HOPE, HELP & HEALING for stroke survivors and their families

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Registered Charity Number 1166424

• Announcement: Stroke Information

• Announcement: Picture

  

   

  

• August 2025

  August 2025

  This year is certainly flying by and we are already at August, it wont be long before the festive season is upon us once again but what we have learnt from our past is that the best course of action is to take one day at a time.  Yes its fine to have plans, targets, dreams, aspirations, goals but maintain them to be realistic and achievable and you wont go far wrong.

  Speaking about rights and wrongs, as part of StrokeInformation’s strategy to be innovative we implemented here at StrokeInformation a portal which allows anyone impacted by Stroke reach out to others impacted by Stroke and this was done via a WhatsApp platform whereby we have a main group for everyone and a ladies only group to allow things to be discussed which are not necessarily for all and it has been working extremely well.   However as every day is a school day, we have learnt some very valuable lessons of late and I think it is only correct that we remind ourselves of some fairly basic Etiquette, so please when contacting anyone on WhatsApp please follow our guidelines where practically possible.

  • • Respect Privacy: Be mindful of others’ privacy and avoid sharing personal information or media without permission.
    • Respond Promptly (But Respectful of Time): Aim to respond to messages in a timely manner, but also understand that others may not always be available and respect their boundaries. 
    • Use Clear and Concise Language: Avoid ambiguity and ensure your messages are easy to understand. 
    • Proofread Before Sending: Double-check for errors and clarity before hitting “send”. 
    • Use Emojis Wisely: While emojis can enhance communication, avoid overusing them or using them in a way that could be misinterpreted. 

  • Respect Group Purpose: Stay on topic in group chats and avoid irrelevant or spammy content. 

  • Be Mindful of Group Sizes: Large groups can be overwhelming, so consider being specific for who it is intended by using the @ symbol to refer to someone in particular which will allow others to simply scroll past as it is not relevant for all. 

  • Avoid Unnecessary Forwarding: Only forward messages if they are relevant and likely to be of interest to the recipient. 

  • Consider Tone and Context: Be mindful of how your messages might be perceived, especially in group chats or when communicating with people you don’t know well. 

  • Don’t Ignore Messages: If you don’t want to engage in a conversation, it’s better to politely decline or end it rather than ignoring messages. 

  Specific Etiquette for Group Chats:

  • Use the group for its intended purpose: Avoid using the group for private conversations or to discuss unrelated topics. 

  • Keep conversations relevant: Avoid posting off-topic content or sending excessive messages. 

  • Avoid arguments and negativity: Steer clear of heated discussions and negativity within the group. 

  • Respect individual preferences: Some people may prefer to be contacted via private messages, so respect those preferences. 

  • Be mindful of the time: Avoid sending messages late at night or early in the morning unless it’s urgent. 

  • Don’t use the group to air grievances: Address personal issues with individuals privately. 

  • Be considerate of others’ time: Avoid asking questions that have already been answered or that could easily be found elsewhere.Whatsapp peer to peer support group terms and conditions

    The purpose of the  peer to peer support groups for stroke survivors, family or carers, is to provide a support network and create a trusting community offering support to each other, and importantly, benefiting from participation within the community or communities.

    Disclaimer: 

    This Whatsapp group was set up by and fully organised by stroke survivors.

    This Whatsapp group does not have a moderator (i.e. someone who reads all the posts) and there are no qualified medical or social care staff involved in responding. This Whatsapp group is not an appropriate source of urgent help for either physical or mental health problems.If you have acute physical symptoms, including BEFAST stroke symptoms you should seek urgent medical help by calling 999.

    Posting Guidelines

  • Rather than have a strict form of terms and conditions for group involvement we ask all participants to adhere to the following guidelines:
    • Respect Privacy:
      In a trust based environment it is essential that all participants’ contact numbers (including name and number) are not shared outside the group, and that all discussions are treated confidentially.
    • Respect and Civility:
      Engage in respectful, constructive, and helpful communication.
    • Inappropriate Content:
      Under no circumstances share any content that could be interpreted as inappropriate, upsetting, or offensive, including language that is offensive or discriminatory.
    • No Advertising:
      Advertising or promoting for-profit products or services is prohibited within the group.
    • Relevant Discussions:
      Keep conversations focused on the group’s purpose, avoiding off-topic or irrelevant messages.
    • Appropriate Timing:
      Be mindful of sending messages at inappropriate or antisocial times, such as before 8 am or after 10 pm unless it is an emergency.

