InterAct Stroke Support

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InterAct Stroke Support

Stroke is now the second biggest killer in England and Wales and the main cause of serious disability in the U.K.

InterAct Stroke Support is an award-winning charity aiding stroke recovery by using professional actors to deliver hospital readings & community projects to stroke survivors. A stroke can affect anyone of any age from any background and rehabilitation can be a long and difficult process. It is during hospital recuperation that InterAct makes the difference as early interventions with stroke surviv

ors are a tremendous boost to the recovery process. There is now a growing body of evidence that stimulation through reading and conversational interaction can help the brain find new neural pathways, a phenomenon known as "adaptive rewiring." InterAct encourages adaptive rewiring, work which has been shown to improve patients' mood and motivation, alleviating depression and boredom as well as increasing confidence as patients are able to practise their new-found communcation skills in a non-judgemental environment. InterAct Stroke Support works to improve the rate and quality of an individual's recovery from a stroke by:

improving mood
alleviating post-stroke depression
increasing self-esteem
boosting communication confidence
stimulating the brain
providing entertainment

We currently read in 21 hospitals and over 50 stroke clubs in the UK.

14/05/2026

The Ruth Rendell Short Story Competition Finalists, 2026.

Thank you for all the brilliant short story submissions. With such a high standard of writing, whittling it down to a shortlist was incredibly difficult.

We are proud to announce the first of our three shortlisted stories:
Sweet Peas, by Sue Turbett.

"Pigtails flying and scabby-knee’d, I cycled country lanes bordered by tangled hedgerows of hawthorn and brambles, draped in creamy soft honeysuckle and shot through with purple foxglove spikes."

The three shortlisted stories will be performed as part of an awards ceremony later this year. The winning writer, announced at the awards night, will also be commissioned to write a further four stories for InterAct Stroke Support and recieve £1,000 in payment.

Huge congratulations to Sue and the other finalists who will be revealed over the coming week.

09/05/2026

Meet our InterActors

"As an actor I have always believed in the power of telling stories and having personal experience of stroke in my
family, I felt particularly
connected to the work." - Kirsty

At the centre of InterAct you can find our brilliant actors putting their heart and soul into delivering live, stimulating readings on the stroke ward, in stroke clubs and via our remote service. We are proud of every talented actor we work with and would love to show you who could be reading to you or your loved one.

Actor: Kirsty Cox

03/05/2026

May is National Walking Month and we would love your walking (or running!) support to reach more stroke survivors!

Whether you’re an avid runner and already signed up for the race, or ready to try your first 10k - we’d love to hear from you.
To run the Vitality 10K for InterAct, with individual fundraising goals of only £150, please email info@interactstroke.org and we we will explain the next steps!

InterAct Stroke Support is one of the UK's key charities dedicated to those who have survived stroke. We receive no statutory funding and the demand for InterAct's service, and its benefits, currently far outweighs our financial capacity to deliver.

29/04/2026

Meet our InterActors

“Age is truly riches – I can learn so much and have such fun in just a few short minutes of connection and getting to know each of them. It’s a privilege to do this, and hopefully make their day a little brighter!” - Daniel

At the centre of InterAct you can find our brilliant actors putting their heart and soul into delivering live, stimulating readings on the stroke ward, in stroke clubs and via our remote service. We are proud of every talented actor we work with and would love to show you who could be reading to you or your loved one.

Actor: Daniel Iliadis

23/04/2026

We are delighted to share that Arsenal FC have kindly funded InterAct to support our hospital visits at Homerton and St Pancras Hospitals.

We are grateful to be featured on their community homepage and in the Arsenal Women’s match day programme.

They spoke to Helen Stern about her experience with InterAct.
You can find the full story here (link in bio):

https://www.arsenal.com/community/stories/interact-stroke-support

14/04/2026

Meet our InterActors

“ I appreciate the range of expression through spoken and written word, gaining confidence in erasure poetry; ... InterAct is an invaluable way of sharing, with compassion, that love of expression. ” - Janina

At the centre of InterAct you can find our brilliant actors putting their heart and soul into delivering live, stimulating readings on the stroke ward, in stroke clubs and via our remote service. We are proud of every talented actor we work with and would love to show you who could be reading to you or your loved one.

Actor: Janina

08/04/2026

InterAct and Moseley Hall Hospital, Birmingham , were delighted to be visited by Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal MBE , who supported us with a £2,000 grant.

InterAct has been running in Birmingham for 21 years. Nirjay Mahindru (CEO), Madeleine Woodley (Fundraiser), Ziona Smith (Admin Leader for Birmingham team), and the Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal MBE, spent time with staff and patients in the hospital’s specialist stroke rehabilitation ward. It was special to share the charities impact first-hand and how it benefits the patients who are recovering from a stroke.

05/04/2026

🐣 Happy Easter from all of us at InterAct! 🐣

29/03/2026

A wonderful thing happened recently at a performance of
A Woman In Mind, written by Alan Aykborn, InterAct patron, staring Sheridan Smith & Romesh Ranganathan.

We're so grateful to Safia and the whole cast for taking time to share the impact InterAct has for so many people.

They did such an incredible job, and the audience raised over £900!
This World Theatre day, could you join them in donating to InterAct to help us help survivors of Stroke?

17/03/2026

☘️Happy St Patrick's Day☘️

Blackberry Picking
By the wonderful Seamus Heaney

☘️

Address

8 Holyrood Street
London
SE12EL

Telephone

+442038861028

Website

http://www.interactstrokesupport.org/

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