It was a sunny evening as everyone gathered for the much anticipated League of Friends AGM. The friendly and inspiring event kicked off with a warm welcome from Paull Robathan, Chair of the charity, who set the scene before handing over to a dedicated health professional, Jo Moore.

Jo Moore is an accredited Advanced Medical Practitioner who, for the last eight years, has been a clinical specialist physiotherapist for stroke and acquired brain injuries. Her role is multi-faceted as she provides clinical support and development of staff, provides therapy to patients in their home and works for the Integrated Care Board in Somerset.

Jo fascinated those gathered by describing the mobile ultrasound machine that the League of Friends had funded in the past year. She explained that approximately 60% of stroke survivors experience some form of spasticity, a condition characterised by stiffness and involuntary muscle contractions, within the first six months after their stroke. Some people benefit from botulism injections to relax the muscles causing spasticity, but locating the exact muscle in order to inject it with precision can be problematic.

At the hospital there is a static ultrasound machine, but it is in high demand and often unavailable when Jo’s patients would benefit from access to it. Jo knew that many stroke survivors cannot travel into the hospital and therefore do not benefit from the relief that the precision injections provide. Dissatisfied with the situation, she assured the League of Friends that this new mobile kit would be an essential addition to the practitioner’s toolbox, and we happily agreed to fund its purchase.

“It’s transformed our service and allowed us to develop a community service.”

Jo Moore

To add to the positive presentation, she announced that her paper about the mobile ultrasound machine and its impact in supporting a community service to support local people, will be delivered at the forthcoming national Stroke Forum conference.

Next up was another Jo – there’s a lot of them about! Jo Morrison provided a step-by-step account of her recent experience of running in the London Marathon.

Previously she has featured in our website and described her training sessions in and around the lanes of South Petherton. Having trained diligently for a year, Jo was delighted to have completed the 26.2 mile run standing up and ahead of a man dressed as a chicken. She and her team of donors raised £2,250 for the Stroke Association!