Brighton stroke survivors meet once a month, and new members are welcome

Brighton Stroke Survivors, a support group for people in the city who have had a stroke, meets on the third Thursday of every month from midday to 2pm. In between, members keep in touch on WhatsApp. The next meeting is on 19 November.

The Argus², which reported on the group, says the meetings are at the Laughing Dog in Brighton Marina. In October the group held a special session for Stroke Awareness Day.

The group’s listing on the Stroke Association¹ website describes it as “a small friendly group of stroke survivors from Brighton and Hove, open to all ages”. Members talk about what’s going well and what isn’t, and help each other through recovery. The listing calls it “a safe space to talk/message and lots of fun too”. It is open to stroke survivors and anyone affected by stroke, and new members from across Brighton & Hove are welcome.

Keith Laundon helps run it. He had a stroke in 2021, caused by atrial fibrillation. “If you have had a stroke and you cannot get out, you have got a bit of rehab at home, something like this gives you another outlet,” he told the Argus. If someone posts that they’ve woken up feeling low, he said, “you will have at least six or seven people come back and say ‘don’t worry, this is quite normal’.”

Jacky Knowles had a stroke in December 2023. “People who are new and still confused and frightened, we can give them values and possibilities,” she said. Trudi Walshe, who can no longer use her left arm, said she wished someone had come to talk to her in hospital “because I was scared”.

The group is independent but belongs to the Stroke Group Network and works closely with the Stroke Association. It is also after volunteers. To join or offer help, use the enquiry form on the group’s Stroke Association page, which lists the group leader’s number too.