In 2010 my Grandmother suffered a stroke. She made an remarkable recovery but she was unable to speak (or write) properly for a while, so communicating with Granny became quite a challenge as we all had to work out what she was trying to say as her words were muddled - I particularly remember on one occasion that "a tree" became "a frog". Frustratingly for her she knew that she was saying the wrong words, but did not how to rectify this. Through some superb care from both the hospital and her speech therapy group, her speech and confidence, has over the last six years, improved so that now only the occasional word is wrong. Shortly after the stroke, I spent a lot of time Grannysitting, helping her with her speech therapy homework, learning how to decipher 'Grannyspeak' so that I could take her shopping, and generally keeping her company to give Grandad a break. While Granny is fortunate to have a large family to support her, I know that many others in a similar situation do not. The Stroke Association does fantastic work in providing support to those who otherwise don't have any, as well as working on research to reduce the impact of strokes in the future.

I am running the Paris Marathon on the 9th April 2017 to raise money for this wonderful cause so that others who suffer a stroke like Granny can have the support that she was able to have. 

If you are able to donate to this wonderful charity, I will be very grateful, as I am sure will Granny, and this will greatly help keep me motivated to push hard in my training over these long, cold and wet winter evenings to ensure I complete the 26.2 mile course in April. The aim is to raise £500 and finish in under four hours. Any support and donations will be gratefully received and hugely appreciated by the Stroke Association. 

Oliver