WHENEVER one of those brave souls who run marathons or bungeejumps for charity is asked what motivates them, they almost always say it’s personal experience. Someone close to them, a friend or family member, has been touched by tragedy.

I suppose it’s human nature that we only think about illness or disease when it hits home like this. Perhaps it’s a defence mechanism, but for most of the time we tend to block out the pains and misfortunes that can afflict any of us at any moment.

I met some of those people who suffer that kind of hidden hurt this week when I attended an event organised by the local branch of Headway, the organisation that supports people living with brain injury.

I’m ashamed to say it, but I had never really thought about how people cope with the aftermath of a road accident, fall or stroke, or of the work organisations such as Headway do to support them and their families.

Their work is vital because the experience of people who have suffered brain injury is often far from pleasant. Sixty per cent face discrimination or prejudice in the jobs market or when receiving a public service. They can face abuse or intolerance from people who don’t understand why it may take them longer to do something. Perhaps worst of all, they may be accused of feigning disability because their injury is, of course, invisible.

I was impressed by Headway’s work and have agreed to do what I can to help. Nationally, it is campaigning for cycle helmets to be made compulsory for the under-15s, something that in the US has halved serious head injuries. Closer to home, Headway is trying to secure the appointment of a specialist nurse or medical practitioner at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

I’ll be backing Headway and also doing what I can to raise awareness of the support that people with a brain injury need if they’re to lead a happy, productive life.

About half a million people in the UK live with the long-term effects of brain injury.

The difficulties they face also got me thinking about a much larger group of people who also suffer a hidden hurt and who also face prejudice and misunderstanding.

One in four of us will have a mental health problem, usually anxiety or depression, in any one year. There’s more chance of experiencing mental illness than any exotic brand of flu. Yet it remains a taboo topic. Doing more to secure people’s mental wellbeing is up there with other health priorities, such as smoking, obesity and binge-drinking.

But it isn’t just a job for the health service.

When I asked a health expert what would do most to increase people’s physical and mental health in Middlesbrough, he said creating 1,000 good quality jobs in the Tees Valley.

So it is vital every agency in the region does all it can not just to save Corus, but to ensure that we bring jobs to the area. Work is a key factor in giving people the sense of worth that is the bedrock of mental wellbeing.

It isn’t the only one, of course. People have to feel safe as well as valued and have a secure and stimulating environment. So we’ve got to constantly strive to improve public services and facilities. As the hard times bite, that’s going to be increasingly difficult for councils and other public bodies. But we have to try – or more of us than ever will experience the pain of those hidden hurts and wonder why there’s no one to help us.

■ Information about the work Headway does locally can be found on the organisation’s website, www.headwayteesside.org.uk