ESV Action After Stroke

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend! Quick reminder: AAS will not be running this week, Monday 10th and Thursday 13th! Sessions will restart on Monday 17th.

Hellooooo!!

We are so happy to announce that Action After Stroke will be starting back up again next Monday - February 6th!

10-11am at the gym on St. Luke’s campus at the University of Exeter with the opportunity for a cup of coffee afterwards in the X Keys cafe!

We are so sorry for this delayed start… due to the change of project leaders, this year it has taken more time to get the project back up and running. However, we would love to get in touch with anyone interested in taking part in this initiative!

Let us know if you will be joining us on Monday!

Have a lovely week!

Giulia
Project Leader

Exeter Student Volunteers

We know that for many of our student volunteers, with exams over and term pretty much wrapped up you might already be back home, or doing internships and work placements, etc.

BUT for anyone who is still in Exeter and is free to help us out then please do get in touch ✅

We are really hoping we can keep our sessions running in the St. Luke’s gym until the end of July! So if you are staying here at University of Exeter until then and have already volunteered with us this year, even if it was just the one session- we’d love to have you with us so we can keep helping local patients stay fit and well through exercise! 💪🏻

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter Sport

How brilliant is this! 🤩

When we found out that we had been nominated and shortlisted for this award that was so lovely in itself, that students had gone out of their way to let our University of Exeter Students' Guild know that they value the work that we do here at Action After Stroke 🧠
To then be voted as the WINNER 🥇 of the ‘best project’ for 2021-22 at the University of Exeter is such an honour!
Sadly, project leads Sophy and Sarah were both away on trips so couldn’t attend, but a great big thankyou to one of our senior volunteers Matt and ESV co-president Natalie and treasurer Matt for attending the awards on behalf of our project ☺️

After a 2 year gap due to the pandemic, it was no mean feat getting the project back up and running, Sophy and Sarah have worked extremely hard on student recruitment and retainment, with almost 40 students on our books!
We welcomed back previous patients but also worked with local support workers and physiotherapists, etc to welcome 3 new patients to the group as well.
All, whilst navigating studies and ill-health that has sometimes compromised the regular running of the sessions, but saw a group of dedicated student volunteers stepping up and helping to keep the project going! 🙌

Some thanks are in order!
We have received invaluable support from the team behind Exeter Student Volunteers, and we must also give a special nod to the staff at St.Luke’s gym where the magic happens! 💪🏻
University of Exeter Sport have been so kind in allowing us exclusive use of the facilities, twice a week and for free, even providing staff to be on shift to make sure we were supported as a group.

Our project exists so that recovering stroke patients from the local community can come and exercise in a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment, supported by University students who so kindly give up their time in between their studies to help them gain confidence and independence ☺️
Action After Stroke has been running for 22 YEARS, and we are so thrilled that our project has got the recognition that it deserves!
Well done everyone ✨✨✨

So THIS happened last night! 🤩

We are extremely proud that the hard work and dedication of all of those involved in Action After Stroke was recognised, winning the ‘best project’ award at the University of Exeter Students' Guild awards for 2021-22! 🎉🎉🎉

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter

We are excited to share with you all that we have been shortlisted for the University of Exeter Guild Awards 2022, the ceremony is tonight! 🎉

These awards are an opportunity to celebrate the hard work of the Exeter community and we are thrilled here at Action After Stroke that our hard work in making a difference to the student experience has been recognised once again!

Last year we won the ‘Helpers and Heroes’ award and project lead Sophy Creed came runner up in the Guild President Volunteer of the Year award ☺️

Thankyou to the students who voted for us as ‘Best Project’- it means the world to us. Good luck to all those shortlisted, all very worthy events and projects too! 🙌

University of Exeter Students' Guild
Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Sport

So THIS happened today!

Joseph is one of our long standing patients who has been coming to Action After Stroke for a few years now and recently he gifted us this FANTASTIC artwork, part of a series of pieces he’s been creating and giving to projects and charities that support him in his stroke recovery and wellbeing, as well as organisations in the wider community including local schools, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and Age UK Exeter to name but a few!
His kind gestures of gifting art during the pandemic to all of these services even earned him a double page spread in Devon Live just before Christmas! 🤩

His new found passion for the creative arts came from going to art therapy sessions with Magic Carpet (Exeter) and with Living with Aphasia which he is a member of 🗣💓

Today I got to present him with a letter of thanks on behalf of the whole project, alongside Chris Keirle who is the operations manager for University of Exeter Sport 🤩

A massive well done and thanks to Joe for all of your hard work and for such a kind gift ✨

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter

Twice a week for the last 22- yes you read that right- TWENTY TWO YEARS, University of Exeter students have volunteered their time alongside their studies to support recovering stroke patients from Exeter and the wider community!
How AMAZING is that! 🤩

