxfordshire. The project has been made possible through a generous contribution from Play2Give, the charity founded by long-term supporter and OHIS service user, Andy Baker MBE, and has been named “Andy’s Room” in his honour. The official opening of the room was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting led by Andy.

Andy’s Room offers a calm, comforting and joyful space for people living with acquired brain injury. It provides a safe environment where individuals can regulate sensory elements such as light and sound, reduce overstimulation and anxiety, and re-engage with their surroundings at a pace that feels right for them.

Sensory rooms play an important role in neurorehabilitation. They help people rebuild confidence, improve emotional wellbeing and support cognitive and physical development in a non-clinical setting. For many, they offer moments of peace, grounding and connection, during what can be a challenging and unpredictable recovery journey.

Andy has been part of the Oxford Head Injury Services community for many years. He was born with a brain injury and went on to experience a further traumatic head injury at the age of eight. He credits the charity for helping increase his confidence, and rebuild many life skills, through warmth, care and long-term support.

Through his charity Play2Give, Andy has donated almost £4,500 to transform the space into a sensory room. In total, he has dedicated almost 14 years to fundraising in support of organisations that have helped him on his recovery journey. This year marked a major milestone, with more than £33,000 raised for Oxford Head Injury Services over the past ten years.

Matilda Badham, Oxford Head Injury Services Marketing and Communications Manager, said:

“Andy’s dedication, compassion and unwavering commitment to making a difference to others, particularly through organisations that have supported him on his own recovery journey is inspiring. He has turned his experiences into a powerful force for kindness that will be felt across many communities for years to come.

The sensory room is an important addition to our Activity and Rehabilitation Centre and strengthens our commitment to holistic rehabilitation and recovery, helping us make the greatest possible difference in the lives of people affected by acquired brain injury.

Andy has been a valued part of our community for many years. Naming the room after him felt like the most fitting way to recognise his kindness and the impact Andy has at Oxford Head Injury Services.”

Andy said:

“To raise so much money for a place close to my heart is really special. It means a lot to have funded a project for the brain injury centre that has changed, shaped and transformed my life for 14 years. This space is really going to make a therapeutic difference to adults like myself living with brain injury for a lifetime.

Oxford Head Injury Services has been there for me, and my mum, and fundraising for such an incredibly important resource that’s like a second home to me, is my way of saying thank you and helping others facing similar challenges. The support from my team and the wider community is truly special. Opening a room named after me will be one of the proudest moments of my life, and one of the many greatest achievements in the Play2Give charity’s history books.”

Founded in 1982, Oxford Head Injury Services provides expert rehabilitation, specialist therapies, community support and information for people affected by acquired brain injury and their families. Over 4,000 people in Oxfordshire are admitted to hospital with a brain injury each year, and many face life-changing challenges after leaving hospital. Oxford Head Injury Services exists to help people navigate those challenges with hope, confidence and connection.

Play2Give is an Oxfordshire-based charity established by Andy Baker MBE to give back to the organisations that supported him during his childhood and recovery. What began as a school fundraiser at just 14 has grown into a community-wide effort, raising more than £600,000 over the past two decades. Play2Give primarily supports healthcare organisations across Oxfordshire.

For more information about the sensory room or the work of Oxford Head Injury Services, please contact matilda@oxfordheadinjuryservices.org.uk or visit www.oxfordheadinjuryservices.org.uk.

For more information about the work of Play2Give visit www.play2give.org.uk