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A day at Headway East London

Headway East London is a charity supporting people affected by brain injury. Their Hackney centre runs a Day Service: creative sessions, group activities and practical support. Really, though, it is a place to be part of a community.

I spent a day there in the summer of 2025 as a volunteer photographer. The brief I set myself was simple: photograph the day as it happened, and make a few portraits before I left.

The day moved between the art studio, a music session and a kitchen busy with lunch preparation. The photographs below follow that order, ending with the portraits I made before I left.

Hand-painted sign reading Who Gets To Be An Artist pegged above an art studio shelf

The art studio

The day started in the art studio. People were painting; some worked on textile pieces; ceramic figures stood on a shelf. A hand-painted sign on the wall asked, “Who gets to be an artist”.

That question stayed with me. I photographed people at work and the things they were making: tables with marks on them, materials mid-use, finished pieces waiting nearby. The space as it is, not tidied up for a camera.

Painted life-size figure in a patchwork jumper beside Discovery Through Art lettering in a studio
Woman working on a black-and-white print at a paint-spattered board, seen over her shoulder
A man in a blue polo shirt painting a black and white pattern onto a ceramic pot, in a workshop with wooden shelving
Shelf of colourful handmade ceramic animals, a pink pig at the centre
Painted life-size figure in a patchwork jumper beside Discovery Through Art lettering in a studio
Woman working on a black-and-white print at a paint-spattered board, seen over her shoulder
A man in a blue polo shirt painting a black and white pattern onto a ceramic pot, in a workshop with wooden shelving
Shelf of colourful handmade ceramic animals, a pink pig at the centre

Music session

Later there was a music session. A man played guitar and led the songs. People joined in when they wanted to. Some sang, some played, some just listened and kept time.

The pictures from this part of the day are simple, and I like them for that. A group sharing a room and a set of songs, without anyone turning it into a performance.

Man in a white t-shirt playing a black acoustic guitar in a music room
Man in a wheelchair playing a djembe drum, a circle of guitar players behind him
Man in a white t-shirt playing a black acoustic guitar in a music room
Man in a wheelchair playing a djembe drum, a circle of guitar players behind him

Kitchen and lunch prep

In the kitchen, staff and members worked side by side on lunch. There was conversation and joking; people helped with tasks and stayed with them from start to finish.

I photographed what was in front of me: prep on the table, busy hands, people talking while they worked.

Group talking around a steel kitchen table with mixing bowls, one man in a red apron chopping
Busy training kitchen with cooks at work, a man in a claret football shirt pointing, crates of fruit in front
Two men in striped aprons cooking at a bright window counter, one mid-story
Group talking around a steel kitchen table with mixing bowls, one man in a red apron chopping
Busy training kitchen with cooks at work, a man in a claret football shirt pointing, crates of fruit in front
Two men in striped aprons cooking at a bright window counter, one mid-story

Portraits and closing

After lunch I made a few portraits of staff and members. Quick and straightforward. A clean record of each person, with the room kept in the background rather than erased.

The day was not about a single event, and the photographs are not either. It was a normal day made of small sessions, shared time and ordinary interaction. That is exactly what I wanted them to show.

Older woman with white-blonde hair and black glasses in a patterned jumper, smiling, mural behind
Man in a green jumper and navy apron laughing with his head tilted, mural behind
Man with a buzz cut and moustache in a white long-sleeved top, steady gaze, mural behind
Woman with short brown hair and a fringe hairband in a floral top and dungarees, smiling, mural behind
Woman with grey-streaked hair and a pendant necklace smiling broadly, mural behind
Smiling man with short dark hair and a beard in a grey hoodie, mural colours behind
Smiling young woman in a white t-shirt in front of a colourful Live Love Laugh mural
Woman in dungarees and a zigzag-patterned top in front of the Live Love Laugh mural
Two people side by side at the Live Love Laugh mural, one in a white shirt, one in purple denim and glasses
Man in a cap holding up a blue textile artwork of a horse and rider in a colourful art studio
Woman in a red t-shirt and black apron moulding clay, smiling up at the camera
Man at a cluttered ceramics bench holding up a painted pot and brush, smiling
Older woman with white-blonde hair and black glasses in a patterned jumper, smiling, mural behind
Man in a green jumper and navy apron laughing with his head tilted, mural behind
Man with a buzz cut and moustache in a white long-sleeved top, steady gaze, mural behind
Woman with short brown hair and a fringe hairband in a floral top and dungarees, smiling, mural behind
Woman with grey-streaked hair and a pendant necklace smiling broadly, mural behind
Smiling man with short dark hair and a beard in a grey hoodie, mural colours behind
Smiling young woman in a white t-shirt in front of a colourful Live Love Laugh mural
Woman in dungarees and a zigzag-patterned top in front of the Live Love Laugh mural
Two people side by side at the Live Love Laugh mural, one in a white shirt, one in purple denim and glasses
Man in a cap holding up a blue textile artwork of a horse and rider in a colourful art studio
Woman in a red t-shirt and black apron moulding clay, smiling up at the camera
Man at a cluttered ceramics bench holding up a painted pot and brush, smiling

Photographing at Headway reminded me which part of this job I care about most: people, connection, and the quiet moments in between. To learn more about their work, or to support it, visit Headway London.

If you run a charity or community project

and would like environmental portraits that celebrate your people and their work, I am keen to take on more of these shoots. Reach me at info@tadam.co.uk.

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Adam Toth