Better Together Community Support Group is set to launch a group for people with scars inspired by a staff member who was seriously injured in a road accident as a child.

The charity will host the regular ScarSpeak group at its community HQ in Woodberry Close, Trent Vale, as a safe space for people with any kind of physical scars. Group members will be able share their experiences – or just listen – in a relaxed environment with a warm drink. 

Better Together’s head of venues and events, Luke Owen, suffered a brain injury and spent 10 days in a coma when he was just 11 years old, leaving him with a scar on the right side of his head.

Luke, of Stoke, was hit by a car as he crossed a road at a crossing and was thrown into the air before hitting the ground and skidding along the road on his head. He had to have a piece of his skull removed as his brain swelled, and underwent multiple surgeries.

On several occasion medics feared he would die, and his family was warned that he might not have been able to walk, talk, eat or feed himself again. However, the determined youngster recovered, although he was left with a large scar on his head and weakness to his left side.

Now a 33-year-old dad-of-one, Luke said the new group was ‘very close to his heart’ and something he had wanted to do 'from an early age'. 

He said: “As a child I didn’t want to leave the house because of my scar. It took me years to get over the fact that people would always glance at it when they spoke to me.

“ScarSpeak is something that is very close to my heart and has always been something that I have wanted to do from an early age, so to have this chance is nothing short of incredible.

“Anybody who has any kind of physical scar is welcome to come to our non-judgemental space to talk about whatever they want to, or just to sit and listen.”

The first meeting is set to take place on Tuesday, June 4, from 6:30pm to 8pm.

Anyone who is interested in joining the group can email Luke on luke@bettertogethercommunitystoke.org for further information.