Annual Report
and Financial
Statements
Year endlng 31 March 2024
stfok6
Findingstrength throughsupport
Assocjatton

Contents
Introduction
Welcome from the t￿31r and Chief Exeaitive
Our charlty
Flnding strength through support
,10 Our valties
,12 How we secure best care and 5LPPOrt for everyone affected by stroke
,14 Our long-Eerm goals
,16 Our aCh￿Vern￿nts
,18 F￿dIng our work
.20 Strategic report
20 We 5￿ported thousands of people affected by stroke
40 We worked wlth teaders and Stake￿IderS to make stroke a higher priority
60 We Invested in vital stroke research
68 We built reL3tionsnips with local comrThinities and orgaNsal'ons
76 Ratsing rroney for stroke and awareness of wr cause
88 Hrm we work
98 Financlal review
108 Governance
108 Our structure, g(wemance and manage￿ent
132 Flnancial statements
132 Independent audltor's report
138 Consoudated staiement of financial 3ctwits.es
139 Chafity Statemeni of h'nancial art"Ivities
140 Consolidated balance 51*et
141 Charity balance S￿[
142 Consoudated statement of cash flows
143 Princlpal accounting poucies
150 Notes to the financial 5t3ternents
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Welcome from
the Chair and the
Chief Executive
Welcome to this year's Annual ReporL Ivs been a year of remarkable succes5
in the face of significant challenge& We faced continued P0￿'t1(aL Instabl￿"ty in
atl four nations of the UK. Statutory health and soclal care pressures Increased.
And, although inflation started to drop during the year. Increasing food, energy
and mortgage prices still harmed many people affected by stroke. However,
despite Such ob5tscLes, we continued to see strong Leadership and progress
in both clinical practlce and research related to stroke. A highlight was the rou
out of artificSaL intelligence (Al) to as5i5t stroke physlci3ns wlth stroke imaging
interpretation to Inform their decisions about thromboly5is and thrombettomy.
We also saw recovery in sofTE key performance measures for stroke serrfice5.
However, the UK is StIIL far from reaching tx)th UK cknnicaL guidets.ne targets and
intemational stsndard
Despite challenges. the Stroke A550ciation
remained resilient. We Irbcre3sed our
benehciary reach, strengthened our
relatson5hips and Influence io make Stroke
a hIgtr￿r priority, and delivered our be5l
ever year for incorr*. We start 2024-25 in
a srrong fi'nancial position, with our staff
and volunteer5 eThttrKp5iasticaLLy Cornm￿ed
10 furtl*r increagng cw reach aviareness,
income and irnpacL
Despfte our best efforts, we're currently only
reaching one thlrd of people in their first
year after 5uoke. We have significant work
ahead of u5 10 achieve (xjr goal of react¥ng
and enhancing the Irves of every person
W￿'S recentty had a stroke.
We expanijed the reath of OLW locallty
5erwces and the reach of our unwer5al
services, thanks in part tri efforts from
NHS teams to boost refwrals to the Stroke
Assoclats'on. FUrthe￿nDre, we Increased o
spend on stroke support services by £2.6
rniLlion coryared io previoJs year. And
we prjorltsed Improving the qualrty of our
supporL Induding rolLirbg out a new 'Ask
and Act, feedback survey and lrnprovinq our
Inrtial gJPPOrt cau&
Deuverlng stroke support
Income frDrn our commissioned sefvices
Increased by 7Yo. However, ertemaL budget
CUT5 threatened more of our servlces,
especIa￿Y those fiJnded by local authorities,
and reduced our contratt margins.
In 2023-24, we In￿ased the nLrymber of
stTDke SLNvors we reached by IOYQ.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Advocating and Influenclng to make
stroke a hlgher priorlty
We contsnued to advocate for locaL and
national sysiem decision maker5 to prioritise
stroke and to buiLd ￿&7[50n$￿¢ps with
parttameniarians and clvil 5ervant5 in all
fo¢Jr nats.ons of the UK. In anD"cipation of the
General Elertiorn we prepared a manifesto
ernphasislng that stroke is P￿Ven[able,
treatable and recoverable. We urged the
ew UK Government to provide Ihe Po￿.[1G71
Leadership necessary to en5vre stroke
services rr￿et natlonaL guideunes. 50 that
all SUTViVOf5 have acce5S to the seNices they
need to a(heve the best Possible recovery.
Wales hwe slwwn Inierest and corTYnim)ent
to stroke PREMS. Northeffj Ireland has
Committed to explDre runnlry PREMS In
2025.
Unfortunatrly, stroke services were not
irnmune to wlder NHS h"nancial pressures.
Desplte our best efforts. staff post5 were cut
within Integfated Stroke DelNery Networks
IISDN51 in EngLand and fundlng for quaLIty
Improvement continued EO be short-ierm.
Financsal pressures and Lack of a functioning
ExecutlvE for rrnKh of thp year hampered
progress in Northem Irelan
ough our second 'Savings Bralns. repo
V•* agaln highLJghted thE need for round-the-
cLock thrombeaory provision, Ufging faster
roLLour and ewty in geOgrap￿cal access.
Conversations with key decisi(￿ maker5 kept
thrombectomy front of mind across the UK
and resutted in Professor Sir Steve Powi
NHS England's NatsonaL Medical Director,
commithng to visit alL thrombeaomy
centres In England In 2024-25 to demar
pro9ress.
Fundlng re5earth
In lane with our Co￿￿￿1trne￿t tu restore
research funding to pre-pandernic levels,
we inue35ed incorne for re5eafch frorn
£2.5 mlLUoll 10 £3.7 miLtson, funding six
Inth'viduals to pursue research careers In
stroke and se4en projert 9rants:
We developed key partnerships to leyerage
much-needed additlonal monies IntD
stroke re5earcfrL These Included a ES00,000
investment into a ftve-year partnershp with
the Brwttsh Heart F(XffKlatlon18HF) Data
Science CenLre and Health Data Research
UK (HDR UK) to Use Large data seE5 to
cataly5e Stroke trealTr￿￿t and care. Our
partnership with the National Insts'tute for
Health and Care Research {NIHRI continued
with joint funding ol large research
programme5 add￿SSIng rehabilit3tion and
Long-term care. We were also debghted to
secure funding from t*￿ UK GovemrrEnt's
MedlcaL Research Chanties Early Career
ResearcheF5 Support Fund wjorth a record
£576.000. This aLlowed us to support16
research studeritships/felLow5tr¥ps for 202>
24. givlng us more flexibiuty in ttE comtng
year wlth Iv>w we fund additronal stroke
rese3rdL
In response io unequal 3cce5S to lrfe.
after siroke services across the UK, we
launched our 'Thrivlng After Stroke, report
In We5tmin5ter. calung for COMP￿henS￿e
support lor alL people affected by stroke,
access tD a key workef and a slx-month
In September 2023. the results of
the hrst ever Stroke PREMS IPau'ent
Reported Experience Measures) survey,
a groundbfeaklng plot between
Stroke Association and NHS England.
were publi5t￿d (please see page 431. As a
result of this, NHS EngLand has C0Th￿r￿lled
to Eaklng stroke PREMS into its national
patient survey pr(xJrarnrne to ensure patlent
experience is vatued and conydered
Important as a key inpLrt 10 better stroke
support and care. Fouowlng our awafeness
raising and influenong worK ScotLand and
strok&or4uk

Engaglng wlth IndI￿dUaL5 and
communtties
We furttrEr deveLoped several tocal
and naiionaL partnersPM'ps other
organisations and contlnued to evolve our
Community Connector voLunCeers wtK) help.
raise awareness of stroke and the Stroke
Association In tr￿1r local colrrf￿fiIues. many
of whom have [￿ed experience of strok
Our annuat Staff engagement Scores
conthued to fenett improveff*nt from
a strong tsase￿ne. Nearty 90% of staff
recommended charity as a good or
great place to vrfork. we'￿ addressing the
need io improve agillty, Innovatson and
clearer decision making through new %vay5
of working supported by the Executive Team
and Trust
Rals5ng money and pubuc awarenes5
Despite Ihe difficult extemal economic
environmenL we had best income and
fvndra15ing year yet. Our total Income wa5
£42.1 rn1￿.0n, an increase of £1.5 milllon
from the previou5 year. Fundraised Income
brought in a iotal 01 £28.9 mlltsan, £480,000
rTK)re than the 2022-23 year, and ￿Te 4vas
a galn on Investments of £3.6 rnilljon. We
Increased spend on our chariLible activrtles
by 76V.. Our strategy to Use re5erve5
accurTrJlated in previous years to accelerate
our strategy re￿tted in a planned deficit of
£1.7 rrMILlon.
Looking ahead
We're in a financially, cuLturally and
operatlonalLy strong postfK)n. Our pr￿rity
now 15 to acceleralE progress against wr b
arTthiiion5:
Reach evewne as soon as possible after
IT Strok
Advocate for 2417 acce55 to
tfvombectomy across the UL
Inuease pubLlc awareness of struke arml
of our charity,
A(tYe￿ trans!ormats'onaL income growth:
Achievlng these goals wilL require
unwavering commitrnent and leadershipi
great parmerships. and new ways of
working to unlock pace and progress,
We corrYnts5ioned rnarket research to betcer
Lmdefsiand how we can make stroke a
T￿re well-known and popular cause. This
Inforrrth our brand refresh, launthng In
2024-25, whith WILI enable rnore stroke
survivors to Leam about our support services
and increase pubbc awareness of our charity.
Thank you
A big THANK YOU to the wFK>le stroke
comrtxmlty wtw) make our succe55 possible.
This Includes people affected by stroke,
stroke professionals, researchers, our Staff,
voLLmteers, partners and the trundreds of
thwsands of loyaL supporters wtK> are
50 generous Wsth thelr tifne. money and
encour3gernenL We'd aLso ￿ke to thdnk our
trustees and Independent advisors. Your
generDsIty as volunteers and your strategic
Inslghts are rI￿h appreciated.
Improving how we work
We made sonificani progre55 during tr
year on InvoLving more S[￿ke survNors
at both project and Locauty levels,
with n*mbership of our Stroke Vlews
Involvemeni Network growing to 450 tr￿5
year.
To sUPPOrt Our SDlvlng Inequity in Stroke
approach, deveLoped a suiie of
exceLLeni communication sUPPOrt toots
for people with apTrk3sia - a language and
communication disorder - and started
work to In￿rOve our equality, diversity and
Inclusion pokncies, pracuce5, IranW￿ afKI
data
We're proud to be worklng wth srf>V towar(ts
c4Jr shared v151on ot fewer strokes and for
people affected by stroke to get ￿1p
they r￿ed to ￿ve the best ￿"fe trEy carL
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Jullet Bouverle 08E
Chiel ExecutNe
Stephen Klng
Clk4tr of T[￿teeS
strok&orguk

