A national brain injury charity - with a shop in Ashby - has issued an urgent appeal for donations as it struggles to fill the shelves.

Headway in Market Street says it is in desperate need of quality winter clothes and bric-a-brac to help the charity continue its vital work in providing support to brain injury survivors and their loved ones. 

The Headway UK Ashby Shop Manager Fiona Ackland said: "As the days get colder, the nights get longer, and the heating bills get bigger, everyone is desperately searching for warm winter clothing to keep the chills at bay. We would particularly welcome donations of good quality jumpers, coats, tops, trousers, and bric-a-brac.

"Every year, around 350,000 people are admitted to hospital with a brain injury. That's one every 90 seconds. The money raised from sales in our charity shops goes a long way towards ensuring vital care remains in place for those affected by brain injury. So please think of Headway if you are making way for Santa or clearing space for relatives to visit this Christmas."

Headway – the brain injury association is the UK-wide charity that works to improve life after brain injury by providing vital support, advocacy, and information services.

Image: Dreamstime

Its network of groups and branches offer a wide range of services, including carer support, social re-integration, community outreach, fundraising, and respite care to brain injury survivors and their families.

Carol Tennet, Headway's Head of Retail, said: "In the last six months, we have seen a 10 per cent decline in donations across Headway's charity shops.

"While we don't know the exact cause of the decline, we do believe this is one of the many results of the cost-of-living crisis.

"Ten per cent is a huge drop in donations, and the impact on our shops is vast.

"We're also seeing a six per cent increase in the number of customers coming through our doors, so we're really facing challenging times at the moment.

"We urgently need more donations so that our charity shops can keep up with demand as well as continuing to support those affected by life-changing brain injuries."

Donations should be delivered to the Headway charity shops. The Headway UK charity shops can be found in the following locations:

• 60 Market Street, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire LE65 1AN, tel 01530 564949,

• 6 Station Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire LE10 1AW, tel 01455 636 639,

• 26 – 32 Biggin Street, Loughborough LE11 1UA Leicestershire, tel 01509 231 247,

• 3 The Arcade, Unit 5 Magna Shopping Centre, Wigston, Leicester LE18 1NZ, tel 0116 288 3352 .

Headway says it is always looking for new people to join its team of volunteers.

If you can spare even a few hours a week, you could help make a big difference to the lives of people living with brain injuries while learning new skills and making new friends. To find out more, click HERE.