Here is a little helpful information about neuro fatigue and how it can affect everyone post stroke, which we recently received from Southampton based Different Strokes.
The main message is that whilst, as stroke survivors, we can’t fight it, we can help ourselves by pacing our lives and listening to our brains so we don’t overdo life on a particular day and suffer the consequences.
This link below has a very useful explanation of what’s happening in your brain after a stroke and why you might be feeling more tired than normal and suffering with neuro fatigue:
These images also help explain what we all experience in our brain and body to various levels post-stroke, which illustrate the challenges faced by stroke survivors.
Please know that as a group, we don’t always realise how much we have offer each other in support of our own recovery journey post stroke. The power of shared experience is invaluable.
If it would help to have a personal chat, please let one of our volunteers know at our next meeting and we can put you in touch with someone who understands first hand, the effects of neuro fatigue.
Social Subscribing is a local service connecting people to activities, groups, and support which improves health and wellbeing.
Emilia Barnett is one of our Social Prescribing team in Alton, and she joined our last Meet Up to explain how they can help with (non-medical) issues like loneliness, debt, or stress (from a variety of sources like financial pressures or poor housing).
People like Emma are your link to a range of support to deal with these and many other social, practical and emotional needs.
The service is part of “Health on the High Street”, and Emma and her colleagues can be found every Wednesday morning in Alton’s Assembly Rooms in the High Street. That’s the place to go to find out more about how they can help you.
Peter Jean is the Chair of the charity Inclusive Cycling which is based at Alice Holt. Some of our Group already take advantage of their amazing range of bikes for all levels of mobility and experience. However, we had asked Peter to come and share a little more about what they offer. Peter showed us photos of the range of special bikes on offer, including side by side bikes and bikes adapted to carry a wheelchair.
With over 40 bikes in their store, all maintained by a great team of volunteers, there is a bike for everyone to access some of the wonderful woodland trails at Alice Holt. And it costs only £3 per session, “carers” go free.
Sessions are held every Thursday morning from 9.30.-12.30. and you can ride for as long as you like between these times. No booking is needed. There is such a sense of freedom and space to be out in the Forest…..and kerping active too! aliceholtinclusivecycling.com
Steve Adams , a volunteer in the Whitehill & Bordon Group, gave a brilliant talk on The Mary Rose ship, resplendent in full costume!! Here is a summary of Steve’s talk.
Being a volunteer at The Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard gives me immense satisfaction – but being a costumed volunteer – dressed as a 16th Century Tudor sailor – brings a whole new meaning to engaging the public!
King Henry VIII’s flagship sank in the Solent in 1545. Her story from rediscovery on the seabed, to a global television audience of 60 million people watching her being raised, to the ship itself and over 4,000 artifacts of the 19,500 recovered being on show to the public is truly a remarkable story.
The ‘time capsule’ discovered when she was found again in 1971 has lead to the discovery of many ‘lost’ and ‘unknown’ items from Tudor life – for example, prior to her rediscovery, there was only 1 known Tudor longbow in the world and we now have over 170. The remains of the ships dog were found on board – he was there to catch rats and mice as the Pope at the time deemed cats unholy, unclean, bad luck and were associated with witches so you didn’t have a cat on board your ship!
Of the 180+ human remains that were found, DNA analysis on a small number shows that there was a black African, a mixed race Moroccan, a man with Italian heritage and also one most likely from Spain. This lends itself nicely to the theory that as there was no conscripted Army or Navy at that time, these men were mercenaries fighting for whoever was paying them the most money.
How did she sink? Despite an introductory film as you enter the museum, it’s the first question a lot of visitors ask the volunteers when they enter the ships deck! Outrageous theories are put to us by many “ The crew only spoke Spanish therefore didn’t understand orders” “ The crew all rushed to one side to get a sight of the King as he was standing at Southsea Castle” “ The French sank her” and finally, “ So she sank on her maiden voyage”
None of the above are true! She sank after firing the cannon on the starboard side (the side facing the French fleet) then on turning to fire the portside cannon – with the starboard side gun lids still open, hit enough wind and wave to tip the ship and allow water into the open Starboard gun ports thus causing her to sink. And, by the way, she had been in service for 34 years so definitely not her maiden voyage!
The rest of her story, as they say. Is history and to get the complete picture – together with the sights and sounds of 19th July 1545, I strongly suggest you visit the dockyard and spend a few hours in the museum – you never know, I may be walking the decks that day!
We are inviting you to challenge yourself through the month of September… to keep active! Decide on how many steps you will aim to take each day and use your challenge to raise funds forAlton Stroke Support Group
We had an amazing talk and show from Nita Ebdon of Hampshire Hawk Walks, when she brought in Texas a Red Tailed Buzzard, London a Harris Hawk, Wilfred a Barn Owl and Dougal a Kestrel.
Nita told us all about the characteristics of each bird, including some amazing “I never knew that” bird facts and best of all, the chance to handle Wilfred the Barn Owl!
The experience of walking in the woods with these birds is too good to miss, so please visit www.hampshirehawkwalks.co.uk for further information.
