Stroke survivors raise their voice for Sing4Stroke

Stroke survivors and budding singers from across Northern Ireland raised their voice in a pop-up choir on 4th June to raise funds for the Stroke Association.

Around 70 people came together in the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast to learn and record a song in just 90 minutes as part of the Stroke Association’s new fundraising initiative, Sing4Stroke. This was in partnership with One Night One Song which runs monthly no-commitment choirs.

The Stroke Association is encouraging people to raise their voice to help stroke survivors get the support they need after the devastating impact of the condition. For Sing4Stroke, the charity wants to hear from people singing wherever they like, including at home, on a live stream, at the office, at school or to organise their own event and raise vital funds for stroke survivors and their loved ones.

In Northern Ireland, over 4,000 people survive a stroke every year, yet survival is just the start of a long and gruelling recovery journey as many are left with physical and mental disabilities.  About a third of stroke survivors have aphasia - a language and communication disability which leaves people struggling to speak, read, write or understand the written and spoken word.

Research has shown that singing after stroke can enhance communication and spoken language for people with aphasia. A recent survey by the Stroke Association also found that over half of stroke survivors (54%) said that singing, listening to music or playing an instrument had a positive impact on their stroke recovery.

As well as supporting stroke survivors and their loved ones, the Stroke Association is also campaigning for thrombectomy - a game-changing treatment which removes the blood clot after someone has a stroke – to be available 24/7 across Northern Ireland.

Around 100 patients each year in Northern Ireland are missing out on thrombectomy as it's only available between 8am and 6pm. 1.9 million brain cells are lost every minute after a stroke, so it's a very time sensitive procedure and the quicker someone receives it the better chance they have of making a good recovery.

Lauren Shaw, Northern Ireland Policy and Influencing Lead at the Stroke Association, said: “Singing is a beautiful and powerful tool which can play a huge part in stroke recovery for people with aphasia. As well as supporting recovery, singing can also be a tool for social change.

“Partnering with One Night One Song was therefore a perfect opportunity to get together and enjoy all the positive benefits of singing in a choir whilst raising awareness of our campaign for 24/7 thrombectomy.

“The Stroke Association chose the song Seasons of Love from the musical Rent, as it is a heartwarming and iconic song that captures the significance of time. As the lyrics remind us, ‘Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year?’ Each year 100 people in Northern Ireland are missing out on life saving stroke treatment.

“Thanks to the efforts of hard-working stroke teams, Northern Ireland has a relatively well-developed thrombectomy service. However, we still fall short of ensuring that every eligible patient can benefit from this treatment – and this needs to change.”

Rachael Power, Musical Director of One Night One Song, said: “When we sing with other people we create magic, and when we are singing together to support a charity it just adds to that! Singing in choirs has so many fantastic benefits; it gives us loads of endorphins, slows our heart rate and gives us the opportunity to meet new and old friends.

“It has been amazing to work with all these singers who joined our pop-up choir, and it was great to have some stroke survivors in the choir who have found singing helpful for their recovery.”

The Stroke Association supports stroke survivors and their families by phone, at home, and in the community. Find out more at http://stroke.org.uk/northern-ireland