Testament to the value of the sessions and the project we have created over all those years is that we have a couple of patients who have now passed the 20 year membership mark! 💪🏻

People of all ages and from all walks of life come together week in and week out for a common goal: to keep strong and fighting fit- for better health and well-being! 🧠 🫁 🫀👁🗣

Thats a pretty special thing we think 💓

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter Sport

To all of our student volunteers and wider University of Exeter community! Do you think the work that we do here at Action After Stroke is worthy of a nomination? We hope so! 🙏

Sarah and I as project leaders have worked so hard this academic year to get the project back up and running after a considerable break due to Covid lockdowns, in spite of overwhelming odds at times!

We are one of the largest Exeter Student Volunteers voluntary projects with almost 40 students on our books! We also work with upto 15 recovering stroke patients too ☺️

Last year, I was absolutely chuffed to bits to come runner up in the University of Exeter Students' Guild awards for the Guild President Volunteer of the Year award 🏅
It was an honour to have WON the ‘Helpers and Heroes 2021’ award! 🥇
What a treat it would be to be in the running for 2 years in a row! ✨

It’s easy to do, just click on the link and write a small paragraph about WHY you think we should get an award ✅
As I always say, it’s a team effort to keep this project going, and a win such as this is a win and recognition of the hard work that the WHOLE GROUP put in! 💪🏻

🚨Nominations are closing soon! 🚨 Don’t forget to give a mention to the students, events and campaigns you think have been incredible this year. exeterguild.com/awards

Sending Easter well wishes to our students, patients and our wider Action After Stroke family! 🐰🌸✨

🐣 Exeter Student Volunteers
🐣 University of Exeter Students' Guild
🐣 University of Exeter Sport

Teamwork makes the dream work! 💪🏻🤩🥇✨

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter Sport

Current students at the University of Exeter!

The project leader (PL) application process has been extended! So, if you are interested in becoming a leader for Action After Stroke, or even another fabulous project with Exeter Student Volunteers, NOW is your chance to get involved! ☺️

As a PL for the last 3 years, and volunteer for a further 2, I can say it such a worthwhile experience! I have gained valuable skills and confidence in myself as a practitioner and as a leader- which I know will be highly beneficial in my post-graduate studies and further career! 🙌

If YOU are interested in helping people in the wider Exeter community, then please do apply for a role and get in touch with any questions! I’m more than happy to help ✅

Microsoft Forms

Why volunteer? 💓

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter
University of Exeter Sport 💪🏻

STUDENTS of University of Exeter!
Want to make a real difference to someone’s life!?
We are looking for a project leader to help run our student led project for the next academic year 2022-23! 🙌

You’ll get to help recovering stroke patients access our campus gym in a safe and friendly environment, plus there is always a chance for a good brew ☕️ and chat afterwards in the X Keys cafe! ☺️
You’ll also get the chance to look after and train up student volunteers, gain valuable skills in a clinical exercise setting as well as additional skills that include working as part of a team, creating a rota, managing donations and finances, taking part in training with University of Exeter Students' Guild and Exeter Student Volunteers all of which can go towards the brilliant ✨Exeter Award and Exeter Leaders Award ✨

You will be expected to liaise with outside partner agencies including NHS physiotherapists and occupational therapists, consultants, community and charity workers, etc. This is a dynamic role which keeps you on your toes but is well worth the time you give, making a real difference to students and the wider community ☺️

In addition, this role can provide you with multiple transferable skills that are hugely beneficial for an array of future careers! 💪🏻
The role of PL for Action After Stroke would suit a student from the Sport&Health Sciences, Medical School or Psychology but we accept applicants from any discipline! ✅
It can also fit in around your studies and as a P.L you can request support with your timetable to run this project!

Please do get in touch, and apply via this link-
https://linktr.ee/ep525

The deadline is TODAY!!

🚨 Students! 🚨

Are you going to continue studying here at Exeter next year?
If so, then please do think about applying for a project leader role for our society! 🙌

Or perhaps you might be interested in another role with Exeter Student Volunteers?
If you can give a bit of time each week alongside your studies it can be really worthwhile, you get to help others and make a real difference in their lives, but it’s also GREAT for your CV! ✅
Running a VOLUNTEERING project is a really worthy thing to do and future employees will be impressed that you’ve done work like this whilst studying 💪🏻

Please do get in touch with either myself Sophy or direct with ESV if you are interested, applications are open until THIS FRIDAY!

