13th Colchester Winter Ale Festival Programme

Stroke changes lives in an instant,
but the brain can adapt. And so can
you. We're the Stroke Association,
here to support people to rebuild
their lives after stroke.
When stroke strikes, part of your
brain shuts down. And so does a
part of you. That's because a stroke
happens in the brain, the control centre for who we are and what we can do.
It happens every five minutes in the UK and changes lives instantly. Recovery is
tough, but with the right specialist support and with courage and determination,
the brain can adapt.
Our specialist support, research and campaigning are only possible with the
courage and determination of the stroke community. With more donations and
support from you, we can rebuild even more lives.
Donate by placing any partially used beer cards in the box to donate or
find out more at stroke.org.uk
Paul's Story
“My job before was as an English
teacher. But now I can't read or write.”
Paul was 40 years old when he had a
stroke in 2016. He was an actor and
teacher at the time: "I was going to show
my wife Suzi something on my phone
but I couldn't move my right-hand side.
She looked at me and said, 'What's wrong with your face?' At first, she thought I was
joking around."
The hospital gave Paul a 10% chance he'd survive his operation. But he received the new
thrombectomy treatment and pulled through. “I remember having a conversation in my
head with myself. A list of things I'd do afterwards – lose weight, get fit, get better, do
things, change my life, change my habits. And that's pretty much what I've followed
since.
"My job before was as an English teacher. But now I can't read or write, so my job is to
help other stroke survivors. I work with stroke survivor groups and talk to people about
how to find hope in the little bits and pieces." Paul saw fantastic progress with his speech
after attending our Communication Support Service and soon became a volunteer Stroke
Association Ambassador.
our festival charity
Two years post stroke, he trekked an incredible 791 km across northern Spain and
France to fundraise for us and help other stroke survivors rebuild their lives.
Paul features in our Rebuilding Lives campaign. Find out more about the campaign and
watch the film here. www.stroke.org.uk/rebuilding-lives