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News

Find out about the latest news from Connect. Click on the headings below to find out more.

New Chair of the Board of Trustees

27 September 2007

Connect is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Jocelyn Cornwell as Connect's new Chair of the Board of Trustees.

The Draft National Stroke Strategy - the consultation

24 September 2007

People with aphasia came together at Connect on Monday 24th September in a joint event with Speakability to feedback views and ideas about the Draft National Stroke Strategy.

Health Talk Tried and Tested

17 September 2007

Health Talk, a communication resource to help health care professionals and patients with communication disability understand one another better, has now been tried and tested in London and Bristol.

Connect collaborates in Scotland

17 September 2007

Connect was delighted to be invited to present a Symposium at the recent British Aphasiology Society Biennial International Conference in Edinburgh.

Connect at Think Tank

17 September 2007

Sally Byng, Connect's Access to Life in Cornwall Project Director, was delighted to be invited to an Aphasia 'Think Tank' in Canada this month. The 'Think Tank' called 'Living Successfully with Aphasia: Intervention, Evaluation and Evidence' is being organised by the Pat Arato Aphasia Institute in Toronto.

Hyde Park run raises funds for Connect

17 September 2007

Over forty women took part in the Hydro Active Women's Challenge on 16th September to raise funds for Connect.

National Stroke Strategy - the Consultation begins

31 July 2007

The draft National Stroke Strategy was published on 9th July 2007. We are now in the Consultation period - a time for everyone to give their views.

Connect in Northumbria

31 July 2007

Connect have been working with Stroke Northumbria to develop some long term, low cost events for people with aphasia. The aim is to develop local networks where people with stroke and aphasia and carers can come along to share experiences, ways of coping and to learn about services that can assist them. Connect worked with Annie Laverty and her team at Stroke Northumbria to help them present a range of information days for people with stroke and aphasia and their relatives.

Connect Cornwall 'Hubs' meet Connect in London

31 July 2007

Members of the 'hubs' in Cornwall enjoyed a two day trip to Connect in London. The aim of the event was to meet people with aphasia and their relatives at Connect's London centre and to share ideas about how stroke services can be improved in Cornwall.

A new resource for parents with stroke

17 July 2007

Connect and the Modernisation Initiative have launched a new book/DVD for parents living with stroke and aphasia.

Training together in Cornwall

08 June 2007

Cornwall now has twenty five people living with aphasia trained as Conversation Skills Trainers, thanks to the Speech and Language Therapy service and Access to Life in Cornwall Project.

Connect at the 'hub' in Cornwall

11 May 2007

Over 20 people with aphasia and their relatives met across Cornwall at the beginning of May 2007 for the first local 'Hub' groups in Cornwall.There are three 'Hubs' in Cornwall covering North & East, Central and West Cornwall which are all part of the Access to Life in Cornwall Project. The 'Hubs' are groups of people with aphasia who meet monthly in Launceston, Kingsley Village - Fraddon and Helston to share their experiences of stroke services in their area.

Aphasia Power in Yorkshire

08 May 2007

People with aphasia and their family members from Speakability groups in the Yorkshire area gathered at Eggborough Power Station for a Connect-for-a-Day event called “Better Conversations”.

Connect inspires Essex team

03 May 2007

Two years ago the Mid-Essex Speech and Language Therapy team had long waiting lists for out-patient services and feedback from people with aphasia reflected a high level of frustration with the service offered. The service looked to Connect for inspiration and a way to rethink their service. Six members of the team attended “Groups Work” and now therapists feel more supported and satisfied, they are working together more and above all the feedback from service users is much improved.

Connect Marathon runners beat the heat

24 April 2007

Connect were delighted to have two runners in the 2007 London Marathon on 22nd April who between them have raised over £3500 for Connect. In spite of the record temperatures, Trevor Dolan completed the gruelling 26 miles in four hours forty minutes and Liz Lewis was just behind him at four hours fifty eight minutes.

School Readathon supports Connect

24 April 2007

“Imagine what it would be like if your Mum or your Grandad couldn't read you a story”. That's how 12-year old Luke Mann explained aphasia to his friends at Westminster Under School who went on to raise over £5300 for Connect.