To stand for a position in our committee in 2022/23 or submit an application to run one of our 12 fantastic projects please use our link tree in our bio https://linktr.ee/ep525 Being on committee or being one of our project leaders is an excellent CV booster and counts towards the Exeter leaders award! It is also such a rewarding experience and helps to make a difference in the Exeter community😊 please message our page if you have any questions!

Here is a plan of action for the rest of this month!

For any of our current student volunteers, I need to firm up numbers for this Mondays session by the end of weekend please, but also from Wednesday I am ‘clocking off’ in the run up to my family holiday! (Yay!)
So, I NEED to have a volunteer list for NEXT THURSDAY and the FOLLOWING THURSDAY by then too please! ✅

If you are interested in helping out, do let me know and I can compile the list for Sarah (2nd project leader) who will be running those two Thursday sessions on my behalf!

Thankyou, Sophy AAS project lead ☺️

Excellent session today followed by a good brew and natter in the X Keys cafe for some of our student volunteers and patients ☺️

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter

As the saying goes, ‘teamwork makes the dream work’! 🙌

Today’s session was lovely as we welcomed back a couple of patients who hadn’t been with us for a couple of months and some students who’d had a break due to timetable clashes and coursework demands! They all got stuck in like no time had passed at all and it was great to see them working together so that our recovering stroke patients can exercise safely and with confidence in our campus gym ☺️

3 of the students today are 3rd year Sport and Health Science and currently undertaking an Exercise on Prescription module (as did I last year!), as well as one doing Rehab Science with our Medical School, so it’s a fantastic opportunity to put into practise what they are learning in the lectures and seminars 💪🏻

Well done everyone! ☺️

University of Exeter
Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter Medical School
University of Exeter Sport
University of Exeter: Sport and Health Sciences

So LOVELY to be back to it this new term/new year with this lot! ☺️
Here are some of our regular stroke patients and student volunteers enjoying a good brew ☕️ after working hard in the gym this morning! 💪🏻

As of next week, we’ll be back to it with the regular Monday and Thursday morning sessions, 10-11am.

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter

Helloooo!
Sophy here, just to let you know that Action After Stroke will be starting back up next Thursday- 20th January!
Usual time of 10-11am at the gym on St. Luke’s campus at University of Exeter with opportunity for a cuppa afterwards in the X Keys cafe ☺️

After a long break since end of term 1 and Christmas, and even longer absence for me due to ill-health, I am really looking forward to seeing all our patients and student volunteers once more!

Sending best wishes, and look forward to catching up from next week onwards, Sophy and Sarah, Project Leaders ☺️

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter Sport

✨Today is International Volunteer Day 2021!✨

As well as helping others, volunteering has been shown to improve the wellbeing of those that volunteer too so it’s a win all round ☺️
We definitely couldn’t do the important work we do here at Action After Stroke without the dedicated help and support of our students at the University of Exeter, so thankyou! 🙌

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter Sport
University of Exeter Medical School
University of Exeter Alumni

Hi there! 👋

Greetings from Action After Stroke!
Who are we?
We are a student led exercise rehabilitation project run by student volunteers at the University of Exeter for recovering 🧠 patients in the community 💪🏻

We provide a safe and nurturing environment for them to exercise and be active at their own pace, it is very much patient led and no two are the same! This makes it an exciting learning experience for our students, the majority of which come from medical/sport and health Science and Psychology courses, keen to help others and practise in a real world setting what they are being taught 🙌
Many of our students go on to study/work in etc

Our project is in its 21st YEAR of running and many of our patients such as Philip here waving has been with us for nearly all of that time! Testament to how valued a project such as this is 💓

We run twice a week, Monday and Thursday 10-11am in the gym@at St Luke’s campus and then 11-11:30am is often reserved for a brew after! ☕️
We currently have a full list of student volunteers, but always keen to welcome new patient referrals, and we can do this from the new year. You can enquire via D.M or via our email: [email protected]

We are based in Exeter, Devon📍but welcome patients from all over the County!

Thankyou to Exeter Student Volunteers and University of Exeter Students' Guild for supporting us as well as University of Exeter Sport for allowing us the use of the facilities on campus for free!

✨ A little shout out to our student volunteers ✨

I know things are gearing up as you’re reaching the last couple of weeks of this term (how the heck did THAT happen!? 😳) with mounting deadlines, but can I just take this moment to say thankyou so much to each and every one of you who have been volunteering at our sessions this term!
I know it’s been pretty topsy turvy what with my own ill-health to contend with, and with welcoming a new PL mid-term, but we are very grateful for your patience and understanding and we as a society are really flourishing- which in the current climate is no mean feat! 🙌

We’ve even managed to welcome 2 new patients, featured here in the photo from our coffee meet after the session yesterday, I am thrilled to be welcoming new patients to our tribe, and we couldn’t do it without you all ☺️

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter
University of Exeter Sport

So we are week 2 into our sessions of Action After Stroke of this academic year, after a delayed start due to ill-health. We’ve got a fantastic list of keen student volunteers who are already getting stuck in and helping us to facilitate gym session for our recovering stroke patients ☺️

Can I just say a great big thankyou to Sarah and all of the volunteers who helped run the session on Monday, it is really appreciated! ☺️
I had 3 of the patients message me to say how good it was and what a great job you all did without me! (Ha!).

