Introduction
The Maidenhead and District Stroke Club is run entirely by a small group of volunteers, and is partly self funded through our own fundraising efforts, donations we receive, and grants we receive from Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead (RBWM),, Berkshire Community Foundation and the Louis Baylis Charitable Trust. Our aim is to help stroke survivors re-estabish themselves in a social environment. We always want to hear from new members, no matter where they live - if you or someone you know has suffered a stroke, please get in touch.
We are proud of the difference we make, and the commitment of our volunteers. In 2019, our longest serving committee member, who was a founding member in 1990, Francine Symons, was invited to Buckingham Palace to mark 30 years of Voluntary Service. Shortly after this, the club received the group MBE, the Queens Award, for Voluntary Service.
We meet fortnightly to provide social and recreational activities for our members. We are always able to welcome new members who are stroke survivors, along with a family member or carer if they wish. It doesn't matter where you live, our doors are open to you if you can get to us - either on your own, through a friend or family member, or local volunteer driver service such as Maidenhead Care. If you live in the SL6 area, we can also look to help with transport on a case by case basis after you've joined.
Stroke is the single largest cause of disability in the United Kingdom - over 150,000 people a year suffer a stroke, two thirds of whom are left disabled in some way. Around three times more women die from stroke than from breast cancer in the UK. Most people affected are over 65, but around 1000 people per year who suffer stroke are 30 or under. Recovery and rehabilitation from stroke presents many challenges, both physical and emotional. One day fit and well, the next moment affected by stroke, the stroke survivor must come to terms with physical and emotional changes as well as significant lifestyle adjustments - mobility, job, income, dependence, relationships - everything changes.
This is a website designed for you to make an initial contact with us through - whether it be to join, or to make a donation, or perhaps volunteer - we hope you find it useful.
Week to week updates on our activities can be found on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MaidenheadStrokeClub
We’d love to hear from you.
Neil Symons
Chairman
Joining Us
If you are a stroke survivor, or know someone who is who you feel may benefit from joining us - please get in touch!
Email us at maidenheadstrokeclub@gmail.com (this is the quickest way). - we need to know your name, when your stroke occurred, your contact details, and the name of a carer, family member or friend who can stay with you at the first few meetings to help you settle in. Alternatively, you can call us on 07872144350 - please leave a voicemail if the phone isn't answered! All information from you will be handled in line with our data protection policy & in line with GDPR.
We meet fortnightly to provide social and recreational activities for our members. We are always able to welcome new members who are stroke survivors, along with a family member or carer if they wish. It doesn't matter where you live, our doors are open to you if you can get to us - either on your own, through a friend or family member, or local volunteer driver service such as Maidenhead Care. If you live in the SL6 area, we can also look to help with transport on a case by case basis after you've joined.
A member of our Stroke Club Volunteer Committee will respond to you as soon as they can. Please remember we are all volunteers with day jobs, but we promise to get back to you as soon as possible.
Donating
Our club relies on grants and donations to keep running. 100% of funds received are spent on running the club - our volunteers give their time and skills completely free of charge - and in our Queens Award assessment, the business-like manner, governance and the due diligence applied to running the club was noted as one of our many strong points.
Our expenses are many - renting our hall, assisting towards transport, tea coffee & biscuits, through to funding activities for our members at meetings such as yoga, music therapy, and a variety of activities such as tabletop gardening, pub lunches, card & board games, quizzes and trips are all part of our annual spend. Where funds or grants permit, we have been able to help members on a case by case basis - such as home security, physiotherapy / acupuncture, speech therapy, carer’s respite and so on.
If you are an organisation that wishes to support a small, locally run charity, an individual that wishes to make a one-off donation or perhaps hold a ‘sponsored’ event, or maybe wish to leave a gift in memoriam of a member, please do get in touch via maidenheadstrokeclub@gmail.com or leave a voicemail on 07872144350
We understand that many organisations / bodies require us to have a formal constitution and series of governing policies, which can be found on the ‘Governance & Policies’ section of our website. If you need anything else, do feel free to ask!
About Us
The Maidenhead & District Stroke Club was conceived in 1989 by Pauline Noden, a social worker at St Marks Hospital, Maidenhead. Supported by a group of volunteers, the Maidenhead & District Stroke Club was formed in March 1990. The Club received the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2019, and Francine Symons, a founding volunteer in 1990 was also honoured at the Royal Garden Party and as a nominee for Volunteer of the Year.
Stroke is a debilitating condition that can attack almost without warning and have devastating consequences for the quality of life enjoyed. Our aim is to help our members re-establish themselves in a social situation, and make a positive, constructive difference to their lives. The club meets once a fortnight for social activities for our members, some of whom are in wheelchairs, and many contend with other various constraints, physical and / or mental.
Activities such as cards, board games, quizzes, craft are regularly available at the club, and when funds allow we aim to offer stimulating activities for the mind and body such as yoga, musical instrument therapy, singing, interactions with animals, table top gardening, the sharing of photos and memories, as well as occasional trips and meals out. All of our activities are strictly optional and it’s up to each member to what they do and don’t do when at the club; indeed, many members simply enjoy coming along and having a chat with their friends.
We welcome groups to come and speak to our members – in the past the police, fire brigade, stroke association and various local NHS groups have visited to talk with our members. We do ask that our visitors refrain from delivering ‘group’ talks, and instead engage at tables and in smaller groups, to ensure everyone can hear, and be engaged with on as individual a basis as possible.
The running of club meetings, arranging transport to and from meetings are key activities that absorb a significant amount of time from our volunteers. We are grateful for all donations, including those from members, their families and friends which help augment our own fund raising activities to meet the running costs of the club and enable us to achieve our objectives.
