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Different Strokes

@differentstrokesuk

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💚 We help younger stroke survivors & their families in the UK to reclaim their lives. 💙
☎️ Call 0345 130 7172
📨 Email [email protected]

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Could you take one brave step?

Join the Different Strokes Firewalk on Sunday 15 November at Old Saltleians Rugby Club, Water Orton, near Birmingham. After expert training, you'll walk barefoot across glowing embers and discover what you're truly capable of.

No special fitness required. Just courage, determination, and a willingness to take that first step.

Every pound you raise will help Different Strokes support younger stroke survivors and their families through peer support, rehabilitation, information and practical help.

Feel the fear. Take the step. Make a difference.

📍 Water Orton, Birmingham
📅 Sunday 15 November 2026
🔥 Sign up today link in bio by @differentstrokesuk

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11 hours ago

Earlier this month BASS Ambassador, Tia Bryden attended the Windrush Wealth Expo in Shoreditch, London.

She met the founder Luke Whyte and shared the purpose of Different Strokes’ BASS Project and why it is so important for Black people to be aware they are at higher risk of stroke than other ethnicities and more likely to have one at a younger age.

Tia spent the day handing out leaflets and speaking to other attendees about stroke risk. A special thank you to Luke for organising this event and for allowing Tia to do this pertinent awareness raising work at his event. @windrushwealthexpo

#BASSProject #BlackStrokeSurvivors #Windrushwealthexpo by @differentstrokesuk

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a day ago

Come see us in Glasgow!

Whether your stroke was recent or many years ago, you’re welcome to come along to our next Community Event. There’s no pressure to share anything. You can listen, ask questions, or simply be there.

If you’ve been thinking about coming to something like this, you’re not alone. We’ll be glad to see you there.

Book today via the link in our bio

#DifferentStrokes #StrokeSupport by @differentstrokesuk

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2 days ago

AD | Could you take part in a new exercise study for stroke survivors?

Sheffield Hallam University is looking for people living with stroke to join PACE4S, an eight-week exercise programme using seated, power-assisted equipment.

Sessions are supervised by a physiotherapist and exercise physiologist at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre in Attercliffe, North Sheffield. Your mobility and fitness will be measured at the start and end, and you'll complete a short quality of life questionnaire. An interview is optional.

You may be eligible if you:

✔ Have a confirmed diagnosis of stroke
✔ Live with some mobility changes
✔ Can take 2-3 steps to transfer
✔ Can give informed consent

All transport costs are covered, and the study is open to people in Sheffield and surrounding areas.

📅 Closing date: 1 February 2027

To find out more, contact Dr Rachel Young:
📧 r.young@shu.ac.uk
📱 07811 467134

Watch a short video about the study: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s3ueZEuiq0E

Please share with anyone who might be interested. 💙💚

#Stroke #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivors #PACE4S #Sheffield by @differentstrokesuk

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3 days ago

📅 What's coming up in October and November

Lots happening for our community over the next two months, and most of it is free to join!!

October

🗣 14: Understanding Aphasia webinar with Say Aphasia
🌿 20: Cannabis Industry Council webinar on patient choice, safety and quality of life
⚖️ 26-30: Free legal clinics with Irwin Mitchell
📍 30: Community event for younger stroke survivors, Glasgow

November

😴 4: Sleep, Stroke and Recovery webinar
📍 6: Community event for younger stroke survivors, London
✈️ 11: Travelling After Stroke webinar
🔥 15: Fundraising Firewalk, Birmingham

👉 Find out more and book your place in the news section of our website: www.differentstrokes.co.uk/news

Events like these are free because of our supporters. If you can, join us at the Firewalk, donate or help in another way, so we can keep running events and services for our community. 🙏💙💚

Which are you booking? Tell us below 👇

#StrokeSupport #StrokeRecovery #YoungStroke #DifferentStrokes by @differentstrokesuk

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5 days ago

9 months post stroke, I found myself back where it all started, in hospital. I’d been so excited about this milestone, celebrating how far I’d come and seeing my progress. This doesn’t undo that, I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again 💪🏽 A reality check for how vulnerable my damaged brain really is, my new normal.

I focus on highlights and triumphs but for stroke survivors, transparency is key in recovery so I want to show that regressions are a part of stroke recovery. You are still progressing, still achieving and you are still a day closer to your next goal. Keep going 💪🏽

Grateful to be back home with my family. Missing my ladies on the ward, my mischievous girl gang causing mayhem together. We cheered each other on with every wobbly step, we blew kisses every morning and laughed till we fell asleep. We shed tears as I left, I’ll forever be grateful I had them through my stay and blown away by the incredible multi-disciplinary team who cared for me at Western General Hospital. As promised, I’m visiting my ladies to keep them smiling & keep them naughty.

