NEW BUILDING GIVES PEOPLE WITH BRAIN INJURY THE CHANCE TO REBUILD THEIR LIVES

December 07 2005

More people with brain injuries in the West Midlands will have the opportunity to regain their independence and rebuild their lives with the setting up of a new supported housing scheme in Selly Oak.

Work starts this month on the site of a former derelict garage in Bristol Road to convert it to a specialist residential home for eight people rehabilitating from an acquired brain injury, caused typically as a result of a car accident, stroke, disease or assault. The purpose-built single storey building will provide private independent living facilities, with specialist medical and clinical support provided by national charity, the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust (BIRT).

The land is owned by the Bournville Village Trust, and building work is expected to last 34 weeks, with a view to opening in the autumn 2006. Bournville Architects are designing and project managing the development, which will comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Barrie Oldham, Director of Brain Injury Services for BIRT, said "We are delighted to be able to create this new facility, which will enable us to respond to the needs of even more people with acquired brain injury from across the West Midlands. Services such as this are vitally needed to help people regain lost skills and help them re-integrate into the community, and the new unit will ideally complement our existing specialist rehabilitation service in West Heath in Birmingham".

Alan Shrimpton, Director of External Affairs and Estates at Bournville Village Trust said: "We have worked closely with the local residents to come up with an appropriate building in an area of high visual amenity and are proud to have such a special and much needed facility helping to look after some very disadvantaged people."