“Walk a mile in my shoes…”

On Saturday 28 September 2024, 30 years to the day after a stroke changed her life forever, Jenny Smith will be hoping to walk the furthest she has ever achieved in that time… a one-mile fund-raising walk on behalf of the charity that has helped her recovery: Bristol After Stroke.

After her stroke, which occurred when she was a 34-year-old mum with two young children, Jenny spent months receiving intensive therapy struggling to regain her mobility and her communication skills ­– both of which were badly affected.
Her battle has continued ever since ­– slowly and painfully relearning how to walk, speak, use a computer and drive ­– and it meant the end of a successful career.

Six years after her stroke, Jenny turned to Bristol After Stroke for counselling, and that led to her becoming one of the charity’s most active volunteers… helping to run courses and groups for other stroke-affected people around the city, as well as helping to train physiotherapists, speaking publicly about aphasia (the language disorder caused by stroke) and spending some years as a trustee.

But her planned fund-raising walk on 28 September represents one of her biggest challenges to date. “A mile is a long, long way if you have restricted mobility,” she says, “but something I’m determined to do.”

Bristol After Stroke’s annual Charity Walk offers the choice of either a one-mile accessible walk around Eastville Park, or (if you are able) a six-mile walk along the beautiful Frome Valley Walkway to Oldbury Court, returning back to Eastville Park.

A number of those taking part will be walking a mile for the first time since their stroke, and several are aiming to go even further and complete the entire six miles.

“Last year we launched our Charity Walk and it proved hugely popular,” says Bristol After Stroke’s Fundraising Officer Jenny Hollis. “Almost 100 of our supporters came along – some in wheelchairs, many with their dogs and children – and together raised over £9,000. We’re hoping to do even better this year, and there’s an open invitation for anyone who would like to come along and join in the fun.”

Says Jenny Smith: “Bristol After Stroke made a huge difference to my life, and it continues to help hundreds of local people every year to rebuild their lives after a stroke. And while a mile may not seem a long way for most people, completing this walk would mean so much to me and to the other stroke-affected people taking part that day.”

Some 100,000 people have strokes each year in the UK, and there are 1.3 million stroke survivors. Making a recovery from a stroke relies heavily on the person receiving help and support after discharge from hospital. Bristol After Stroke is one of the only community-based charities providing this type of support in the country, helping people in the Greater Bristol area to rebuild their lives following a stroke.

Their services offer a unique combination of practical, social, emotional and psychological support to stroke-affected people as well as to their carers and loved ones.

Says the charity’s CEO Rebecca Sheehey, “We rely heavily on donations, sponsorships and legacies to fund our work. All proceeds from the walk will help people in Bristol and South Gloucestershire to rebuild their lives after a stroke. Demand for our support has never been higher and we know that getting the right help at the right time is key.  Your support can help make this happen.”
                                                                                             
Entry to the walk costs £10 for adults and £1 for children (plus booking fee), and those taking part are also encouraged to get sponsored. You can find out more on: https://www.bristolafterstroke.org.uk/resources/charity-walk-