    Responsibilities of Group Members:

    • Consent: All members should consent to being part of the group or groups, as their phone number and full name will be visible to all members.
    • Confidentiality: Maintain confidentiality regarding all discussions within the group.
    • Respectful Communication: Engage in polite and respectful communication with all members.
    • No Bullying or Harassment: Any form of bullying, harassment, or discrimination will result in immediate expulsion.
    • Avoid Unnecessary Messages: If a message is not relevant to the majority of members, it’s recommended to message the person directly instead of the group.

    Group Administrator Rights:

    • Enforcement:
      Group administrators have the absolute right to remove members who violate the group guidelines.
    • Monitoring:
      Administrators may monitor conversations to help and support when needed and may ask members to remove inappropriate messages.
    • Privacy and Consent:
      Administrators should ensure that all members consent to being part of the group before adding them, as member’s mobile phone numbers will be visible to all

    Urgent Medical Treatment

    If you are in acute mental distress or if you are considering ending your life, please follow the advice below:

    If you feel you cannot keep yourself safe, go to A&E at your nearest hospital.  Call 999 for an ambulance if you need to.

    There will always be a mental health professional on duty who you can talk to.

    Contact a Samaritan on 116 123

    “If you need someone to talk to, we listen. We won’t judge or tell you what to do.”

    2 pics courtesy of RP on his recent journey touring Scotland.
• July 2025

  These gorgeous beanie Steady Eddie’s are available to purchase – £15 each or 2 for £25 posted money to StrokeInformation 208214 / 43250563 order yours now contactus@strokeinformation.co.uk

  https://strokeinformation.theshopstore.co.uk/      👈👈👈

  👆🏻 check out our shop

  Welcome to July, a fantastic month, it has to be right?  Its the month of my birth…..not only that the weather is generally nicer, people are kinder, days are longer and there is always improvements to be made, in your life, your recovery, your rehabilitation and basically you are in charge of your future, you cant undo the past (imagine if we could) but we cant so take my advice, head down, shoulders back, stand tall and live life to the fullest make memories every day and you wont regret a thing.

  Mixed emotions for me recently as I have now been officially discharged from my stroke consultant and the stroke clinic, whilst it is a massive step in my own personal journey, I cant help feeling though it is as if someone has pulled the safety net from under me.  Yes I know I am extremely lucky in that I have had 12 years of dedicated care and support despite the NHS blaming covid for me disappearing off their radar for a few years but when I shared the news amongst the stroke community I am in, the response was very very different and it made me ponder about the so called postcode lottery on where you live here in the UK and overseas, now we have people in the US, Malta, Trinidad to name but a few but in most cases people were effectively given 6 months of aftercare and then thats it, fend for themselves and to me that is more and more of a reason that StrokeInformation gets to as many people as possible to let them know they are not ALONE.

   

      

  Would you like to have one of these cute Steady Eddie ™️ soft beanie toys??   Order yours now only £15 including postage or £25 for 2 posted…….ABSOLUTE STEAL. contactus@strokeinformation.co.uk     with Steady Eddie in the subject.

   

• June 2025

  

  Well MAY and another month of awareness is over, but to me awareness month is never over, how can it be when it means so  much to each and everyone of us, not only us stroke survivors but also friends and family of those impacted by Stroke and its only with raising that awareness and educating people about strokes that we will be able to cope better manage more effectively and like out 4 A’s say, Awareness, Acknowledge, Accept and Action, believe me it works.

  May also means that our latest employee SOPHIE has completed her first month of employment since her stroke, so a massive well done to you, like I say to many of you, look just how far you have come! 💪.    Sophie now joins our other employees and thats partly down to Eddie’s Club which we started last July whereby any organisation can take part and join Eddie’s Club, they pay a subscription fee by direct debit, they get official merchandise, air fresheners, pin badges, a wax sealed certificate of membership, a personalised welcome letter, a signed copy of Injury Time and a Beanie Steady Eddie which are arriving this month & …..the best part that we guarantee to get another stroke survivor back in employment.    We will give you that sense of purpose and worth once more……so if you know someone who would like to get involved, please drop me a message at contactus@strokeinformation.co.uk.