Our charity
Finding strength through support
,Every day In the UK. another 240 people wake up to the catastrophlc
Impact of a stroke.
Anyone, including mums, dads, grandparents, young people and even
children can be left unable to move, see. speak or swallow. It'5 a traumatic.
. Ilfe-changing event that robs survlvors and their famlLies of the lrfe they
knew. However. w%th strength. detennination and the right support.
recovery is possibl
The Stroke Assoclation Is the only charlty In the UK offerlng Ilfelong
5UPPOrt for all Stroke survivors and their families. We provide tailored
support to ten5 of thousands of people every year. This includes one-ttrone
and group suppor( funding vital scientific research into stroke prevention.
treatrnent, recovery and long-terrn care, and campaigning to secure the
best care for everyone affected by stroke.
We're here for stroke survivors and thelr loved ones, from the moment
they enter the new and frightening post-stroke world. We support them
every step of the way as they ffnd their strength and their way back to Llfe.
Our vislon
For ttEre to be strokes. and for people affected ty Stroke to get the help
need to Uve ts best ltfe ttr*y can.
Our purpose
To be the trL6ted voice of stroke sur￿VorS and tt￿4r famllie5. We warrt to drlve
better wtcomes In stroke prevention, treatment and Ihfeknng support for everyone
affected by StrokL
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

strok&o

Our values
'Our values Imderpin everythlng we do. They're the charatteristlcs tlkit make
U5 distinctive and spell out our standard&
We are human
We believe in better
We give our aLI
We say it how it is
We are human
We believe in better
We've seen the full range ol hLman
emotion5 thal 5truke bring5 Out, The
devastsiion, despair, sfv)ck and Indignity.
We w ourselve5 In the ol ttr
, people we supporL We recogni5e
unlque need5, experiences, strength5 and
weaknesses with kindness. And we do
Ihe same wlth our coLleague5, too. We
enknrace th15 10 achieve best possible
' outcome5 for Stroke suNivors <yJr chariiy
,artrd our partners..
We're optimist5c for the future. For 3IL
people tsving wlth ttE devastating effects
of 5Lroke and for our charity. We are
driven by OUT desire for improverner
however big or Sr[B￿ We use ￿al ts'fe
stories to celebrate achievement and
Inspire ￿pe for a better fubjre. To leam
from our mi5take5. And move forward
5trDnger than before,
10
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

We give our all
We say it how it Is
r resolve to make a dlfference
mDtAvates everyone we work with.
We Insplre stroke survivor5 10 gatr*r
Ihe deterrninatson and strength they
need to make their best recovery. knd
' charnplon their needs they can't
Together, our coLLeagues rTr)tlvaie each
other and move people to support us
however they can.
Working iogether, we set reaustsc but
chalLenglng goal5 for ourselves and the
people we supporL We tssten 10 what
matters rnost to people so can deliver
what we said we would. We aren't afraid
to Show peopLe the deva513tion that
s￿oke causes. And people can do
to help those affected Llve their best tsfe
after stroke,
strok&or4uk

How we secure the
best care and support
for everyone affected
by stroke
Stroke support servlces.
We provide tailored
supporL helping people
,affected by stroke to fi'nd
their strength and way back
to life.
Systems Influenclng.
We work with decision-
maker5 in government and
healthcare, to make stroke a
higher priority and develop
well-funded policies.
These activltles are at heart of who we are and What we do. In this Teport we've
gfouped our key successes and challenges by these four areas to help us telL the siory of
(yjr year. You'lL see Irrpact OLJr vrfork has every day on peop￿,5 Uves - and how this
contribjtes to our priorits'es and goals.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

'Research.
We fund critical stroke
I Iresearch, focusing on people
and projects that answer
questions that matter rrK)st to
people affected by stroke.
Communlty engagement.
We build relationships with
people and organisations,
to make positive change
in their communitles for
people affected by stroke.
5trok&orguk

Our Long-term goals
We have two long-term goals which help us focus our work on the thlrKJ5 we
beLieve WILI have the biggest Positive Impact for stroke survivors. Last year,
we also introduced four medium-term priorities - each targeting an area
where we want to speed up our progress over the next three years.
Goal A
Make stroke the priorty It
needs to be.
Goal B
Ensure that everyone affected
by stroke has access to the
rehabib"tation and Lifelong
support tr￿Y need.
Our medium-term priorities
l. We reach and support
everyone as soon as
Posslble after thelf
3. More strDke connerted
advlts have stroke front of
mind. and rnore see the value
of the Stroke A550clatlo
Z Thrombectomy Is
avallable 24n acro55
the UK lor au patFents
who cO￿d beneftL
4. Create the vislon and pian to
motfivate donor5 and achleve
tran5formatlonal Incorne
growt
To achieve tt*se step changes and rnake progress towards our goats we need ta raise tt
profrle ol the Stroke Association and 5ubstantialLy increase (xtr Inco￿￿.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

rfl l-
li ry

Our achievements
We provlded vltal support to nearly
75,000 peopLe
through alL our support services, a
IOYO increase from the previous year.
Our Stroke Support Coordinators
supported over 26,000 new
people through our coordinator-led
support services.
The Stroke Support HeLpline responded
to over15,000 enquiries from
people affected by stroke, helping them
to find Infomiation and feel reassured.
Our Stroke Support Coordinators completed
more than 12,500 home Visits. They also had
almost 300 vldeo calls wlth people affected by stroke.
provldlng almost 200 hours of supporL
16
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

OveralL we reached more than
44.000 people
through our Local support services across
the UK- a 5% Increase from last year.
We Invested
£3.7 miLLion
in pioneering stroke research.
We funded
14 research awards
at13 research institutions
around the UK.
Over
gave their tlme to help us and
the stroke community.
1,400 voLunteers
Thanks to the generoslty of our supporters.
we raised
£28.9 million
(compared to £28.4 mllllon In 2022-23).
strok&or4uk

Funding our work
How we raised our Money
Donatlons and legacies:
£28.9 milllon
CommI5sioned Stroke Recovery and,.
Cornn￿nicationS Support Servlce&
£11.1 milllon
Other income (includlng tradlng,
Investments, grants and the Stroke
Group Network);
£2.] million
Total income: £42.1 mlllion
How we spent our money
Stroke Support Servic￿.
£20.6 million
Communlty development and volunteerlng:
4 mlllion
Research grants and awards
£3.7 million
System5 influencing and engagement Wtth stroke:
£8.5 milLion
Raising funds:
£8.6 mllllon
Total expenditure: £43A mlulon
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

For every £1 we receive we spend 80p
on our charitable work.
12022-23: 79pl
strok&or4uk
19

We supported
thousands of people
affected by stroke
For so many people. Surviving a stroke Is Just the beginning. Recovery is
a long, hard slog of repetitlve therapy. and progress can be palnfully slow.
Stroke survivors have to relearn things most of u5 take for granted, like
.how to walk, Speak or even eat. It can take years and affect5 every a5pert
'.of the lives of the survivor and their farnily. However, with strength,
'determination and the right SUPPOrt. recovery is posslble.
Looklng ahead to 202&2&
C()ntir￿ to fixu5
reaching and
valw to tt* of
people
had a stroke. ThEs
indudes adaptlng ot
seNlces w0￿r￿4 wlth
care lxofessi￿aIS
stand (Xx support
offers and help Cor￿eCt
people tr* Ltrel
pport ty need
Ily need IL
IrrfLuence to
acce&s to Ufe after StrL*e
5ervlces across the UK
and Increase fiJKII
for wr stroke 5￿port
s&vSces so that we See
Pr￿￿10n of per50nallsed
4VOrt In loca

We want all stroke survivors to get the phy51cal and errotionaL ￿1P they need - as
soon a5 possible after tr￿]r stroke. Trot's where our speciaust 5ervlces corne In. We're
here for stroke survivors and ihelr Loved ones, from the MO￿￿nI they enter Ihe new and
frightenlng p05t-stroke world. We support them every step of the way as they find thelr
suength and thelr way back to Lite.
Despfte the challenglng health servlce envlronmenL
we provlded vltal support almost 80,000 tlmes to
people In need- more than In 2022-23.
Local support serv1￿S
Supporting people as soon as
possibLe after thelr stroke
OvefalL we reached rmre
than 44,000 people through
r local support services across Ihe
UK- a Syo increase from Last yeaf. These
sefvices include stroke recovery services.
emononat support cwnselts'ng services.
post-stroke rewews and cornrwnicaiion
.suppori service5.
We aim to provide people
affected by stroke WiEh the righi support
ar the righi time, in a way that works for
them. To do this. it's Importarit trot we
make Sure our Initial concact with people
is as usefulas possible. We've been
working wrth our local Stroke Support
Coordinaiors and our Stroke Support
He￿ts￿e 10 make this happen.
Psychological and corrrnunication
.suppon were a key focus in the past year.
Our achievements inctsjde a coliaboraoon
with Mind (see page 361. as weLI a5
the launch of our new communication
suppon pack for people tsving with
comryKmlcatlon dttflculties after a SEroke
(see page 28), We also focused on those
affected by chldhood stroke, launchng
cLtr new peer support seNce for parents
caLLed Pareni-io-Parent Volu￿eeT CaLIs
Isee page 33).
We know that to reach everyone affected
by stroke we need strong retationshp5
with heaLthcare professionals. We've
been working to develop our appfoach
by engaglng more cLosely wlth healttKare
professionaEs and stroke survivors
In IM)spiiaL fooJslng on increasing
av4areness of our servlces arid the value
our ￿Pport brlr>gs.
We've seen an enc(yJraglng18Vo increase
In the reach of our 5UPPOrt to people
who've ￿entLY had a Stroke - Ehat's
25,176 people, up from 21,275 in the
previws year.
Unlversal support
We saw an 18¥o Increase In
provlding untrversal 5UPPOn,
whith inclLKle5 CNLdhood Stroke SLpporL
Inforrnaiion and resources. stroke
support groups, our Stroke Support
Heipbne, Weekly Vobjnteer CalLs and
Onllne Actlvitie5.
In 2023-24, stroke News had
more than 48,000 subscrlbers.
A vital source of advice and supporL
our magazine reaches stroke
svrvlvors. carers, volunteer5 and
other people connerted to stroke.
5trok&orguk

Northern Ireland
.,As the only stra￿dedICated charity In
, Northern IrelarKI. we Invested In addltlonaL
er¥Jagemert worK In collaboratlon wlth the
NHS, to Irryjrove StrC￿e care and access to
stroke supptyt servke% In 2023, Ulster
i Garden Viuages Ltd generwsly donated
£20.000 to sjppart our engagement
jINs donatlon ha5 autrwed u5 to advance
. Lyjr engagerrmt th across T￿trIpLe
, area5, Indudlng the ￿aItt￿are Syste￿ rur
i eryjagemont arld voLunteerln
Because stroke survlvor5 In rural area5
eyPerIen￿ slgnificant barrlers to accesslng
servlce5, we focLtsed on 9fLvilrwJ
Jr network to reach more pewe. Over a
i., perlod af slx rronths, (w Erbgagernert Team
? att￿XIed several rufal events and shows
across NorthEm Ireland. We spoke to over
1.000 people to find 0￿ what rrwttÈrs to t
wlth regards to strth carE servlces.
To Incr&ise awareness of Ix￿ charlty across
' the natioTh ow Engageffxnt Team were
) InstrLKfMtsi In Increaslr¥J engagernt wlth
healtfKare professlonals and the pu￿lL
A key suctess was the estabUsPYr*nt of Stroke
Assocktlon InfDrfrhitSon area5 In every aarte
, stroke unkL auoss au fve Health and Social
., Care Trusts. Tly cortaln Stroke Assodation
1&7ftets and Infurn￿on about local wpptyt
'. and UK.￿ 5ervlces.,
In ts year al￿￿1, ¥Ye focus on tt5ting a
approath In Nortl*m Ireland to further
professlMa15 and maXImtr￿ ¢xK In.hospltsl
marketlrffj.