Thanks everyone! Look forward to our session tomorrow! 💪🏻 ☕️

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild

OF COURSE a few of us stopped for a brew ☕️ afterwards for a cuppa and a chance to get to know one and other ☺️

Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild

WE ARE BACK! Finally, after all this time, and with a whole host of brand new student volunteers too 🙌☺️
Thankyou so much to these brilliant students who give us their time during their studies to help others flourish in their recovery 💓
The work that we do here at Action After Stroke really makes a difference to recovering stroke patients lives, they have missed the access to the gym tremendously and several have been keen to come back 💪🏻

We are so grateful for our student volunteers who help us through Exeter Student Volunteers ☺️
And of course, to the team at University of Exeter Sport who are opening early twice a week and allowing us exclusive use of the facilities so our project can get back up and running in its usual time slot of 10-11am as it has done for many years prior ⏰
It’s a whole team effort- looking forward to what 2021-22 will bring for us ✨
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter
University of Exeter Alumni

We OFFICIALLY started back up and running TODAY!!! After all of this time! Hurrah! 🎉 🎉🎉

Here’s project leader Sophy and AAS veteran George who’s been coming to our sessions at University of Exeter from the first year it started- for over 20 years!!

Obviously, due to the our project was put on hold for the last 18 months, keen to get back to it, he was there (with some familiar faces) for our ‘intro session’ end of September and was raring to go!
Sadly, there was yet more delay due to ill- health but I am thrilled to say that we finally launched today and it went so well! ☺️
We even had a meeting for a new patient referral too, with a few more in the pipeline! 🙌 Looking forward to what this academic year will bring for us 💪🏻
Exeter Student Volunteers
University of Exeter Students' Guild
University of Exeter Alumni
ESV Action After Stroke

Do you know that today is ? 🧠

For over 20 years, Action After Stroke has been running at the University of Exeter to help rehabilitate recovering stroke patients through exercise sessions at our on campus gym, and socialising with a cuppa after ☺️

We thought that we should share this today, as it is always helpful to be stroke aware and look out for the warning signs that a stroke is imminent or happening, being vigilant can be helpful in reducing the effects of stroke 🙌

The main symptoms can be remembered with the words BE FAST:
🚶‍♀️ Balance- is the person having difficulties standing up unaided, or got a severe headache or dizziness?
👀 Eyes- stroke can cause sudden blurred vision and even temporary sight loss
👩🏼‍🦱 Face – their face may have dropped on one side, they may not be able to smile, or their eye may have dropped.
💪🏻 Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in one arm.
🗣 Speech – may be slurred or not make sense, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake; they may also have problems understanding what you're saying to them.
⏰ Time – it's time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.

We are passionate advocates of rebuilding lives after stroke. We help our patients get active and build up strength and confidence with the hope of limiting the risk factors for a reoccurring stroke to occur. Some have been with us for many many years and enjoy in addition the friendships gained, with both the other stroke survivors and the students who volunteer to help them 💓

With thanks to Headway Devon for sharing vital information and services to support those who have had a stroke.
Infographics are re-shared from Stroke Matters and The Brain Doctor.

Exeter Student Volunteers University of Exeter Students' Guild University of Exeter Medical School University of Exeter Alumni University of Exeter Sport

Hi there everyone! How has this ‘reading week’ gone for all the students that give us a follow?
Hope all is good AND that you’re looking forward to exciting Halloween plans this weekend!? 🎃👻🧟‍♀️🎉

Just to say that we are DEFINITELY go for starting back up this coming Monday!
I apologise that the last few weeks have been chaotic and uncertain but they say things come in threes eh!? So with Covid, Pneumonia and a bust foot done and dusted ✅ I’m hoping for some relief for the time to come and that means we can finally get things underway!! 🙌

After our University of Exeter Students' Guild freshers fair events back in September, and our intro sessions for new students and previous stroke patients early October, we are thrilled to be finally back up and running! See you Monday ☺️

Exeter Student Volunteers 💪🏻

We apologise, but Action After Stroke has to remain postponed until NEXT Monday 1st November.

This is due to ill health and the project not being able to run safely and supported for all involved, I do not like letting people down so I am sorry about this.

Hope to see you all really soon ☺️