Access to Life in Cornwall Moves Forward

10 April 2007

Over the last year, Connect has been working with local people living with aphasia in Cornwall to identify what they think about the services and opportunities available to them. We have held a number of events across the county, asking what people liked about services, what they didn't like and what they felt was missing. At Alverton Manor Hotel in Truro on March 26th, we fed back the results of these listening and involvement events.

Volunteers complete Museum project

23 March 2007

Getting involved in volunteering in your local community can be both exciting and daunting for people, regardless of whether or not they have aphasia.

Training steps up as two Connect runners prepare for London Marathon 2007

19 March 2007

Liz Lewis and Trevor Dolan are supporting Connect by running in the London Marathon on Sunday 22nd April 2007.

Work begins on new DVD for Parents with Stroke

02 March 2007

Being a parent is difficult enough - but after a stroke all those difficulties become even more of a challenge. Often support and advice is hard to find. So, the 'Having a Stroke – Being a Parent' Project (in collaboration with the Stroke Services Modernisation Initiative and funded by Guy's and St Thomas' Charity) is working with parents who have had a stroke, their families and carers to make a resource to help other parents and carers in the same boat.

Finding out about Better Conversations

23 February 2007

Over twenty five people with aphasia and their relatives attended a special event for people with aphasia at Connect on 5th February 2007.

Connect Reaches Out

23 February 2007

Staff from Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Greenwich joint programme attended a two day training day event at Connect as part of the Reaching Out Project. The training package will be incorporated into a new postgraduate diploma in Speech and Language Therapy which starts in March 2007.

Department of Health distributes Connect resources to all English stroke units

02 February 2007

Every stroke unit in England has been sent a free copy of Connect's Stroke and Aphasia Handbook and Stroke Talk, courtesy of the Department of Health.

Connect at UK Stroke Forum Conference 2006

04 January 2007

The UK Stroke Forum Conference took place on 7th and 8th December 2006. Over 1200 delegates attended and Connect's Chief Executive Sally Byng was a key note speaker and chaired a parallel session called "Long-term support in the community: Whose responsibility?"

Connect's Southwark Star

14 December 2006

Emmanuel Godis has been honoured with a special “Southwark Star” award by the Volunteer Centre, Southwark, for successfully completing 100 hours of volunteering work. Emmanuel has been living with aphasia since 1999 when he had his stroke and volunteers regularly with The Bankside Open Spaces Trust.

Access to Life in Cornwall Project is officially launched

23 November 2006

Access to Life in Cornwall is a project that will enhance and extend the range, length and choice of opportunities and services for people living with stroke and aphasia and other long-term conditions in Cornwall.

St Barnabas raises the roof for Connect

20 October 2006

"In Tune with Heaven" was the title of a feast of choral and organ music which was performed at St Barnabas Church in Dulwich on Friday 17th November. This concert, which was part of the 10th anniversary of St Barnabas celebrations raised over £2,000 to support Connect.

The Salisbury Pub, Covent Garden, hosts Halloween charity night

20 October 2006

The Salisbury pub in Covent Garden raised over £200 at a Halloween charity night in support of Connect on Friday 27th October. Jas Teensa, the Salisbury's landlord, who regularly organises charity nights for Connect organised collections at the door and in the bar. The Salisbury has just won a "Pub of the Year" award and can be found at 90 St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4AP Tel. 020 7836 5863.

Befrienders support people with aphasia

26 September 2006

Justine Everson had her stroke aged 29. She is now one of ten new “befrienders” who, as part of Connect's Conversation partner project, will be supporting people with aphasia at different stages of their recovery journey.

Connect's Director of Innovation receives special award

26 September 2006

We are delighted to announce that Carole Pound, Director of Innovation at Connect has been appointed a fellow of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Connect Hydroactive 5k team exceed target!

04 September 2006

The Hydroactive Women's Challenge took place in Hyde Park on Sunday 3rd September. The event was amazing – 25,000 women ran altogether, 44 in support of Connect! The atmosphere was electric, the weather couldn't have been better and everyone really enjoyed taking part. The Connect Team's original target was £3,500 and we're delighted that it looks as if we're going to DOUBLE that target, raising an amazing £8,000!

People with aphasia empowered as volunteers

26 June 2006

On 1st June 2006 Redcross Gardens, just around the corner from the Connect London Centre, was officially reopened by HRH Princess Anne following a period of regeneration undertaken by Bankside Open Spaces Trust.

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