.1 really feel Ilke we are maklng a
dlfference In the Lives of those who've
had a stroke and their famlly member5
whlch is extremely rewardlng.,
Clara, Stroke Assoclatlon Engagernenf Officer,
Northem Ire13nd
stf
strok&or4uk

Face-to-face, phone
and online support
We've continued to connect Wtth people and provide a
range of support face~to-face, overthe phone and online.
Our Stroke Support Coordinators provide stroke Survivors. Carers and
famits'es with personalised support throughout the stroke recovery journey.
Last year, we:
Supported over 26.000 new people through
our coordinator-led servlces.
Handled more than 80,000 calls, gNing over 900
days of telephone support. and had aLmost 300
vldeo calls, providing aLmost 200 hours of support.
Provided more than
12,500 horne vlsit
24
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Stroke Support Helpllne
Our Stroke ￿pport Helptine completed more than 15.000 enqulries. Tr* only UK
helpune fDr aLL stroke supdlvors arbd tr￿1r loved ones. we answer questions about
anything people want to thow about stroke. When a stroke happens, the Stroke
.. Support HeLptine team Listens to and answer5 people's immediaie questions. helping
' 10 catrn their fear5. One caLLio trE stroke Support Helptine atso opens a world of
wider supporL li cofjnects Survivors dnd their famlues to other stroke suppon services,
such as Siroke Support Coordinators, peer-to-peer and group support. as well as Local
comrwnrty seNices that rnight be helpftJL throughout the recovery journey. We expect
10 see enquiries grow over the next year as we carry awareness raising carnpaigns.
StrDke surwvors tike Fran tell us they feeL uptifted and sUPPOrted after speaklng to our
.. Srroke Support Helpline tearrL
Ffan said, I'm so grateful to the Stroke A5￿(latiOn for their 5upporL I had so fnany
questions after Leavlng hospitaL I needed someone to talk to, sorneone who would
understsnd - and that's w￿n the Stroke Associauon came In.
'It's amazing tr¥)w one person saylng the rlght thlng can nb3ke you feel so much better.
I InitialLy spoke to someone on the Stroke Association's Helpline. They made rne feel so
calm and reassured. I remember leaving the caLI feeLlng a boost of support, guidance
and love.11 was tt* Uft I desperaiely neeijed,
strok&or4uk

Stroke Associatlon Connect
Stroke Association Connect aims to connect Stroke surrfivors with folLow-up and long-
term support after leaving hosprtaL Over the past year, the service has contlnued to
grow, reaching more stroke 5urvivor5 au055 more areas of the UK. Now, 174 NHS teanLS
are reglsleied with rhe sepiice, and we've seen an incredible 50VJ rise In referraLs. As a
result. we've been able to build connections with hospitats, allowng servlce to keep
growing. In 2023-24, Stroke Associadon Connect supported more tron 4.800 stroke
survlvors 4vith follow-up and long-term 5UPPOrt after leaviThJ hospitaL
Our Ontine Community
Our Online Commtsnity connect5 thousands of people who understand stroke fir5t-
hand. The platform Is available day and nlght and is a place where people come
together 10 talk about things important to the￿ ask questions and leam how ott*rs
are managing thelr recovery after stroke. Nearly 80V¢ of people felt that our Onune
Cornrwnlty provlded thern with the rlght supporL Ty￿-third5 of the people asked told
us that belng part of the onts'ne communlty gave them nK)re control with their recovery.
In 202M4'
11,913 people signed up to joln Onune
convTh￿ty brln91ry the totaltD 26.959.
Our Onllne Actlvitles
Our staff and volunteers host a wlde range of onllne activities for anyone affected
by stroke In the UL These artivjties are a great way to meet new people. feel more
supponed and Increase confldence. PeopLe can learn rr￿re about the effects of stroke,
Join a stroke exercise group, take part in social quizzes and more. There's also a
dedlcated group for people aged 1845.
We contfjn￿ to expand our range of 5esslon5 Tn response TO the feedback we get and
have recently deveLoped a series of monthly infornHiion dnd peer sUPPOrt sessions
wilh a talk from a researcher or clinician. We wlll al50 run regular peer suppon sessions
for parents of chldren who've had a Stroke during chlldhood.
,In 2023-24.
2T3 people signed up to our online activltie
90% said tlw were coping better with thelr Stroke and
understandlng more about the changes that stroke bring
IO0% sald tr￿Y cajld store tr*ir expeflence of stroke wlth
people wtrK) understan
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Emilia and Guy's story
Stroke survlvor Emllia Parrott and her
husband, Guy, both volunteer for our
Weekly Volunteer CaLI5 service.
l enjoy sharing rny experience5 with
recovery and hope it helps other
5urvivors,' says Emllia, who had a
stroke in 2015.
'1 remember how alone I felt when
I had my stroke. It felt Uke no one
understood what I was going thr(KMJh.
When l asked questions about my
stroke and recovery, no one would,
give me a Straight answer. I don't
want anybody else to experience thaL'
GLty also uses his Lived experience to
support survivors and carers as they
face the challenging recovery process.
Witnessing Emitia's experience with
a major stroke and her subsequent
recovery joumey Inspired hlm to get
Involved.
After a stroke, people can feel down,
dispirited or confused. It's important
to give them a sense of hope and
certainty,, he says.
Weekly Volunteer CaLLs - Here For You
LaLmctr£d in ApriL 2020. Here For You {PIFYI Is our WeekLy Volunteer Calls service. It
'connetts siroke survivor5 and their carers to volunteers who have Lived experience of
stroke, offering them peer support and social connection through weekly telephone
caLls. A key focus In 202>24 was recruitlng more HPI volunteers to meet dernand. In
gust 2023. we taunched a hj.ghly successful volunteer reouitTTEnt drive that Involved a
targeted marketing emall to over 11,000 Stroke Association support benefi'ciaries," social
rnedia posts on X. Facebook and Linkedln,. an emall to our existing Stroke Group Network
volunteers, and an arttcle In the Stroke Support Newsletter. As a result, slnce September
2023 we have been able to reduce viait times. now matctrmng new beneficlaries within
four weeks of their application.
5trok&orguk

Supportforpeople Ilvlng wlth communicatlon dlfficulties
We taunched a new communication 5UPPOrt pack for people Ilving wlth
communication difficultles after a stroke. We designed and created the
pack aLongside people affected by Stroke. More than 10,000 packs have
been ordered by people with aphasla, their famiLy. friends and trEaLthcare
professionats. One of the aphasia-friendLy guides within the pack, caLled
'Your communicat5on after a 5troke.' was shortllsted for the Brlt15h MedicaL
Associatlon's Patient Information Awards 2023.
More than 83Yo of stroke survfvors 5ald rhat our communlcatlon stspport
pack had a positive lryact on thern, while 82Vo found tr£ inwes f*lpfuL
when leading and understanding Irrformation.
Almost 90% of healihcare professional5 said that the pack had a positlve
Impact and more than 97V• said rw have reconynended the pack to othe￿.
Accessible communlcations
We created an acce55ibLe Image Ilbrary wlth over 60 people wlth aphasia
to help us create aphasla-frlendLy communications. We al50 developed
aphasia-frlendly template5 to use with the Ima9es to create bespoke
resources. Other charities and organisations can request these images to
create aphasla-friendLy m3teriaLs.
As well as the comrrnmlcation support Pack (see above), we al50 developed a
cOm￿￿nIcatIon picture book to support people with communication dtFficuLties In
hospitaL Thi5 wa5 promoted to hosprtaL heaLth and social care professlon3Ls, with
around 5.000 communication picture books senL Therapists told us that they helped
reduce paEients' frustr31ion. They also said thai the book aided cornmunicaiion between
patients and I￿SPItaL staff. One ￿rapISt sald One of our patlents Is so Intentsonal
when he u5e5 charL He feels sat15fied and less frustrated that Is abte to initsate
comfrwiicatlon using tt* book.,
Our May 2023 fundralsirKJ appeal mailfftg lnClL￿ed an apha5￿.fr}endlY sun¥nary. The
response rate increased by over 2•/0 for those who reielved the surr￿Y, compared
to ttK>se dldn'L This is an excellent result and we'll be planning how we can rroke
aphasi&friendly wmmaries part of wr stsndard prattice.
28
Stroke Assodatlon l Annual Report Year ended 31 Mardi 2024

strok&orguk

Llstenlng and respondlng
to feedback
,We iontinued to monitor the quauty of
support we provlde so we can develop
our servlces. One of the ways we do
this15 throtsgh Ask and Act. which we
set up to tssten to and leam from the
stroke survivors and carer5 who we'¥
5UPPOrted.
We worked with stroke suNivors to
develop a range of accessible ways ro
ask lor feedback - Includirsg survey5 and
InteNiew5. uslng large prlnt and d￿ltaL
forrnats.
2023.24, we reCe￿d over 6.000
responses 10 our SU￿eyS and had
comprehen5Ne and useful teedback frorn
many Ask and Act caus. TrÈ Infom13tlon
has been overwhelmlngly posltfve and
encouraglng.
.Trus year, v£'lL continue to work on
makir4J sure teams across Stroke
A550ciation can 'act' an what we
hear, and that we're Investing time In
contirwously learnin9 and Improving.
We p(k>Ushed cur Patlent Safety Inddent
Response Poucy and Man, a new
requlrement from the NHS. The
and plan detall how we respond to and
learn frorn safety incidents thai may
Involve stroke survivor5, Iheir family
Ibers an¢Y carer5, our volunteers and
staff. Th15 alLow5 US to contirMJalLy leam
arfrd Improve how we WD
30
stroke A550datloTr l AnnuaL Report Year erKled 31 March 2024

'My mother can no Longer write and has
cognitive probLems caused by her stroke.
The fact that this questionnaire is in large
print and has facial symbols is briLLiant,
as I couLd sit and go through it with my
mother feeling invoLved in the process.,
Ask and Act survey respondent
strok&or4uk

'We didn't know anyone else whose child had a stroke.
It was quite scary and unknown, and we didn't know at
aLI what getting back to school would look Like. It was
heLpfuL speaking to another parent in a similar situation
who was further down the ￿'ne and able to give us
support. They understood what we were going through
and were able to give practicaL support as weLL'
Parerrt who was supported by the ChiLdhood Stroke Support service
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Supporting parents
of children affected
by stroke
Our service for parents and carers of chiLdren affected
by stroke is now in its second year. We provide practical
support, as well as information and guidance on topics
including education, deveLopment, emotionaL wellbeing
and more.
In 202>24:
We responded tv over100 enwirFe5 and provlded ongolr¥J wrtto
' 54 famllles and carers of children have had a strokL
, Alongslde NHS professionals, we've reviewed arKI updated all our core health (Dntent
I for childhood stroke and perinaial stroke.
We started offerlng a parent-t￿parent VoluntEer CaLL5 service. Parent5 ￿￿th tsved
experience are trained to suppon otror parent5 In coplng with the impart of a child's
stroke. Parents said that talking with another parent made them feel les5 atone, more
knowLedgeabLe and more confident to cop
We're creating more opportsJnrties for research to be carried out Into chlldhood stroke,
to help address cunent gaps in research15ee pa9e 66).
Parents told us they'd like to share their storie5 to glve trK)pe to other parents. These
stor￿5 are now available to view and read, as we have films and print stories on our
webslte and in Stroke New5.
strok&or4uk

