It’s all too easy, whilst writing a blog on bowel care to inadvertently resort to puns. After all what’s a conversation about bowel care if we don’t make a lighthearted reference to the ‘bottom line’? The truth though is that the quality of NHS bowel care provision for spinal cord injured (SCI) people is just too…
On the 6 September, a truly unique and exclusive event took place in aid of Spinal Injuries Association, at the home of Williams Racing in Grove, Oxfordshire. The lucky guests arrived for a Champagne reception and the chance to view the inspiring Trophy Room which is housed in the Williams Conference Centre. After a chance…
Williams’ annual thank you to the family and friends of their dedicated and hard working staff was held at their Grove headquarters on 9th September. Around 2,000 guests came to the day which included the opportunity to look behind the scenes at the fascinating Williams Factory and incredible Williams Collection from their 40 years in…
We’re increasingly hearing that our members and others within the SCI community are uncomfortable about the use of the phrase “non trauma” when it is used to describe people whose spinal cord injury (SCI) was caused by something other than a physical injury or accident. We know that whatever the cause, an SCI…
To mark World SCI Day on Tuesday 5th September Chair of the Spinal Injuries Association, Michelle Howard, offers her thoughts on progress made to date to secure a fulfilled life for everyone affected by spinal cord injury and how much more work remains. A colleague was telling me recently how as a child he used…
In January 2017 SIA launched its first ever internship and started the recruitment process. The idea was to give either a graduate or someone considering a career change first – class experience in a national charity working alongside our Public Affairs team and Chief Executive Officer. The post was for four months and gave Abigail a…
Our two SCI nurse specialists Carol Adcock and Debbie Green were recently training health and social care staff from across the country in bowel management techniques. It’s a subject very few people want to talk about, but it’s really important that we do so as good bowel management is, for many spinal cord injured people,…
Following her injury, Heidi Meadows faced both physical and emotional challenges during her rehabilitation. When Heidi returned home and was no longer in the safety of a hospital setting, she soon encountered a new set of challenges. With time, Heidi has adapted to her SCI and discovered her new ‘normal’ life. It was 2011 and the…
COASTLINE CHALLENGE 2017 One man, one handcycle, 2,500 miles and 27 days. This has been my most ambitious challenge yet. After two years of planning it’s hard to believe I’ve finally done it. There were many occasions over the last two years when I thought it would never happen. To say I was not nervous…
I‘m one of the many people who marvelled at the London 2017 World Para Athletics Championships this week with the cream of disabled sporting talent competing against each other on the track and field. With SCI people featuring not just as athletes but also as presenters and commentators, it’s been a powerful example of what…
Back in the mists of time, before most of my hair fell out and my beard turned grey, I’d regularly run marathons. I’d even done some high-profile ones such as Paris. However, my friends said that I wasn’t a “proper” marathoner because I’d not run London (and that was the only real marathon in their…
Charting the story of Formula One’s most celebrated family, Williams is a thrilling account of how one man built a racing empire and a vivid, heart-rending portrait of the aftermath of a tragedy, based on the 1991 book by Lady Virginia Williams – A Different Kind of Life. The film premiered at The Curzon…