#stroke #strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #health #motivation taken in Edinburgh, United Kingdom by @differentstrokesuk

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6 days ago

We are proud to be a charity partner of Beyond Awareness: Patient Choice, Safety & Improved Quality of Life.

Taking place on Tuesday 20th October, from 11am, this live broadcast hosted by the Cannabis Industry Council will bring together patients, charities, healthcare professionals, researchers and industry leaders to explore patient choice, treatment options, safety and quality of life.

The discussions will look at the realities of living with chronic conditions, the importance of informed patient choice, responsible prescribing and the support people may need beyond treatment.

At Different Strokes, we know how important it is for the experiences and perspectives of people living with long-term health conditions to be heard.

🗓️ Tuesday 20 October 2026
🕚 From 11am BST
📍 Live from British Cannabis, Wokingham

👉 Find out more and register to watch - link in bio

#DifferentStrokes #PatientChoice #QualityOfLife #StrokeSupport #PatientVoice by @differentstrokesuk

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6 days ago

At 14, Michelle was sitting in English class when her arms went numb. There were no warnings and no headaches, and moments later she was unconscious. The cause was an AVM that had been there her whole life, unnoticed.

Open brain surgery, a post-op brain infection and three months in hospital followed. Six years on, Michelle lives with migraines and some memory loss, but she's also married, expecting her first baby, and wearing her scar "like a crown."

She now marks the date of her stroke as the day she survived. 💚💙

Read Michelle's story - link in bio

#StrokeSurvivor #StrokeInYoungPeople #StrokeAwareness #LifeAfterStroke #DifferentStrokes by @differentstrokesuk

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7 days ago

💤 Sleep, Stroke and Recovery: What You Need to Know

Getting a good night’s sleep can be difficult after stroke. From struggling to fall asleep to waking during the night, sleep problems can have an impact on wellbeing and recovery.

Join Different Strokes for a free online webinar with Melanie Fleming, Associate Professor at the University of Oxford, who will explore common sleep problems after stroke and share advice on what may help you sleep better.

📅 Wednesday 4th November 2026
⏰ 11:30am GMT
💻 Online – Free to attend

Melanie leads the NeuroRehabilitation Research Group at the University of Oxford and researches how sleep changes following stroke and its impact on recovery.

👉 Book your free place - link in bio.

Please share with anyone who may find this webinar helpful.

#Stroke #StrokeRecovery #SleepAfterStroke #StrokeSurvivor #LifeAfterStroke by @differentstrokesuk

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7 days ago

Since a stroke, have you ever wondered whether something could have been done differently? Maybe about a delay in diagnosis, the care you received, or a missed chance to prevent or treat the stroke?

You're not alone, and you don't have to work it out by yourself.

We've partnered with Irwin Mitchell to offer our community a week of free, confidential consultations with their medical negligence team. It's a chance to talk things through, ask questions and understand your options. No pressure, no obligation.

The consultations can take place by phone or video call.

📅 26th to 30th October, 9am to 7pm
🕐 Can't make those times? They may be able to arrange another.

To book:

If you're in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, contact Jessica Allen:

📞 0203 040 3442
✉️ jessica.allen@irwinmitchell.com

If you're in Scotland, contact Darren Deery:

📞 0131 255 0581
✉️ Darren.Deery@irwinmitchell.com

This is a general, preliminary conversation and doesn't create a client relationship with Irwin Mitchell. by @differentstrokesuk

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8 days ago

How to fold clothes with one hand

A another series of Chiara’s One-Handed Hacks. I am collaborating with @differentstrokesuk the only charity dedicated to younger stroke survivors in the UK This hack comes straight from a request by the Different Strokes community.

I will be sharing a Reel to both of our Instagram pages to help you with an everyday task one-handed. If you have any hacks, you would like to see you can leave a comment below or you can DM me

If you try the hacks at home – don’t forget to share your progress by tagging us or using the hashtag #onehandedhacks

#hemiplegia #strokesurvivor #youngstrokesurvivors #onehand by @differentstrokesuk

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9 days ago

AD | Have you had neurological rehabilitation after a stroke? Help improve the rehab journey for others

The University of Surrey is looking for stroke survivors to give feedback on a patient guide to neurological rehabilitation, written by a stroke survivor. Your views will help shape a guide to support others going through rehab.

You can take part if you:
✔ Are over 18
✔ Have taken part in neurological rehabilitation after stroke
✔ Can read English
✔ Can verbally share your thoughts on the guide

What's involved:
✔ An online consent form and short questionnaire
✔ Reading the guide and sharing your thoughts as you go
✔ One interview of about an hour, online or in person, with breaks as needed
✔ A few extra questions about the guide

📅 Recruitment closes October 2026

To find out more, contact Lauren Levenberg:
📧 LL01453@surrey.ac.uk

Please share with anyone who might be interested.

#Stroke #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivors #NeuroRehab #ResearchParticipation by @differentstrokesuk

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9 days ago