Funding to improve
community-based
stroke care
. NHS England's Stroke Quallty in RehablLitation (SQulRe)
programme seeks to improve the quality of communtty-
based stroke care. In 2023-24, we secured12 SQulRe
fvnding awards for new or existing stroke support servlces
across the UK The funding allowed us to offer stroke
support servlces and to Innovate at a local LeveL ensuring
Ithat our services added the most value where needed.
l More than 90% 01 str<>ke SUFvivors WI￿ responded to Ask and Act about
I rheir SQulRe funded seryice (640 people) agreed with the fouowln
.1 can cope better with
the Impact of my stroke.,
'1 am mre able to
access other supporL'
'1 am more able to look
after my health.,
'1 am coming to terrns
with the 5troke,'
tunding. however, %va5 only for 12 rnDnth& Th15 led to challenges wlth staff
recrultment. bull(bng reiatfronship5 and estabushing relerral patrfyvay& and the th"Llty to
secure funding for ongolng prov151on of the estabU5hed services.
Stroke AssoclatlDn | AnnL￿1 Report. Year ended 31 March 2024

Our projects IncludL'
Norfolk arHI Waveney Stroke Recovery Servlce
We re(eJved almcst £300.000 to pllot an apprpach ollertng ￿1verSaL access to Initial
telephone swjpwt, connetting a5 needed lo a local stroke Recovery Servke h Norfolk
and Wayeney. Tre local StrThke Support Coordlnators work clcsely th"nical partner5
'.10 support peopl4 parncularty tfrose with rnfe coffptÈx needs, and a local engagernÉnt
offKer links the Co￿￿r￿mIty to rnaxh￿ the cGnnec1kn5 avallable at place t￿L
,Ufe After Stroke Servlces In Yort5hlre
We were a¥Yarded É220,000 tD Prt kife afterstroke seniices In three 41reas ol Yorkshi
These prr)rr#xe wel￿￿￿1, provlde stroke e(kn(￿lon and Pre¢e￿IDn 1nftjf1na￿0ft, and
support strY>ke surV5V￿S to integrate In (heir local comr1￿lty. Trus pro￿ tested differert
ways of workiTV4,11 led to..
A strokg Recovery SeThice lft Bradf¢¥
A new strokg Recovery SeNice providing SIx-rr￿¥nth reiviews in l>Jncaster.
expanded stroke RecthEry SeTh5ce aftd slx-month revie￿$ In HarrOga￿ ,
'One pu50n who used seryice salft Vhe £oardlnator] was an ey£elLent c0rrfflun￿Dr
. and made feeL at eax We d19￿￿d wtys of felaxlry when anxlw5 and ry PTDblwT
wrth tsrednes& Welshare an] Irbtere5t kn rrKtslc and bt was good to tslk about that. He's
' Irwired me to get on wrth Lrfe.,
strok&orguk

Emotional and
psychological support
Supporting people who are
bereaved: online chat service
Through disCU5sions of treir lyled
experience, we gaiTth Insight and
under5tandlng of day-tu-day Issues
facing a diverse range of people. The key
themes from our dlsajssions we
Slnce Aprll 2023. we've been offering
the Grlefclut service on our website.
It's a free, confidential onune chat
service wfrEre aryone aff ected by stroke
can cor>necL directLy with a quaufr'ed
bereavement fDiif15Èllor. In 2023-24,
we sUPPOrted more than 720 people
through GriefChaL ty providing this
seNice, we're offering early intervention
for people faong lengthy waiting tssts for
bereavement 5UPPOrt, whlch can have
detrimental effect5 on an Individual'5
We Identitled potential solutions to swport
personal tsfe. work tsfe. and own self-c3rL stroke survlvors SULMJgtsng with their
ntal health, Tr￿se Include a wellbeing
Transforming mental health for
recovery grcrtp for stroke survivors. on&to-
one talkirrfj theraples and a practityoner-led
people affected by stroke In Wales fa￿LItated grDUP for loved ones of stroke
5urvivor&
, Around ttree-quarters of stroke survivors
i experience at Least one frEntal I￿alth
PfobLem. InCl￿Ing depression, anxiety,
mood Swings, panic attacks and suicidaL.
thoughts. Yet there is lrtle SpecI3￿sed
support avallable.
PeopLe do not expect the negative
I￿￿cL on t1￿1r mental ￿alth after
experlencing 3 stroke.
Stroke survivors feel alone arKI
uncertain in Iheir recovery.
Stroke affects people's Identty, arKI
they can stmggle to adapL
We launched ￿ 'Rebuilding Minds
After Stroke, report at ts Senedd In
January 2024. WI￿re we made tI￿Se ftve
recommendatson5:
The Siroke Association and Mind Cymru
Should continue to ￿rk together to
explore and delj'ver these idea5.
People worlu'ng in stroke 5trK)uld
recognise the impaa the conditlon can
tkive on people's mentaL tr￿alth arKI
delNer services accordlngLy.
We [amtt￿d our 'RebulLdlng Mirids
After Stroke, project wrth mental health
charity Mlnd Cymru. 10 undefSiand the
experiences of people strugg￿ng with tt*ir
mental health after a stroke. We spoke with
more than100 people aflerted by Stroke
acmss Wales.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

'I'd go to a dark place every
night wlEn l tried to
sleeB specfficalLy won
erlng
If It would happen agaln. I got
to the pL3ce where I couldn't
sleep at all at nighL I wa5
exhausted.,
Stroke 5urvlvor leatwed i
'R£tr￿ILdIng Minds After Suoke.
'It was when19Ot home that
1 got thinking and It wa5 the
things that got me, Uke
not being able to butter rryy
bread - I was comparing
myself to a toddler.,
Stroke survbvor featured In
le￿ILdIng Minds After Stroke,
'Your personality changes and
your family have to cope with
that It could realL trELp your
family to talk to ot
er famities
who've been throLMJh IL.
Stroke Survivor. Corfles￿n
Workshop, featvred in
lIe￿ILdIng Minds After Stroke,
Plans io transform stroke serrfices In
WaLes should include a focus on rrEntaL
health supporL
Pubbc bodies should ralse awarene55 of
stroke, particularLy among marginallsed
comrrunltse5 and areas ot soclal
deprivatiorL
nexi Welsh Govemment's menLIl
alth strategy need5 10 include
reference to how people with specrflc
phy5kal heatth conditlons can access
mental heatth support tailored to their
need&
'IVs around the time servlces
Wtthdraw that the reabty hlts
.(It can be 6 to12 weeks or 6 to
.12 months). People might have
been holding onto hope and
goal5 up 10 this polnL then an
adjUSt￿￿t needs to happen..
ainical pS￿l091￿ feattffed In;,
'Re1￿lIding Mtnds After Stroke,
strok&or4uk

.. Emotlonal SUpp￿t 5ervke In Corrwall
Stroke TalLored Emotlonal and
Psychologlcal Support (5TEPS1;
Emotlonal support In Narthem IreLind
TtK>ts5ands of people in Cornwall struggle
vilth ￿ Impact 5uoke has on their
mental health and weLLbeing. We worked
cI05eLy WiEh the NHS and woke sUNV
Eo develop a service which rneets tt
Ineeds of the Local CoMff￿nty. Thank5
. to a generou5 ￿gary V￿ recelved from
the Elvryn Thomas Memorial Fund, we
have a five-year prolect called Cornwau
EmottanaL SLJPPOrt Servlce, wthich wltL wn
untsL March 2027. The 5eNSce offers one-
. to-one counsellltTrg and L3iIofed stroke
information. PeopLe afferted ty stroke (an
, dis￿55 issue5 swh as Loss and acfjiu5tmenc
relationshlps, understanding guilt and
arlgef. as welL as Ixjllding conftdence and
setf*steem.
Over 90Yo of Stroke 5uNrvor5 in Nort￿r￿
Ireland say t￿1r emotional and cogniuve
needs were not met after t￿Y had been
dlstharged from ￿5P￿aL tkiLf say
t￿Y are often or always depresse41 STEPS
offer5 Northern Ireland's only one-io-
one 5troke-spenfic CO￿SellIng seNice.
FurKled by the National Lottery CoryThinty
FwKI frum ALMJU5t 2021 to August 2024,
It provide5 emotional yjpport io Stroke
survivors. carers and families as ttry adjust
life after stroke. Tr evidence of the
POsnp4e impact this intervention ha5 had Is
helping us io build new fundtng PfoposaLs
exrend th's seryice Iiito the future.
In 2023-24. the second year of tl*
CornwalL E￿￿tsOnal Suppon Servlce.
we received 268 referrals - up from168
I referraLs In 2022-23.
The nurnber of people referred
for counselb'ng from service In
2023-24 was 238 lup trom 230 In
2022-23 and 26 In 2021-22), At the
stao 57Yo reported 'rnoderate or severe,
Ttr45 was the feedback from one stroke
levels of anxiety. By tr* end crf therapy,
survivor. 'My (￿n$eLlar came to my trKsm¢ thai had reduced iu 7Yts. For depresslon,
which made a real difference to rrE. I felt
It was 46Yu at the stan and reduced 10
,rnore corrrfortable to explore thing5 that
6%. 78Y& of people showed 51gnifi.cant
were Imponant to me..
Irrprovernent In thelr psychologic3L
weubelry.
Everyone WIKJ completed our 'outrome
, measure, survey began tre service with
rnOdera￿ to rnlLd' levels of anxlety and
depresslon, Upon completlon of tt
servke, 75Yo reported 'rnI￿ to no, anxiety.
Peer wpport In Northem Ireland
We launctr*d a series of peer 5UPPOrt
events for Stroke suplivors and carers.
first of these rook place Jointly wlth
trE charity Nothm Ireland Chest Heart
and Stroke in November 2023. Around 60
people Joined us to hear stroke sup4No(5
share tr*lr story. EJ"sten to talks about sdf-
Care. and take part In emotional l*aLth and
wellbeing Interactive workshops.
38
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

p.
'1 had such a good relationship with my counsellor. I was
able to talk about the stroke and the way it affected
me, and l am now able to deaL with my emotions. I was
able to get past the 'why me?1 and accept the changes to
my life and move forward. It's so good for people to get
counselling. I would have been lost without it.,
A stroke survlvor gpported ty the 5tEP5 counsewng servl
strok&or4uk
39

