My Story and Why I’m Doing This

Hello, I’m Vicky Horlock. I work as a Registered Branch Manager in Complex for Advantage Healthcare, part of the CCH Group. In my daily role, I support clients with acquired brain injuries, helping them rebuild their lives, gain confidence, and navigate the challenges that come with it.

This year is extra special. Both Headway Essex and I are turning 40! That felt like the perfect opportunity to mark the occasion by jumping out of a plane on 14 December. I want this not to be just about me but about shining a light on Headway Essex’s vital work across our county.

At CCH, we are experts in complex care, and I am proud to work alongside a team that supports clients with acquired brain injuries every day. I see firsthand the challenges people face, and the difference the right specialist support makes. That is what I will be carrying with me when I take on this skydive, and why raising funds for Headway Essex is so important to me.

The Challenge

On 14 December, I will take a leap, quite literally, and undertake a tandem skydive. It is thrilling, nerve-wracking, and outside my comfort zone. But I think stepping out of our comfort zone is a good thing. It makes us appreciate how precious life is and shows us that we are capable of more than we realise.

When the nerves kick in on the day, I’ll remind myself why I’m doing this: to raise awareness and vital funds for those living with brain injury.

Why Headway Essex?

In Essex, someone is admitted to hospital with an acquired brain injury almost every hour. Headway Essex’s mission is to ensure that everyone living with acquired brain injury can live a fulfilling life, and that families and carers are better able to cope.

They provide vital services, including case workers, advice, community programmes, and rehabilitation centres. They are a lifeline to many. Without funding, these services would be at risk.

Because I see, in my role, how fragile progress can be and how crucial that support is, I felt compelled to give back in a way that might help ensure those services continue and grow.

What Your Donation Will Do

Every gift, small or large, helps. Here is how donations to Headway Essex can make an impact:

• £117 could help sponsor a brain injury case worker for one day

• £29 might fund a case manager intervention and prevent a challenge escalating into a crisis

• Even £5 could pay for a phone call to someone with an acquired brain injury who feels isolated or stuck

By supporting this page, you will play a part in helping individuals and families regain hope, dignity, control, and a sense of purpose after brain injury.

My Goal and Call to You

My target is £400. Every penny will go to Headway Essex, and I promise to keep you updated with photos, stories, and news on how your money is making a difference.

Please consider:

• Donating what you can, no amount is too small

• Sharing this page with friends, family, colleagues, the more people who see it, the greater the impact

• Encouraging your networks to support, sometimes a share is as powerful as a donation

If 40 years has taught me anything, it is that we do better and live better when we help each other.

Thank You and Updates Promise

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read, for donating, and for sharing. I’m humbled by your support, and I will not take it for granted.

I will post updates before and after the skydive and share how much we raise together. I hope you will feel proud that you helped someone’s life be better, stronger, and more hopeful.

Love Vicky