Supporting those with head and neck disease

Get A-Head Over The Years

Many of you will know of the work we currently do here at Get A-Head, but do you know our history!

The Get A-Head Charitable Trust was started 20th January 1994 by John Watkinson, Adrian Drake-Lee, together the late Roy Castle & Peter Scudamore and the first fundraising event was held on the same evening at California Pizza Factory, Harborne

The first Get A-Head Ball was held on 8th October 1994 at Botanical Gardens, Edgbaston, Birmingham

Over the years we have had many Friends support the charity in many different ways.

  • 63 Skydivers
  • 65 Challenge Events
  • 38 London Marathon Runners
  • 466 Cyclists
  • 173 Walkers & Climbers
  • 6 Kayakers
  • 300 GAH Mini Stars (Kids)
  • 60 Golfers
  • 319 Singers & Musicians
  • 30 Belly Dancers
  • 3,531 Hours of Volunteering since 2008
  • 5,959 Ball Attendees since 2008

Since 1994 Get A-Head have raised over £6,000,000 and has provided Grants in excess if £3,500,000 towards the funding of Research, Education, Equipment and Complementary Therapy


  • 3-D Printer for the Maxillofacial Department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham



  • Research funding for project entitled: “In Vitro and In Vivo Tumour Profiling as a Means of Defining Novel Therapeutic Targets in High-Risk Salivary Gland Cancers ” for Prof. Kevin Harrington at The ICR



  • CyberKnife for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham



  • Olympus Endoscope Stack for ENT Outpatients Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham



  • Dedicated Head & Neck Complementary Therapy Service at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham



  • NIOX MINO analyser for the Allergy Clinic at Queen Elizabeth Hospital



  • Suction Unit for Ward 408, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham



  • PhD Research funding for Project: “Novel Binding Partners of PBF in Thyroid tumourigenesis and Goitrogenesis”.
    for Neil Sharma



  • OAE/Tympanometer test suite for The Hearing Centre at the ENT Clinic, Heartlands Hospital



  • Four Chemotherapy Chairs & associated medical equipment for the Haematology and Oncology Day Unit at Solihull Hospital



  • Two multi-drop dispensers for The ICR at The Royal Marsden Hospital



  • Endoscopic ENT Surgical Navigation System for the Head & Neck Team at Birmingham Children’s Hospital



  • Christmas Tree at the Cancer Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital



  • Oral Care Packs for the ENT Outpatients Department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham



  • Research funding for project entitled: “Molecular genetic investigation of familial non-RET medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC)” for Joel Smith



  • iPads & Speech Software for Speech & Language Department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham



  • Electro Larynxes for Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust, Barts Hospital, Heartlands Hospital & Queen Elizabeth Hospital



  • Refrigerated micro-centrifuge for The Institute of Cancer Research at The Royal Marsden Hospital



  • Research Funding for a project entitled: “Immunoprofiling of Thyroid Cancer” for Dae Kim



  • Research funding for Prof Hisham Mehanna’s AcceleraTED Research Project at University of Birmingham



  • PhD Funding for a project entitled: “Intensive versus non-intensive speech and language therapy for dysphagia rehabilitation post-surgical reconstruction for oral and oropharyngeal head and neck cancer” for Camilla Dawson



  • Consumables for Research Project entitled: “Hitching a ride: Are vault RNAs selectively loaded into head and neck cancer derived extracellular vesicles?” at Sheffield University