We worked with Leaders
and stakeholders to
make stroke a higher
priority
Stroke is one of the UK'S leadlng causes of death and
dlsabiLIty. We know that when we Invest Sn preventing
strokes and providlng good treatmentand rehabilltation,
not only do we save lives and improve quality of life,
but we also save money- for the healthcare system, for
.famlLles and for the wider economy.
Yet stroke preventlon, tre3tment and
care continue to vary greatly between
reglon5 and natson5, creating a p05tcode
.lottery that deepens health Inequats'ties.
Successp￿ govemrnents have not .
addressed the scale of the proble
leawng stroke care underfunded,
understaffed 43nd under-priorits'sed In
poucies and pLan&
pressures, Induding staff strikes,
workforce shortages and tow rTK)rale.
ISDNS were particuLarly 31 r15k from
restrwturing and budget pressures.
ISDNS are essentiaL for transforrnirKJ
stroke seNices across tF* COLntry.
LeadiThJ up to a r[￿l￿anticIpated General
ELection, we stepped up our influencing
work and built re13tionshlps with
poiittcians In all lour nations of the UL
This was essentiaL to make stroke a
prionly for the new UK govemmenL
At the Stroke Ass(Kiats'on, are
committed to (￿angIng thts. In 2023-24,
we contsnued our efforts to make stroke a
prlority in tEalthcare POLI￿ across the UK
Pushing for lryrovement in the Standards
and quats.ty of care offered.
We've worked hard to engage v4th
regional and Ioc3L tEaLth sysierr4 and to
use our influence and expertise to shape
national health poLEcies.
wel￿ been worklng agaln5t a chaLLenglng
backdrop of heaLth and care system
40
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

stfQ& I Sl-
'I'm commltted to
51roke
lrnprovlngaltlry
treatmerts for
everyone.-
ymrwym
'I'm Cornm￿ed to
stroke
ImprovingqlZLV
treatments for
eve
Lookkng *th)d to 202&25 we wllL'
Contlfw inftuendng wDd( to
ensure the Implementatlon of rthust
stroke pollcies across alL fwr UK
nations and to ralse proflle of
stroke wlth key declsloTrmakers.
We wluachleve th15 ty.
We contrll)uted to a fange ol
.con5ultation5. such as ambulance
response Ilmes and sT￿k[￿g poljcies, to
, help strengthen poLlcy across the U
As aLways, we involved people wtth tsved
experience of 5trDke In our campaigning
work - b'5tening responding and
' supporting tr*m to Sha￿ tt￿1r
experiences to Inlluence change.
Ildlry4 relatlonshFps with the new
UK Govemrnent and InnuuKing
progre55 on (XK manifesto call&
Continuln9 to Strengttr
relation5hip5 wlth NHS system
decislon makers to cataly5e actlon
that dri￿ improvernent in stroke.
Irrpr(Nlng the ￿dencE base for
cost effectlvtness of stroke
Interventlons and Inltuenciry for
adoption of these acrDSS the UIL
We've pushed to improve Standards and
quaUty of care offered to people affected
by stroke acfOSS all fcMJr UK nab'ons. As
, part of our connecting afid convenlng
. role, vie've held eNEnts 10 tElp health
professsonals share good practlce and
collaborate.
strok&or4uk

Influencing stroke
policy and systems
Working wlth polttlcal
decision maker5
Highughting stroke In
the Government's Major
Conditions Strategy
In the next10 yEars, the nurr&)er
of stroke Survivors is set to increase by
, 60Yo. Th15 will cost the G0vem[￿ nt £75
"Illon - nearly half ￿ curyent NHS
budgeL Ahead of 2024 General
Election, we deveLoped our Stroke
Manifesto, caltsng on the UK Govemment
. 10 make stroke tr£ priority ii needs to be
We were encouraged that Stroke was
5ingLed out Itogether with heart dlsease)
as one of slx condits.ons proff led in itr
' Conser4ative Government's draft Major
. Conditions Strategy aiming to Inprove
prevendon, diagno%s. trEatrnent and care
for Major heaiih con<Jiiions In England.
We met fegularly with th>se kwiting tt
. strategy and provided evidence alongside
01t￿r chariues and health OT9an15ation
We were d15appointed not 10 see the
. strategy pubUshed befofe General
, Election was announced.
Adding a 5tToke lead arKI team In
Departmeni ot HeaLth and Social Care.
Invests'ng in stroke preveniion ia save
lives and reikne disabibty.
Increasing access to treatrr*nt and
supporL
We responijed to several ot￿r
consultations to arylify (xjr ￿￿ssageS
and Inftvence nationaL potscy. includi
We attended party Confe￿nceS around
UK, inclvding Labour, Conservative, Plaid
, Cjrynru, Scottish National Party, Der￿cratIC
Unionist Party and Sinn Féin. We rnade
, important new coniacts wlEh polEtJ'clans
and poticyrnaker5 to keep Stroke at tt
torefront of their minds..
A La￿vr pob'cy forum ionsuLtation
on 'Prevenoon. early inteNemlon arrfl
better public services for aLL'
A con5uLtatlon on introducing rninlmum
Levels of service In the ambulance
seniice. Irrlproving ambulartrce response
tlrf*s Is particularly unportant for
people wFM)'ve had a stroke, as getting
treatrnent as soon as POS5ible gives
people the best ctrklnce of 5uNival and
re(¢)very.
The Conseryats've Govemmenfs
proposed legislation to make it illegal
to Se￿ tobacco products to anyone tjom
on or after I january 2009. Smoking
doubles your r￿k of death f rom stroke.
We also SUPPOrted people affected by
stroke to tell their MP5 why stroke strK)uld
. be a prlorty and ask thern to take action on
. our Saving Brains and Ttyiving After Stroke
campab9n& We also supported people to
meet wlth their MP In thelr con5tmJencies
. or at parliamentary events.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

PREMS: MakirKJ sure
stroke survlvor5' voice5
are heard
Some areas h"ghtsghted for improvernent
were:
Decision-making ar￿nd transfers of
care (when a patient moves Irom one
Ca￿ 5ettiThJ to another),
Acce55 to psychoLoglcal 5UPW)rt
More access to 'lsfe after siroke,
Sup￿TL Inctuding peer SLlPPOrt and
5UPPOrt to rewm to work.
In the 2022-23 year, we worked wSth
NHS England 10 run the fir5t*ver Patient
Reported Experience Mea5ure5 {PREM5)
, gJrvey In Eng13n& Th15 groundbreakifYJ
. projea exptores and quantihes stroke
rvlvor5' expenences of ireaunent
-. and care, airning to make sure stroke
' survlvors, voices are at tre cenue of
Improvements to tr* quab'ty of services.
This higN6ghts a need to raise awareness
of our existing ser￿iCeS, such as the
Stroke Support Helpbn¢ stroke support
group5 and onllne peer support services.
The flr5t rE5Lrtt5 were pL*)tss￿d Sn
' September 2023.
NHS England has committed to t*ing
stroke PREMS into It5 national patient
S￿￿Y progratrffle. Following our
awareness and Influencing work,
Scotland and Wales have shown Interest
and corrfflitment to stroke PFIEMS.
Northern IreLand has corrfflitted
explo￿ njnning PREM5 In 2025.
Key fi'ndlNJs IncL￿le(*
. 91Vo of responden15 felt thai they were
.treated with d￿nity and respecL both
In hosPltaL and In the community Ibased
cjn 6.349 people who answered the
.. ￿es￿OnI. This IS testament to the hard
%vork of the highLy sklued speclab'sts
dekn'vering seThvices.
Our strength as a lobbying charity was recognised
when we were named the19th most mentloned
charity by MPS on X (formerly Twitter) In a
Polimonitor report. This put us ahead of big names,
including Oxfam and RNIB.
strok&or4uk
43

stf>fvl str>te
soclatlon l Annual Report Yp

In England
We contin￿d to ralse toncems ab￿1
Lack of protected funthfvj for the 20
ISDNS. uncertalnty abcAJt fun￿1n9 ha5
led to kn55 of momenDJry PON morale
and staff leavlng. Most region5 have
now confirnied ongw fundi1￿ for the
2024-25 flnandal year. Hov4￿er, we're
stkll concemèd ab(xrt SL￿taInablI6ty ut
ISDNS and wllL conti￿ ts ask questions
and push lor ThK)re Wtrrm securlty for
tt*se vltsLrW40rk&
staff nationally, Irrprove thILs
. and wellbelng. Atterthe sv(ress ol o
two ISDN rEsideDtial event5 last year, we
two Trpre In October 2023 and
Marth 2024. We also held regiunal stroke
| leadefshlp events In Swth E3sL East
, of Eng￿d and the Midlands, ljke
trHS glve u5 an Importart OPPOfllmlty to
share good practic¢ InwrcfvE OU[cor￿S
and strwger relatlonsNps. They
a&0 pmide peer suppor¢ reftectim and
a ctkince for senlor Stroke ￿nIcIanS to.
recharge and bulld thelf ￿SIllenC
4S

In ScotLind
We welcomed the Scottlsh Government'5
revisèd Stroke Improvemerst Flan in
June 2023. IrincLLAled several of our
pollcy cau& For exarnple, it named ,
psyctrdogical gjpport for Stroke 5uNivor5
a5 3 nats'onal priority. We're n￿¥ 5eeirKJ
alth boards developlThJ plan5 fof
psychological 9JppofL as W￿Ll as six-
month review5 for everyme has a
stroke. The Suoke Improverr*ni Plan
also formaU5ed a coryThitment that each
of the14 geographic ￿alth t)oards thal
deliver NHS ser4ices auoss Scotland
shDLrtd designate a narrEd person to
accountable for dellvering and improvlng
stroke serdces In thelf area. .
Vthle trE plan was vague on spending
cornmitments, we can see dear eviderKe
èvs stronger than It have been
INtEtrKXJt (xr caryjaignlry and infLuenang.
We conlnue to run the Cross.Party Grwj
on Stroke, as one of mosi focused and
artioTroriented groups In Partiaff￿L Our
rneetings over the year Inctuded makin9
case for psyctrKAoglcaL care for stroke
vlvors, reviewirKJ the Governrnents
new Stroke Improvement Plan and
call *of increased irwestrnent in woke
awarenes5 caripaign
Our M3y 2023 reception In Scottish
Partsament was the largest gaL*ETing of
stroke corrwrrfjnlty In ScotEand over
year, with the Mlnlster for Fljbllc
HeaLth attendiThJ to reaffirm commitr
to deliverlng a na￿onaL ttWo￿1)e(torny
serrflc

