I have signed up to abseil down Twickenham stadium, not only to raise money for the Stroke Association, but also in memory of my Grandpa, William (Bill) Houston. My Grandpa passed away almost 2 years ago, after suffering from a serious stroke 9 months previously, and my family and I miss him greatly.
 
He was an honest, witty, generous and ambitious man and up until his stroke had a very active and full life. He joined the Royal Navy as a young Glaswegian in 1940 and was commissioned as one of the very first radar officers. He then went on to gain a degree from Glasgow University in Pure Sciences, before marrying my Grandma in 1949, after meeting at a ballroom dance. He took a job as an electrical engineer and moved to London from the Gorbals in Glasgow, quickly rising up the ranks at Unilever. He enjoyed holidays, sport, photography, bowling and most of all spending time with his family. After his stroke, he was paralysed on the left hand side of his body and found it very difficult to speak or eat. As his family, we felt helpless but tried our best to give him the support he needed to rehabilitate as much as possible. He fought it hard, but in the end, he didn’t recover.
 
I wanted to raise money on behalf of the Stroke Association for a number of reasons; for the support they provide financially and emotionally to those who have had strokes and their loved ones affected. Secondly, for the research they do to make Strokes a preventable and treatable disease, and improving the quality of life for people affected by stroke.