  Whilst I have the chance also a great big warm wobbly welcome to all our latest members of the WhatsApp group, welcome to our safe space where you can laugh, cry, rant, praise, moan, gloat or whatever you want to do there is no judgement just be respectful thats all.

• May 2025

  Please check out our shop, there are some really cool items link below,   May is here and WE are absolutely delighted to be able to have Sophie Dougherty join our ranks as our next part time co-ordinator.  Since starting Eddie’s Club last July whereby we ask corporate sponsors to join and swell as getting a whole heap of merchandise, including air fresheners, pin badges, car stickers, a special edition wax seal certificate of membership, welcome letter, a signed copy of Injury Time (signed not sure who, by but it is signed) and a very special limited edition Steady Eddie Beanie toy, which will be available later this month.  Sophie becomes our 8th member of staff and we are really excited to be able to welcome her to our very very special team, truly encompassing #WeCareBecauseWeveBeenThere.   Welcome Sophie.

  As you may recall we had our birthday celebrations last month where we had Eddie’s Easter Eggsraviganza at Edgeley Park the home of Stockport County FC, over 150 people attended and the feedback we got was tremendous and we hope to build on that and make next year our 10th birthday Bash something even truly better.  Thank you to every single one of you who attended and supported StrokeInformation it really was a special night and if nothing else we hope you are now a little more educated about Strokes and the impact a stroke can have on a family.  The amount we raised was just under £10,000.00 but I am hopeful that this figure will have been reached by the time everyone has paid their dues.

  https://strokeinformation.theshopstore.co.uk

• April 2025

   

  April 2025, its our BIRTHDAY MONTH, yes we turn NINE and to commemorate this milestone we have launched a brand new shop where you can order items directly – please check the items out and if you have any suggestions we would love to hear them.

  https://strokeinformation.theshopstore.co.uk/

  By placing any orders you will be promoting the charity, raising the much needed awareness and supporting us in what we do, so thank you.

  We are also having a celebration on the 4th April 2025 at Stockport County FC as follows tickets  are on sale for the event but you can also make a donation via scanning this QR Code with your smartphone.

  Again thank you as it is so important to keep doing what we do;  We have been working with Jay and Paul from Rhodon Films

  www.rhodonfilms.com  so please watch out for the finished article as it promises to be outstanding and really shows the incredible work that our team do.    We have also launched “Fletchlings” which is a bespoke service aimed at counselling the younger generation impacted by Stroke.   This totally confidential service is delivered by our trained counsellors with that unique lived experience of what its like to have a relative impacted by Stroke.  As our motto say’s “We Care Because We’ve Been There” we understand we have ways and means to be able to manage & cope, not convinced?  Try it out Fletchlings@strokeinformation.co.uk  in the strictest of confidence.

   

   

   

• March 2025

  Please click the above link to listen to our pilot of our brand new podcast called “The Wobblers” hope you find it useful.  As I say it is a pilot, our very first toe in the water if you like, so if you would like to appear on it or have any ideas that will help our community we would love to hear from you;   Contactus@strokeinformation.co.uk

  One thing that is becoming more and more obvious in our world is the level of ignorance, understanding, compassion and empathy !!  Yes I totally understand how the medical profession have that much to deal with that it is sometimes the response of negative feedback in areas like “Oh you won’t be able to walk again” or “you are really going to struggle talking again”. I get it…….totally as not to build up someones hope but in all honesty what rights do you have to give this prognosis ?  How do you know?   The brain is a wonderful tool that we have and even after a stroke when brain cells are damaged or even dead, IT DOES NOT MEAN YOU WONT…..NEUROPLASTICITY is amazing and there is defiance by doing things during your recovery, LITTLE and OFTEN, repetition, repetition, repetition.  TRY and TRY AGAIN, you won’t find out unless you try and it might take more times that you first anticipate but JUST DON’T GIVE UP, its all about little goals and you will achieve small gains, you might not even realise it but you will.   For example…..one of our crew (I dont have there explicit permission so I cant name them) but one of our wobblers, 7 years after their stroke has just started getting sensation in their toes……see it does happen, we have loads of good accounts of where the prognosis has looked bleak only for us to do this. (Mandy, thats not just for you).