In Wales
We Contir￿ed tt> be a kEy rnembei of
Wales, Stroke Imp{err￿nLat4on Networt
providing both stroke data atid the
voice of ilved experlence. The Network
was set LP In Aprll 2023 to ￿er5ee
work to develop compre1￿SIVe. highly
5peciaLlsed seniice5 w people with'n
first 72 t￿r5 of experiencing a
stroke. T￿e early day5 are critical when
it to havlng ttE best P055ible
recovery.
To 5UPPOrt tlws worK we r@establt5hed
the Cross-Party Group on Stroke in
Senedd In October 2023 to ImFKove
stroke Outcor￿S and experience ol
people affected by stroke in Wale5. As
welL as carrpaigniry al￿ inlluencing.
the group lac1￿￿te5 discusslon between
Senedd ry*mber5, ry*dical professionals,
tharities and people affected by stroke.
We atso restarted the Cornrrlnity of
Stroke Best PrKtice in Wales, a fortm
which bring5 IDgetPEr profe55ionals
working In stroke to share learning,
In Aprll and May 2023. F￿bUC HeaLth
Wales ran the *ir5t-ever billnguaL Act
FAST/Carn NESA carypaign raising
av4arerkess ol sl9ns of stroke. We
contlnue to wsh for ths to nJn biennialLy.
We atso Inlluenced health boards and
IOGII aUthOr￿leS to conbnue inveSlJng
In Ufe afr&r stroke servlces In
Wale& Pecple affected by stroke én
G7rrnarttEnshI￿ supported o
svccessm caffpaw ro ￿taIn local
auttM)rity fundlng.
5trok&org.uk
47

Iln Northern Ireland
We focused on building relationstr4'p5 wlth
pots'ticians, strengtrEnlng and developi
Ihese flrt￿r when the Northern Ireland
' Executive retLrned in early 2024,
We attended main potstical party
conferences In Nort￿ffl Ireland for
the frr5t tsrne wtrEre we Spoke to MP5,
Members of the Legislative Assembly
, {MLA5) and counclLlors abl￿ Cmf new
Thrlving After stroke campaign (see page
58). We got more than 100 signature5
trom key decision makers and the Stroke
community 5UPPOrting our pobcy call
whch InClL￿$È access to psy(hology and
,,mental health services for au stroke
Surviv￿ and ensuring trE ts'fe after stroke
workforce 15 InCl￿led In fvtsxe Stroke
workforce plans.
We c¢intin¢Jed 10 work with the
DepartTneni ol Health, urglng them to
progress the cornmitments in Stroke
Actlon Plan, inctudlng expanding the
thrombectomy seryice arKI Irry)r(wing
iehabiUtati¢)n and lon*tefm supporL
Ovef next12 monchs. VR wllL make
sure thÈ volces of peopte with Uved
experience I￿1P shape plans to tran5forn
h05pitsL stTDke Services h Nortl*m
Ifetand.
We supported the NorthErn Ireland Stroke
Network with It￿.f 'lmpfOWry Quabty in
Stroke, day. We gave a presentaiion on
the need to introduce PREMS In Northem
Ireland wtth objective of running a
PREMS survey in 2025. Thls bLHtt on the
work we've been doing with each stroke
unit In Northefn Ireland to explore ho
we could vffjrk better togettEr, It's led to
us irrtroducifmj stroke information area5
in every acute styoke ward h Notthem
Ireland.
We continue to rLm the ALI-Party Grwp
Dn stroke which brings tDgetFw MLAS,
cr¥il seTvarits and merrthrs of tr
stroke comrrunity to dlscuss the maln
155ues in stroke ca￿. Meetln9s
Ihe year focused on exp3ndiTr3 access
10 thrombeciomy, progre55iThJ Stroke
transfornion and Irryroviry Ufe after
stroke supporL
We tr£Ld a partiarnentary reception
.'3t StormonL bringing togetter over
150 stroke survivors, carer% Stroke
professionals and MLAs to hear from
the Health Permanent Secretary about
progress wlth the stroke knon PLVL
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

wtth
'1 thought the event was exceLlent. The speakers
were informative and it was good to find out where
Northern IreL3nd is in the process of reshaping stroke
services. Jeremy, who gave an account of his patient
journey, was powerful and emotive.,
Partiaff*ntsry reception attendee
strok&or4uk
49

Thrombectomy
Thrombectomy is a game-changing treatment for stroke and one of
our medium-term priorities. For every minute a stroke is left untreated,
1.9 miLllon brain ceLts die. A thrombertory can not onLy save Ilves,
but it can signilicantLy reduce the chance of disabiLities Ilke paraLysis,
bts'ndness and aphasia. It's also highly cost-effectlve and could save
ttr￿ health and care system £73 million annually. However, nearly
two-thirds of patients who could benefit from the procedure miss
out. The UK lags behind many other countries, and treatment rates
vary hugely between London and regions such as the East and North
East of EngLand. As a result, we've been continuing with our extensive
campaigning and poucy work to drive change.
Just 3.9Vo of stroke patients in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland were given the treat￿￿nt In
2023-24. In ScotLand, the figure was1.4Vo across 2023.,
'Most countrie5 in Northern and Central Europe now
provide thrombertomy to 5-10 % of ischaemic stroke
patients and perform the procedure within100 minutes
of patients arriving in hospltaL England's thrombectory
rates are weLL below the European median and with far
longer delays to treatment. This represents clear underuse
of a highly evidenc&based intervention that can provide
many stroke patients with a much larger chance of an
independent life.::
Professor Hanne Cmstensen, Chalr, Stroke Attion14an for Europe
50
Stroke Association l AnnLHL Repon Year ended 37 March 2024

Saving Brains:
one year on
In England
In JULY 2023. we laLnched (Njr 'Saving
' Brains." one year on. prryress reporL
' It's an updatE on our campatg
calling for tsnNer5aL2417 access to
thrombectomy for everyone wlx)
15 e￿gIble. We've seen some good
. progress over the year. wlth rrK)re
thrornbectorrry centre5 operatin9
2417 and trearnt rate5 gradually
Increasing. BeLween 3rd and 4th
quarter5 of 2023-24 flnancial year.
.the trwory&)eitorny rate In England
Increased from 4.1 ¥0 to 4.3¥ts.
But this pace of change Is simply 100
' slow. WhettEr someone can access
thrombectomy sti'LI depends on where
and when ￿Y have thelr stroke. In
our reporL we highLlghted the next
' steps needed to continue increaslng
tre3rmeni rates. This Included calllng
on the UK Govemment to Issue
rts long-promi5ed NHS Long Term
Wofkforce Plan to address the chronic
workforce thallenges that are holding
back thrombectory progre55. This
tr￿5 now been pubLished. Our 'Saving
Brains. progress ￿pOrt also caLLed for
wellovidencecl innovations. suth as
Al lrnaging software and video triage
In ambulances, to be used to speed up
and maximi5e the benefits
of thrombectomy.

To ralse awareness of 'Saving Brains".
'one year on. and maintain n￿rnentU
we organlsed a thrornbeciorny-focused
..drop In event h05ted by the All-Party
Partiarnentary Group {APPGI on Stroke,
along with a Prime Mlnister's Question.
Th5. aLory with iyjr broader Influencing
work. ted 10 the then Minlsier for
Stroke, WILL Quince MP, visiting
Royal London Hospital thrornbectory
servlce. A paruarnentary debate to mark
World Stroke Day In October prompted
.Ehe new Minister for Stroke, Andrew
Stephenson MP, to vi5il the ReadiNJ
Ehrombectomy servlce Professor Slr Steve
' Powis, NationaL MedlcaL Dlrector of NHS
England, has also comfflitted to visit a(I
trwornbettomy services this year. due to
our sustained influenong work on th
issue. Fligh profile vistts from Mlnister5
and the National Medical ￿TeCtOr help
create rnomeniim behind tFYombectorty
progre55, which vie hope will tead to
increased thrombettory rates.
Supporting our effo￿, the Governff￿n￿s
Chief Medlcal Orficer, Chrls thitty,
recognised thornbectomy In hi5 2023
annual report 'Health In an Agelng
Society., Thls wlll help r31se ttrE profile
of the treaiment amDng mecfical
professionaLs and Co￿vnIs510ner5.
'1 could have ended up not being able to walk, my
speech might not have come back as welL as it has.
My overaLI abiLity to move might have been taken
away. It makes me feel sad and angry that other
people are missing out on this. Something needs to
be done. We need to campaign and get the powers
that be to Listen to us.,
Charlotte. stroke survivor and campalgner, wtrK) had a thrombe(tory
52
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

In Northern Ireland
In ScotlarKI
Nort￿rn Ireland has the hFghest
thrombectomy raie in UK with
6.4% of stroke paiients r￿e1Vi￿ tt
procedure in 2023-24. We've been
focusing our Influencing on calLlng for
more Investment in the thrombectory
service so it can expand to a susr3inabLe
2417 service.
Stroke Assoclati"on is repfe5ented
on the natsonaL Thrornbectomy Advisory
Group, and we continue 10 pre55 for
2417 thronknectorry Service in Scotland.
GIILlan Mackay MSP, who conver￿5 the
Cross-Party Grow) on Stroke, sponsored
an earLy evenirKJ iecepts'on for u5 attt
Sc0tt15h ParlJ"ament In May 2023. Tr alm
wa5 10 bring the stroke com1r￿lty from
across Scottarld together to raise politlcal
prDfite and support for 2417 nauonal
thT0fT&ErtOry 5ervice5. The eveniThJ
in(luded a conversation between a
23-year-Otd stroke 5LKvlvor wlw) rLYeived
a throrr￿ctOrny and the interventional
neuroradioLogist perforrr*d the
procethJre. O¥er130 people attended,
Includlng the Minlster responsible for
5tToke Services Jenni Minw MSP.
We sent a letter to the Health Minlster
asking hlm to fulh'l his commltmeni to
deLtver a 2417 thrombectory service for
NOrtr￿rn Ireland by the end of 2024 and
Started a petstion slgrled by 3.500 peopl&
We aL50 had a meeting with Mlnister
In August 2024 vthere we discu55ed t
rrportani it is to make thrombectomy
availabLe round the clock.
In Wales
Desprte arD￿d 500 Stroke pattents
being ekngible for thrornbectomy each
year. on(y117 patients from WaLe5
recewed a throrrt)ectDmy between
April 2023 to March 2024.
'1 was told I was a candidate
for thrombectory but
couldn't have one because the
thrombectomy service didn't
run at the weekend. I felt I
had my hopes dashed.,
The barriers 10 imprDvlng thrvmbectomy
rates in WaLes are corylex. with
workforce being one of biggest
(￿lLerm)eS. Howe4er, ¥we expect to see
improvernents in 2024 as Al for stroke
Imaging is going to be put into pra￿ce
across Wale5. We w4lLL continue to push
for the trar6fom￿t}0n of stroke servtces
In Wales to include 2417 a(cess io a
thrombectomy for everyone who 15
elIg￿le.
IYnlL srroke surrfivor and campaigner
stro￿or9.Uk

lon
ArwuJaL Report Year ended 31 Mafth 2024

Health inequalities
Strokedoesn'tdlscrlmlnate. Butpeople. organlsatlonsand systems do.
Somecommunltlesaremoreatrlskofstroke-theseareoftenthesame
people who have worse experlences wfjth the health and soclaL care
system. Thls Includes rH)t gettlng the advlce. treatment, rehabllltatlon
and support they shouLd. We're passlonate about maklng changes
acrossthe whole health and care system to address health Inequalltles.
Wewantto make sure every person affected by stroke can achleve the
best posslble recovery.
We condnued to develop Éyjr
understanding of heaLth inewalitles
lorally and natsonally, and treir inyatt
.on stroke prevention, treatrnenL
rehabilltatlon and lrfe aftpx stroke. We.
cornmitted to tackling ￿alth Inequalities
and rnaklng sure th's Is embedded In
everything we do. Thi51s part of our goaL_
to reach and add value to everyone as
soon as posslble after strok
Projects and resources
Several of wr proiects covered topks
such a5 ￿derstandIng needs,
prirxitles and gaps In supp(xt aryx>ng
b&xk and ￿nO￿ty ethnic group5
and a55essing Impact of health"
knequabtles on acceS￿ng Ufe after stroke
5UPPOrt servKes. We developed OLK
Health Ineqvatrtles Le3rnlng ReS￿￿e
to share knowledge and leamings
Intem3lLy fTDm past and ongoing ￿31th
Ineguatstles projects. We're corTThllled
to conti"nuir>g thi5 work and deepening
our Lnderstanding of health inequauties
in stmke, Posftionlng rAJrselve5 to bettef
Infiuence ttonge. ,
Worklng In partnershlp
We know wr voice Is stronger when
we join up with other& We're mertief5
of the Inequallties In Health AILiance - a
strorbg national coaution of organisatlons
that carnpa￿n fur a uos54JovernTr*nL
Strategy 10 reduce trEatth Inequalits"es.
We offef example5 of best practice,
support thelr campalgns and promote
their r￿SSageS on our social media
channel5. For exarnpLe, in March 2024.
we shared ts UK Federation of the Royal
Colleges of Physlclans. findlngs that 55Yo
of consultant physicians trkid seen more
patients wi(h111 health over trE preMou5
three montts ikne to social and economlc
factor
5trok&org.uk
55

