Family of stroke survivor say support services are 'fundamental' as Warwickshire charity faces cuts

  • ITV News Central reporter Hannah Ludlow went to the home of the Riding for the Disabled Association, to meet a stroke survivor who relies on support from the Stroke Association.

A charity which provides physical and emotional support to stroke survivors says losing its funding will be "disastrous".

The South Warwickshire branch of the Stroke Association delivers life after stroke care to more than 300 people across the county.

In April 2023, the charity secured funding from The National Stroke Quality Improvement in Rehabilitation programme for stroke support services in South Warwickshire. That funding will be withdrawn in June 2024.

Ken Scott from the Stroke Association said: "These proposed funding cuts would be disastrous.

"Once the funding ends and if it’s not recommissioned, there will be a huge gap for life after stroke support across South Warwickshire, and increased pressure on our health and social system.

"The cuts are short sighted and will also add further financial burden on already under-pressure GPs and hospitals in the area."

The funding allows people like Helen Jerman, from South Warwickshire, to regain their speech, movement and social life following a stroke.

Helen credits support from both the Stroke Association and the RDA for helping her to return to horse-riding. Credit: ITV News Central

Helen, 34, was a teacher and keen horse-rider when she suffered a life-changing stroke in 2002. She lost her ability to walk, talk and use the right side of her body.

As mother of four-year-old twins, Helen found the most simple of tasks incredibly difficult and thought she would never return to her lifelong hobby - horse-riding.

Her daughter Clare remembers how: "It was quite hard to watch a woman and a mother that was so fit and well and a teacher and had horses and did relatively adventurous things, become somebody that lost all of that."

Helen has competed at national competitions since she started riding again in 2010. Credit: Helen Jerman

However, support from the Stroke Association encouraged Helen to reunite with horses in 2010.

Through the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) - a charity that provides therapeutic horse-riding opportunities for 20,000 people with disabilities - Helen has been able to get back on a horse, and even compete in national competitions.

She said: "I get on and I'm free, it's my saviour. On the horse nobody knows about me."

Clare added: "It's impacted mum's recovery in so many ways. The obvious is the physical aspect and the rehab in terms of her right side movement, her core strength, but actually the more important aspects of it are the communication, the emotional support and the mental wellbeing which I think is significantly overlooked with stroke patients."

Debra Juler from the RDA says the charity helps people like Helen to boost their confidence and improve speech and mobility. Credit: ITV News Central

Debra Juler is the centre manager at the RDA, based in South Warwickshire.

She said: "We see the many benefits that riding and being with horses can bring to both people with learning difficulties and physical disabilities, and we would love to continue that.

"We need more funding and more volunteers to be able to continue."

Helen and her family want all stroke survivors in the county to be able to access the support she received from the Stroke Association.

Helen's children Clare and Tom were just four-years-old when she suffered a stroke, and have grown up supporting her. Credit: ITV News Central

Helen's son Tom is climbing Mount Snowdon with his partner in July to raise money for the charity - in the hope that it can continue to provide its services and change peoples' lives.

He said: "I think it's fundamental for all of us. Growing up, it gave us the pathway to learn things about strokes that people at that age shouldn't need to.

"It also opened up opportunities for mum to volunteer on the stroke wards when she got to the point when she was more independent."

In July last year, Helen had open-heart surgery and suffered a mini stroke during the operation. Just four weeks later, she got married.

Her story is one of hope and survival - which she and her family are thankful to the Stroke Association for.

The RDA say they need volunteers to help provide support around the horses for people like Clare. Credit: ITV News Central

A spokesperson for NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said: "As a health system, we are committed to the principle of community stroke rehabilitation services and the important role they play in supporting stroke survivors with both their recovery and in improving and maintaining their independence.

“The ICB commissioned a pilot project involving the Stoke Association and the Warwickshire Integrated Community Stroke Service after one off funding was secured through the national Stroke Quality Improvement in Rehabilitation (SQuIRe) project.

"Due to the limited nature of the funding, the project was scheduled to be a 15-month pilot and the funding was not intended to be recurrent.

“We will continue to work with SWFT to ensure that the learnings from the pilot are embedded into the rehabilitation services going forward."

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