Care group teams up with stroke charity

Tom Richardson, Northern Ireland director for the Stroke Association, thanks Gillian Dowd, manager and Babin George, acting nurse manager, of Chester Nursing Home along with resident Margaret Malloghan in recognition of the new Charity of the Year partnership with the Wilson Group. INLT 13-633-CON

This is the Stroke Association’s first charity partnership in Northern Ireland and it got underway with a Valentine’s tea dance in Whitehead last month.

This will be followed by other events at Chester and Whitehead Nursing Homes and at Larne Care Home.

Desmond Wilson, chairman and founder of the Wilson Group, said; “As a business, we’ve always been enthusiastic charity supporters. We raised a fantastic amount for various worthy causes in 2013, so this year, we decided to focus our efforts on stroke as it is very relevant for the company, affecting so many of our clients and families.

“It’s a subject we could very much relate to and we’re looking forward to doing lots of different and exciting fundraising activities over the coming months.”

Northern Ireland director for the Stroke Association, Tom Richardson, said; “Charity partnerships are extremely important as we rely on donations to fund our work. By supporting the Stroke Association, a company will help us positively change the lives of people affected by stroke.

“Whether it’s through ‘Charity of the Year’ or through longer-term strategic partnerships, we can work closely with organisations to enable them to support our work and demonstrate to employees and customers the positive impact they are making in the local community.

“Money fundraised by the Wilson Group will be spent in the local community, directly benefiting local stroke survivors. It will help us reach more people across Northern Ireland and continue our work to raise awareness of stroke and provide a range of valuable services including speech and language therapy, communication development programmes, and most importantly, bringing comfort and support to families facing life after stroke.

“We’re very grateful for all the support the Wilson Group will be giving us over the coming year and we look forward to developing this wonderful partnership.”

In Northern Ireland, there are around than 4,000 strokes per year and over 34,000 people living with the effects of stroke.

The Stroke Association campaigns to improve stroke care, supports people to make the best recovery they can and funds ground-breaking research to change the lives of people affected by stroke. For more information visit www.stroke.org.uk