Stroke prevention
Up to 9 In 10 strokes globally are preventable. There's huge
potentlal for reduclng the number of Uves devastated by stroke If
the rlsk factors are better detected. treated and managed. Things
that can Increase your rlsk of stroke Include smoklng, drlnklng
alcohol. not being physlcally actlve. along wlth havlng hlgh blood
pressure, atrlal fibrlltatlon (AF), dlabetes or belng an unhealthy
welght. We help people understand the rlsk factors for stroke and
what they can do to reduce or manage thelr rlsk of havlng a stroke.
Str4)ke Preventl¢>n Day
Unk between high blood presAJre and
5uoke. We wl(I continue to support blood
presSts￿ awareness caryaigns so that
rrK)re peop.le are aware of t￿￿1T risk of
stroke.
To mark Stroke Prevention Day on
25 January 2024, we raised awarene5S
of AF, a type of Ir￿gUL1r tr￿rtbeat that
can iau5e btood clots and contribute5 to
I In 5 strokes. thjr campaign encouraged.
everyone to check tneir pulse and contact
Iheir GP if ttEy foLnd anything Irregular.
We created strx)rt videos for soclaL rytdla,
sIM)wing peopte to do a sirrpLe puLse
.check.
In Scottand, stroke rates are hlgher than
In other parts of the UK. Last year. we
funded a siaff member to join Scotti'sh
Govemment's potscy team. Thty've
Iped develop a cardkovascular disease
prevents'on prograTrr£ - wlth stroke,
and AF In particuÈar, at the co￿. A5 a
result. a new PUt￿C Inforrnatlon portal
has been pubListr*d on NHS InforTn
website. caLculator used by doctors to
assess Someone's risk of stroke and 0￿r
corKliii'ons has been revÈsed and updated.
Encotsraglng blood pressure testing
An esumated 4.2 rniulon a(kJlts In EnglarKI
.currently have undiagnosed hlgh bLood
pressure - 3 factor that plays a part in
about half of alL stroke5. In March 2024,
we supported NH5 England 'Get
your blood pressure c￿cked, caryyal
Ehrourfjh sociaL T￿13 and internal
' communications. One of our rnedia
volunteer5, Trevor Cruikshank took part
In a Tr Usual Suspects'.styLe pF¥JtostK)ot
EO promote blood pressure monltoring
In people over 40. Our market fesearch
found that. slnce the caryaign began,
Ihere is greater understandirHJ of tt
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

1111

Rehabilitation and
Life after stroke
It's not enough to Sust survive a stroke - people need support to thrive
after their stroke. We launched our Thriving After Stroke, policy report
'.and campaign in October 2023. The report and campaign highlight the
devastatin9 Impact of stroke and the difference that Life after Stroke
support services can make for stroke survlvors. carers. healthcare
professionals and the wider health and social care system. The report
also Illustrates that Ilfe after stroke servlces are not always adequate or
equal across the UK with varlable access to essentlal support includlng
a key worker and a 5ix-month review. We want to Influence local health
systems to prloritise these services for people recently affected by stroke.
We laLnched I￿r Thrlving After Stroke, report at a partIamen￿ry receptlon In
Westrnlnster marking Wortd Stroke Day and promoted It with (wr carnpèi9rbers, As a
re￿Al over SOO people asked their local MP5 to enquire ab(yJt Ufp after SUDke provlsions.
In Scottarf we compiled a '17wN6ng After Stroke. briefirKJ V4hich looks at the evidenc
stroke survlvor experience and HeaLth 8oard dekn'very of Longer-temi supporL Tr#s
briefing sits alongside our UK Tth'ving After Stroke, repon. wh'ch Indudes broader
ey￿enCe for ts.fe after stroke support and te51irrrf)nla15 from t£altrKare professionals.
Rlght to Rehab campaign
We're member5 of Corrrnunlty Rehabi1ttarlon Alliance,
rrore than 60 charities royal coLLeges and professional
bodles committecl to lrnprovir4 comm￿550ning, plannlng
and delivery of rehablEltation. We 5UPPOrted the coalltion's Rlght to Rehab
caryalgn ￿LuThg for an end to ￿ postcode Lottery for NHS rehabiljtation
servlces. When people don't have access to rehab after a stroke. It can sl(
Of halt their recovery. darnaging tt*ir quats'ty of Ilfe and n*ntaL ￿aItr[ and
caustng lasts'ng health problem
58
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

,••
Marwarfs story
Marwar Uddin, 41, from Tower Hamlets, London, had
haemorrhaglc stroke in August 2022. A father of three, his stroke
not only changed his physical abilities but his role in family Life.
He now receives Ilfe after stroke support and reguLar care support.
'The Stroke Assoclatlon was there right from the beglnnlng and has
been with me throughout my whole journey. My Stroke Support
Coordinator caLLs rr£ regularty to see how I'm doing. They have
sent me so much information. polnted me in the right dirertion for
obtaining a disability lanyard and heLped me to get my blue badge.
l am also set to start a phased return to work L3ter this year.
'Without life after stroke servlces, rry lrfe wouLd be massively
different. I have had so much encOurage￿￿nt from the Stroke
Association and the community stroke teams. If I didn't have any
of this support. I think I would stilL be In a chair in my b'ving room,
watching the world go by.
'It feels Ilke the jigsaw puzzle pieces of my life are sLowly taking
shape again. I'm now registered disabled. I'm not the same person,
and I probably never WILL be the same person again. But I'm
determined to make things work.,
strok&or4uk
59

We invested in vital
stroke research
Our research strategy
Ovr fivfryear research strategy Q019 to 2024):
Bulld research
capaclty acro55
muLtlple dtsclpllne5.
Inuease fund5ng
and raise the profile
,of Stroke researclL
Support researth that
willachlevethegreatest
Impact lor everyone
wlth 5trokeand lrnprove
Life after stroke.
Wealways place peopleaffected bystrokeatthecentreofourresearchto
', make sure our efforts are grounded In lived experlence. We work closely
' with Stroke survivors and carers on our Stroke Voices In Research panel
involvlng them in decisions on the research we fund from the start, to
make sure It'5 relevant and Important to those it alms to benefiL
We Contin￿ to fund research in response
to tr￿ James LAnd Auj'arbce 2021 stroke
- Priority Settlng Partner5hlp IPSPI. Thi5 Wa5
a UK-wide project which rrkipped research
priorities across entire aduli stroke
G3re and treatment patlv4ay. We've aLso
expanded our fLnding remlt to InclLKle
stroke-reiated questions from the 2022
ChildtKX)d Neurological Conditsons PSP.
are going from strength to strengty with
partners Including the Medlcal Research
CounclL IMRQ, the National Institute for
HeaLth and Cafe Research (NIHRI and a
new partnership with Health and Care
Research Wate5 (see page 61).
In 2024. UK government annoUn￿d
a £45 miLts'on fund to support early
career re5earcher5 lunded ty rnedlcaL
Tesearch tt￿rItieS. We y￿re allocated
an irnpre5sive £575,511. This covered 16
of our research feltowshlps for 202>24
and gives u5 more flexlkntsty in how we
Our researth progfatTYne continued
' to sieadlly reiover folLowlng
disruption of tt￿ Covid-19 pandernfjc. Our
collaboratsons to expand our research
60
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

fijnd additional stroke research. Th15 fund
speaks to power of Leadershlp and
collaboration Yrfittu'n the chari.ty research
. sector.
Research partnership
achievements
We work with strategic partners to
develop new funding opporiunitie5
for fiJture stroke research Leaders and
lo ensure high priority areas of stroke
search get as nyxh funding as possible.
Most medical research Is male-focu5Èd,
wk4'ch can Llmii our understanding of
prevention and treatTnenL we'￿ protKI
SLPPOrters of MedlcaL Scierhce Sex
arKI Gender Equiry IMESSAGD proJecL
wFN'ch Seeks 10 redL￿e Sex and gender
discrimination In rw*dical researctL We're
lookiiig at how we can make our re5ear£h
, more inclusive of cis woff*n and trans
and Intersex people. We're also rnovlng
forward wlth an Equity, Di￿r$lty and
Inclusion IEDII actlon plan. Th15 aims to
iryrove things tske diversity within our
research comrrLp mity, and to make our
research relevant to more dlverse groLP5
of people.
Our achlevernents In 202>24
Include:
kl
Medlcal Research Councll
(MRQ: We've partnered wth
the MRC to fvnd a PhD
FetLowship for medical doctors..
This parmership is managed by the MRC
and we Jointly fvnd IL
Health and Care Research
Wales: In coLLaborauon with tt
Welsh Government we're c
tundiry a Project Grant to help
grow stroke research capacty in Wales.
We will manage this projeo but the
Welsh Govern[￿n[ will conrribuLe 50% of
the funding.
Loathg ahead to 2024*25 ￿ wllL'
, Refresh and reowdluate our
research strategy to see where the
Stroke A5sociatlon can strengthen
and advance stroke research in the
next flve years. To atheve thi& well
work wlth stroke COfTVTwnlty,
other research funders and t
atttrKare corrrnmlty.
Nationa( Institute for Health
and Care Research (NIHR):
We're partners wlth NIHR In
a £2.1 miuj'on grant tr￿1 funds
applsed re5e3rch. Thls year, we asked
for research apptications re￿On9 10 PSP
prioritie5 in woke rehabits"tation and long-
tenn care.
strok&or4uk
61

