Stroke Association East of England

24/06/2026

A huge thank you to Rutherford Briant Recruitment for their fantastic support of the Stroke Association! ⚽

On 18 June, they hosted a brilliant Football Festival, raising an incredible £2,690 to help support stroke survivors and their families.

Rutherford Briant have been supporting the Stroke Association since 2022, and thanks to their ongoing fundraising efforts, they have now raised an amazing £8,501.86 in total.

We're incredibly grateful to everyone who took part, donated and helped make the event such a success. Your support helps us continue to provide vital services, support and hope to people affected by stroke.

Thank you, Rutherford Briant Recruitment, for being part of our journey and making a real difference. 👏

22/06/2026

03/06/2026

💜💜💜Vounteer Week Celebration in West Norfolk 💜💜💜
We held an event this week for all our wonderful volunteers in West Norfolk.
Such a lovely opportunity for us to say a big thank you for all they do.
A board of all their photos was displayed and individual thank you cards given.
Thank you to the East engagement team for providing tea, cakes and snacks.
Want to know more about volunteering for the Stroke Association?
https://www.stroke.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer

29/05/2026

💜 **My Make May Purple Week - Stories from across the East of England** 💜

Throughout Stroke Awareness Month, we’ve had the privilege of travelling across the East of England visiting hospitals, stroke units, rehabilitation teams and community services as part of the Stroke Association’s Make May Purple campaign.

To show our appreciation for the incredible care and dedication of staff, we delivered cupcakes to each site, each box including a personal message: “Our fingerprints do not fade from the lives we touch. Thank you for everything you do.”

Our week began at West Suffolk Hospital, where cupcakes were warmly received by the Lead Clinical Nurse for Stroke.

From there, we visited Hinchingbrooke Hospital (Apple Tree Ward) to meet the rehabilitation team, followed by Peterborough City Hospital, where we presented cupcakes to the Lead Stroke Nurse.

At Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, we held a Make May Purple awareness stand, engaging with patients, carers and staff. It was fantastic to see hospital teams also fundraising through homemade cake sales, with support from our Cambridge Stroke Association volunteers.

The journey continued to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, where staff were genuinely surprised and very appreciative of the gesture, followed by Norwich Community Hospital (Beech Ward), where the team kindly gathered together for photos in support of the campaign.

We also visited the Early Supported Discharge (ESD) team at Norwich Community Hospital, a wonderful group who deeply appreciated the recognition for their hard work and commitment.

The week concluded back at West Suffolk Hospital, where a fantastic Make May Purple event was held. The stroke unit team truly went above and beyond, baking and selling cakes to raise over £500 for the Stroke Association. Some staff even prepared bakes after night shifts or on their days off - a real testament to their dedication. Special thanks to Emma, Nicki, Princess and Joana for helping make the event such a success.

Across every visit, we were struck by the compassion, teamwork and unwavering commitment shown by all staff working in stroke care.

Thank you to everyone who took part, welcomed us so warmly, and helped make Make May Purple such a meaningful week across the region 💜

28/05/2026

💜 Make May Purple 💜

What an incredible month it’s been across the East, with so many inspiring events, partnerships, and moments of connection to help raise awareness of stroke and support stroke survivors.

A special mention to our amazing marathon runner James Timmins from BeActiveBeds, who raised over £2,000 for the Stroke Association. Despite being unwell for three weeks leading up to the event, he still completed the marathon in an incredible 4 hours 10 minutes. We were so proud to support him at the cheer station on the day alongside the Essex Stroke Association team.

Across Central Beds, Flitwick Library hosted a Neuro Bookclub session, with thanks to Lorraine from Central Beds SRS for attending and supporting the session. We also joined Total Wellbeing at Inspire Sports Village in Luton on 15th May, where Mursalin and Anthony helped bring Make May Purple to life with a cake sale and a fun game of walking football for staff and stroke survivors.

At Danesbury Neurological Centre, we hosted a purple pop-up with cakes, helping bring a bit of colour and conversation to the day.

Watford Hospital and Holywell Neurological Rehabilitation Unit also joined in on 20th May. Maria and the team were as welcoming as ever, taking time during a busy shift to join us (with cupcakes as a small incentive!).

At Luton & Dunstable Hospital, Stroke Nurse Chris and the team were delighted with a surprise cupcake delivery – especially appreciated alongside their purple uniforms!

Bedford Hospital on 22nd May gave us the chance to connect with the therapy team and thank them for their incredible work on the Rehab Café on Shand stroke rehab ward. Special thanks to Lucy and Sneha, our Stroke Information Programme LIVE speakers.

Lister Hospital has had a particularly busy Make May Purple. Their awareness day on 15th May even included a visit from the Mayor of Stevenage! The team have been incredible throughout, including raising over £1,000 through the 31 Minutes in May challenge. We were also delighted to deliver a thank you (and more cakes!) on 20th May.

Finally, at Milton Keynes Hospital, Ward Manager Supriya and her team were thrilled with their cake delivery on 21st May. The stroke team also supported us on 27th May with an awareness stand in the hospital reception, including 60 blood pressure checks and FAST awareness quizzes – with prizes for top scores (and yes, pens were a clear favourite!). A special thank you to the consultants who stopped by, and to Nina, Stroke Specialist Nurse, for organising such a fantastic event.

Thank you to everyone across the East who has made Make May Purple such a powerful month of awareness, celebration, and support 💜

28/05/2026

On 19th May, our local Engagement Officer delivered a presentation to the amazing Physio, SALT and OT teams at Epping Hospital as part of the Stroke Association’s Make May Purple campaign 💜
To help mark the occasion, he also brought along some purple cupcakes for the team - which went down very well! 🧁
It was a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness, share experiences and support such an important campaign. A huge thank you to everyone at Epping Hospital for being so welcoming and engaged throughout.

28/05/2026

Our West Norfolk Communication Support group dressed in purple to support Make May Purple 💜

It was fantastic to see so many stroke survivors coming together, raising awareness and showing support for everyone affected by stroke.

Thank you to everyone who took part and helped make the day so special!

28/05/2026

As part of the Stroke Association’s Make May Purple campaign 💜, we visited the hardworking teams at James Paget Hospital in Great Yarmouth to deliver some well-deserved cakes and treats.
Even during an incredibly busy day, consultants, nurses and other staff members took a few moments to come together, chat and show their support for the campaign. It was lovely to see such warmth and appreciation from the team, and a privilege to recognise the amazing work they do every day.

27/05/2026

On 19th May, we had the pleasure of visiting Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford as part of the Stroke Association’s Make May Purple campaign 💜
We delivered some purple cakes to the wonderful hospital staff as a small token of appreciation for the incredible care, dedication and support they provide every day. It was lovely to spend time with the team and recognise the fantastic work they do for patients and families alike.

27/05/2026

On Thursday 20th May, we had the pleasure of visiting the stroke unit at Ipswich Hospital to deliver some purple cakes as part of the Stroke Association’s Make May Purple campaign 💜
It was a small gesture to show appreciation for the incredible nurses and support staff who do such vital work every day. The team were really pleased to receive them, and it was lovely to capture a few photos that reflect the warm and positive atmosphere on the unit.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust