Grant gift raises spirits of stroke club members
Maidenhead: Support group boosted by donation from Advertiser’s trust
A group supporting those who have suffered a stroke is battling on through a difficult time – with a little help from a £1,000 Louis Baylis Trust donation.
The Maidenhead and District Stroke Club and its 60 members recently suffered a blow after the closure of SportsAble, which means that it will have to look for new premises.
“The way we run the club is like a business with reserves, so we have a buffer of three to six months, depending on how expensive the new place is,” said Neil Symons, chairman of the club.
“But we don’t want to have to use the buffer. We haven’t been able to do any of our usual fundraising like sponsored walks or swims, so we’ve been relying on local grants for the time being.
“Where the trust money has been so brilliant is in allowing us to keep the therapy going in a virtual world.
“We’re almost seen as an extension of the NHS – the stroke unit points people to us,” he said.
Without a meeting place, the volunteers have been reaching out to members by phone, sending them puzzle books or gardening kits, or arranging for them to go out for walks, to keep members occupied – which, Neil said, is particularly important for those who have suffered strokes.
“It reminds them that they haven’t been forgotten. They are desperately wanting to meet again and are very frustrated at the speed at which things are moving,” he said.
“The sledgehammer lockdowns have such an impact on mental health and I worry that this hasn’t been taken into account.
“People are fed up, bored, seeing their lives drifting away from them and they don’t know why.”
Support groups will be able to open again in April and May. Club members will start looking for new premises.