Telford stroke survivor to tackle 155 mile walk to mark a year since stroke

A stroke survivor and his daughter from Telford are set to walk to 29 cricket grounds in Shropshire to raise funds for the Stroke Association.

David White, 57, and his daughter Becki, 25, will walk to 29 cricket grounds between Monday 18th June and Saturday 23 June, totalling in 155 miles.

Last June, David had two strokes that left him with fatigue and joint pain.

David said: “A year ago I could not walk up a flight of stairs and now I’m preparing to walk 155 miles. Becki and I have been training hard since January when we first hatched the idea of the walking challenge. We both joined a gym and have put in many hours of training. We worked out that we could complete the 155 miles by walking to 29 cricket grounds in Shropshire.”

“Having a stroke was one of the scariest times for me. After I was discharged from the hospital I was very tired, weak and low on confidence. I called the Stroke Association for support and they were amazing! They sign posted me to further help and reassure me I was not alone.”

Becki said: “The Stroke Association are an amazing charity that provided us with really useful information about rehabilitation and living with the side-effects of a stroke. When dad had his stroke, it was a very confusing and emotional time for our family, but having the support from the Stroke Association made that hard time a little bit easier. We would like to raise some money to help support other stroke survivors and their families in a similar position.”

Claire Weaver, Community and Events Fundraiser at the Stroke Association, said: “There are over 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK. Stroke strikes in an instant and can cause more disabilities than any other condition. We are incredibly grateful to David and Becki for taking on this challenge to raise vital funds to help the Stroke Association support more stroke survivors re-gain their independence.”

To sponsor David and Becki, visit www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Madejski2Madeley.For more information about stroke, visit stroke.org.uk or call the Helpline on 0303 3033 100.