  An area that we are keen to develop is providing a service for Children, not just children that have had strokes but have been impacted by stroke, so it could be the son of a stroke survivor, a daughter, a grandchild absolutely anyone who would like to know more to help them understand.   We’ve got people waiting in the wings to help, so if you know of anyone who needs our help, please email us ContactUs@strokeinformation.co.uk  in the strictest confidence.

      A quick shout out to our newest members of our WhatsApp group, Mark, Tracy, Joan, Chris, Mark, Joy and Georgia – Welcome to our wonderful wobblers community I hope you enjoy your time and we prove informative & helpful.

• February 2025

  February 2025,  Did you know that the month February is named for the Latin word februum which means purification. So I guess its quite ironic as your recovery journey from a stroke starts, it is a way of cleansing ….in Wales its known as “y mis bach” (That’s just for you Rhian) or little month and whilst on the subject it maybe a short month but don’t count the days, make the days count.

   Eddie’s Club is really taking off, we now have 9 Stroke survivors back in employment, back with a purpose in life and feeling wanted and part of something again.  A little teaser is that every member of Eddie’s Club will receive a special limited edition Beanie Toy version of our registered mascot, they have been ordered and should be ready to the members in time for our 9th Birthday celebrations in April 2025.   2 things on that note, if you know any organisation who would like to sponsor a Stroke survivor back into work for a nominal fee, please get in touch now, not only will you receive special stroke information merchandise, pens, stickers, air fresheners and a very cute loveable toy but you will also receive a special wax certificate to display at your premises enhancing your corporate social responsibility but more importantly we guarantee to get one more stroke survivor back in employment.   Now how good does that feel???  Secondly, in April we have our fundraiser planned and so far we have got 18 tables filled so thats 180 people agreeing to attend so far, the room holds 400 so that equates to 22 remaining….come on reserve yours now, you will not have attended anything like this.

  

• January 2025

  

  January 2025, welcome Its great to be  here.   Our FREE weekly drop ins are more popular than ever,  yes , every Monday (Except Bank Holidays) between 10am- 12 pm your chance to join in, talk stroke, not talk stroke, get things off you chests, ask away after all there is no such thing as a daft question.   We all care because we’ve been there.  So come along, no appointment necessary and if you can not physically get there, no worries, you can join via Zoom so wherever you are there is always support here for you with the ladies and gents of StrokeInformation.    A new service we are launching this year is a befriending service to children and relatives of people impacted by Stroke.    Our fully lived experienced advisors can help you, they are fully DBS cleared and totally understand.   As always anything discussed is totally confidential and will not be disclosed to any third party.

  Let us help you to make 2025 the next step on the road to recovery.    We Care Because We’ve Been There.

  May I take this opportunity to share something with you, I am unable to name the person as I do not currently have their consent, however a member of our drop in who has been a regular attendee for the last 12 months visited us as a shy character mainly down to the many misconceptions surrounding stroke.   This person came to us after their second stroke, the first being in 2013, the last one in 2018 and even though they experience other health issues they have never given up and we have embraced them and welcomed them into being an integral part of our group.  On our last drop in of 2024 this person shared with us that they experienced something really strange and remarkable all the same.  After their carers had been to visit after their shower, the carers continued to dry the person and actually started tickling them on their weak side (stroke side) you might think nothing of it but for our group member they could feel that sensation, the first time in years……it doesn’t happen all the time but when someone is told that they will not do this and they will not do that after their stroke, never ever stop trying, please don’t give up, if you are struggling, then please reach out to us, we would love to try and help you.

Listed in the Stockport Directory  Contact number : 0330 055 2197

Other websites specialise in rehabilitation and if you are in the Woking or surrounding area or know of those impacted by Stroke in that area, feel fret check out :- https://wokingstrokeability.com/