A PHOTOGRAPHY exhibition is being held to showcase the work of a social enterprise class for four Bucks men who suffered brain injuries. This is the story of one class member.

Ken’s life changed forever when, without any warning, he woke up one morning with a headache, collapsed on the floor and then couldn’t be fully woken for the next month.

Doctors feared at first he was suffering from meningitis, but it turned out to be a stroke – caused by a burst artery in his neck.

That was almost two years ago, in January 2012, but the lasting brain injury resulting from the stroke has meant a radical difference to the life of the father-of-three from Bedgrove in Aylesbury.

Before the collapse, Ken worked as a network professional in the information technology field for Lloyds Bank plc - where he had been employed for 30 years - managing a team of about five people. He was a keen cyclist.

But now, even though Ken’s outward appearance may not look any different, he feels the injury has significantly slowed down his abilities and greatly affected his sight.

“Part of the problem is I look okay, but I certainly feel I am held back with a rope around me slowing me down,” he said, adding: “It’s odd but things just don’t seem the same.”

Ken, now 52, took retirement from the bank and no longer works as is unable to go back to full-time employment due to the effect of the stroke.

However, like a group of other men with head injuries, he was keen to find something to help put his life back on track.

As a result, a social enterprise class was set up last April for Ken and three others by Buckinghamshire Adult Learning, working in partnership with the Community Head Injury Service (Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust) and Headway, the brain injury association.

The four meet weekly at the Centre the Study Centre at the county council offices in Aylesbury for a class which aims to rebuild confidence and renew skills.

The group members are now working towards their Entry 3 Social Enterprise Award by taking, exhibiting and marketing photographs.

And now an exhibition of the photos is being held, until October 18, at the Queens Park Arts Centre in Aylesbury.

The theme is local landscape; seeing the world through their eyes.

Photographs will be sold for around £20 and mugs will also be available for £5. Money raised from the exhibition will go back into the group’s next venture.

“The class is great and it’s great to meet the other guys who have had similar experiences to me,” said Ken, who is exhibiting landscape photographs he took on the Devon coast. He hopes that the class ‘becomes a vehicle for more people in rehabilitation to pursue’.

Carol Haines, senior tutor for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities at Buckinghamshire Adult Learning, explained: “We were asked if we could do anything to help these particular gentlemen because they would benefit from an opportunity to develop their skills and give them a focus as part of the next stage in their rehabilitation.

“We hope this class is a vehicle for people to start a social enterprise. We asked them what they wanted to sell and earn a profit from and photography seemed to fit the bill.”

The exhibition is running at the Queens Park Arts Centre, Aylesbury until 18 October.

For more information on this or the social enterprise class, please contact Carol Haines from Buckinghamshire Adult Learning on 01296 398957 or visit www.adultlearningbcc.ac.uk

For more information on the services of Headway Aylesbury Vale please call 01296 432726 Monday or Wednesday or send an email to karens23@hotmail.co.uk