Our research
We have f¢xJr Mah types of researth awards
".designed 10 support stroke clmlcians and
acaderni￿ Wofklng In any area of stroke research
to becorrE the research leadefs of the fuwre:
P05tgradtsate FeLlowshlps
Help graduate5 deveknp the 5k1115
needed to start a carEer In stroke
re5earclL
P05tdortOfal Feu•y•￿hIp5
Offef furtt*r tralning to heEp stroke
prDfe5slona15 Who'l￿ compLetEd
a PhD to Prog￿ as Independent
researchers.
Lectweshlps
Play a CntI￿ rde In supportlrK]
talented midiareer researctr￿s as
t1￿Y start to ￿ad their own researth
tearrs.
Projert Grants
' • For ￿￿(ridI5￿pllnary teams w￿j are
, addressing blg questions across
thle spectTum of stroke
research., frorn p￿VentIon, tkKough
lo treatment. rehabilitation and IDr
term care,

Sl¥okLorwik

This year. we're prowl to have funded the fouowlng research projects:
Grant type
Postgraduaie
Foiiowshlp
Lead rnsearcher
Instltuuon
Research tltle
Xaie Lethngtwn
Univer%ty Louege Iinproving we
London
meo5ure and understand
the experience of aphasla
Maklng rehablutaii
twlcker arKI rrnfe effectbve
by Opilmlslng sleep after
strokè
Postpduate
Fellow5hlp
Trlln Oja
Unl4vslty of
Oxlord
P05tdortoraL
Feiiowshlp
Dr Sabrlna Eitrlngharn
Sheffleid Tedchng Te5tlng an aliernative (o
Hospitals NHS
trkckened Iiwids for stmke
Foundation Tn￿t
SU￿Yor5 Wlth dy5phagia
Univer*ty of
at Is roie of trbE
Edirbburgh
brain's wbste dearante
stem in 5m&ili vessel
Postdortornl
Feiiowshlp
Dr Mlttpeistrlnger
Senlor ainlcal
Lectureshlp
Dr Jaiinder Mlntrknts
Unlvef5ity ol
Le&cesief
CFLALLENGE-ICH.
Preventln9 ciotlmg strokes
after bieediNJ sirokes
SEARXCFL. Flnthng a
ireaiment for braln
sweLi¢ng afiel ￿eedIng
strokes
Canjiff Unlverslty ESPQOPS.. EvaluatsrKJ
Secondary woke
pr2¥entlon In Wales
Sen￿r Cunlca Dr Nestlka
Samafasekera
. Univerytyof
Edinburgh
Stroke
A5sociatlonl
Health and Care
Research Wales
Project Granl
Df Jonathan He￿IlL
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Gfant type
Pro*rt Grant
Lead researthor
I Instltutfron
UnNersliy oi
Cambridge
Researth tjtle
Nictrths Evans
trIES1 (i: kraitly ano
Ils elfects on 5lroke
treatmenis and outcomes
prO￿rt Grant
Prole5sor Arshad M4ld
Unlverslty ol
s￿￿le{d
RICFAST I. Tll￿,
rernole ischaemlc
conditioning EO treat post-
Stroke 13tlgue
Out of sighL Out of Mlnd:
Irry)roving visual ouicomes
lor chlLdhood stroke
JNlvors
DrAU
Proftrt Grant
Professor Nona Rowe
Unlverslty of
LNerpooL
ProJErt Grant
Ilofessorksse Dawson Unfverslty ol
GièS9OW
OASIS., Optlrnlsh)g atrlal
fknrlllatlon sUeenI￿ 10
Pfevent second ischaemlc
Proftrt Grant
Dr Matthew O'connell
Klng's College
London
Integrating fraiLty, thro1￿C
conditions and patient
tharacterlsiics to Inlorm
stroke cafe
IW Grnnt Professor Loma Pa
Gla9JOW
Caledoni
Vnlver51ty
comnity￿a5ed
teierehabiutsvon for
stroke suTrfvors
NIHRIStrok£
Assoclatlon
Programme
Gtsnt lorAppUed Professor Jonathan Mant Unlier51ty or
Research
CambrKlge
Dr Grace TLmer
Unlverslty of
Blrmingham
COMbAT Fatigje:
Coproducing a seLI-
management prograrrme
for post-svoke fatsgue
strok&or4uk
65

Some hlghllghts from
our new research project
grants In 2023-24
,'E5PQOPS: Evaluattng secondary stroke
,weventkn In Wales
If thls re5earth1s successm the team
plan to rnake the tool freely available to
healtrKare prOfess￿nal5. Understanding
vtslon problems early on after a thildtrwd
stroke could tElp irrgrove Survivors.
access to rehabliilation and make It easler
lor loved ones, teacher5 arHI others to
offer sUPPQrt as gjrvlvors retvm to tr￿lf
daily Uves,
One in four stroke swvIvty5 WIIL Pwve
second stroke withi'n flve )Ears. Thls
risk can be rEthJced with rnedlc3tion
and lifestyle changes, but rnany stroke
survivor5 am'l on recorrmended
tr&XmenL Thls can affect not only thelr
risk of anotsr stroke, txjt their quaLity of
tite, And h's Iwrder io balance risks and
slde effett5 of treatrnents for older Of
frailer strd(e sur¥ivor5.
RICFAST 2 Trfalung remote ischaemk
conditlonlng to treat P051.stroke fatlgue
One in two stroke or uarksient ischaerThc
attack ITIA) sur41v￿5 eXPerF￿ fatlgue
- tlrpdness that doesn'i get any better
wlth resL Fatigue can make it hard for
stroke survtvors to retum w everyday
Ille. BLrt tr£re are currently no treatments
avaiUknl& Remote Isctrla￿￿C conditionlng
IRIQ 15 3 promisirKJ treatrront that
involves briefly and repeatedly cuttirq
off the blood gJpply to one amL The
RICFAST 2 team are funning a trlal of RIC
to idents'fy best timing for treat1T￿nL
undeNand rnore about stroke
survlvors find it acceptable. feaslble and
effecti￿ and explore exactly trK)w RIC 15
affecung fatigje.
. Tre ESP-QOPS team wllLuse Welsh
, *￿Ithcare records to understand the
, reLition5hlp between fr31lty and stro￿,
ar￿ fx>w the quabty of care a stroke
survivor receives affects thelr Long.terrn
, Iwlth, Includlng tt* rlsk of havlng further
'stroke
I, u￿.r￿1teLy, ￿ team hope to trry)nNe
aLthcare 5tr3tegy arKJ ernpower rnore
' stroke Survivo￿ 10 make well.inlor￿￿d
.choice5 ab￿rt healthcare and lifestyl
fhJt of Slght. (kn ol Mlnd: Improvlng
' Vi5uaL outcomes for chlldhood stroke
survivors
RICFAST 2 tay the groLndwork for a
larg&5cale clinical triaL If tt* res&vch
is successfuL RIC could become a low-
COS( horro4)a5ed treatrnent for fatlgue.
The team tr¥)pe It wltt help more Stroke
survlvors regain Independence and have
a better quallty of lff
Out of Slglrt, of Mind team are
testing a new vision screening tool for
chILdren who have had a braln Injwy gjth
as a Stroke. They want to understan
it can be tssed in early stages
of recovery, when kn70￿edge ab(yJt vtsion
Pfobtem5 *iovld be most useft
See page 96 to find out how stroke 9Jrvlvurs have been Involved In wr researctL
Stroke Assoclatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Stroke Data Sdence Catalyst
Last ￿ar, we started a new fivtryear
, research partnethip wlth thE BHF Dats
SderKe Centre and HDR UK.
, Initiative. knovm as stroke
l Data Science Catalyst ISDSC). vhll ￿[P
I'researchers better understsnd stroke
by usiTr4 data from real.world settirKJs
.to Impiove treatryk¥nt and ca￿, We
receNed £297,000 from the Peter So%%e
Foundation to 5UPPOn ttis projett.
In January, tt* SDSC announced a grant
funding call ro athance d31a-Led reseafth
that examines how COVID-19 Intsracts with
'.cardiovascutar disease and strok¢ with a
rotal fund of £50.000.
IknUK stroke F¢m (UKSF). tile UK5
Lor9est fThJltrdlxsplmary eonlerence
for stroky care PtrJfes*nBL& *tratted a '
',recard nijnibef ol *tendee5- a￿1,9(KI
- wlth excdknl detegats feedbock We
and oiwiised Ih conference vl¥CII
Is an ¢pporttsnlty to Ipary Ideas arn
111
, researcty and tsltKThitoty iffptwe stsndards
.'cf care lry stroke 9JMvor&.
67

We buiLt relationships
with Localcommunities
and organisations
' Being able to connect wlth otr*r people WPK) understand stn>ke In the local canwwnty
can make a big drfference to how people recover, adapt èrbd move furward afteT a stroke.
These OpportUn￿leS to connect with other5, thrw social graups and hobbie5, can l*lp ,'
,, people de31 with LoThelJness. grief, Cont￿enCe issues and stigrna. PracticaL llélp, such as
'. transport to 5eprflces or ￿ts51n9 ￿pport. can take sorne PTessJfe off stroke survivor&
.' their famiLtes and carers.
We M>fk wrth a broad range of peopte and organlsauons to Create stroke-trlendly
comrThJnittes ac￿5$ UK, Together we raise awa￿ne$S of risks of stroke and how it
affects people's tsves. We also help improve Local comrrnjnity services and make activrties
rmre accessible. We aim to aryl.jty the volces of stroke 5urviv(xs and bring abwt
posiiive change to coffnjnity bfe.
Coff&nvnlty Connertors
, As welL as our Locat staff teams develop connection5 in thelr arEas of the UK, we also
have an amazing team of volurrteers, known as ComrThJnity Connectors. Many are stroke
I survivors or have a personal conneaion to stroke. T￿Y hetp us raise awareness of woke
and ctwrity and Improve the experiences of peopLe afferted by strok&
In Scott3nd and Wales, Comrnunity Connertor5 have been bringirbg Stroke AThrvors
together and supporting ttrEm ￿ set up Local groups. T￿Y aLso link in with locaL trK>SPitats
au055 the UK to raÈse awareness of I(￿al and natlonally avallable supporL In North
Wale5, Comrrnmlty Connectors are worklryj wlth Betsi Cadwa13dr University Health Board
to set UP training for carers.
Stroke Assoclatlon l AnnL￿l Report Year ended 31 March 2024

¥AI
Looknj ahead 10202*25 wllL.
Cont6ThJe tt> engjre stroke Group Network gNes a hand
to everyone nnnlng gr¢MJps so they can support peoAe affected by
stroke to thrive.
Dellver our a￿r￿a stroke Group Network conference, whlch Ixlr¥Js
together stroke group Leaders and votsmteer5 from acro55 the UK
to share their experlences, leam from eath other and fecognlse the
dlfference thty rnake to people affected by Stroke.
Contlnue to bulld on our partnershlps at both local and natlonal
level5 to develop stroke.friendly cwfftfftities. provlding
opportunttles for people affected by stroke to engage In wnlrw
actsvities and co￿￿T￿nIty life.

Stroke Group Network:
Supporting our
community
We ￿loW wst Importart it can
be for people afferted ty stroke to
connett with Otr￿rS who share a similar
experience. Ow Stroke Gr￿p NetWDrk
15 a corrwwnlty of Stroke 5UPPOrt grcwjps
-.actoss the UK thai orfer sociaLand peer
support 10 ￿rOke surrfivofs, carers, farnily
."and friends. Trt neiwork's rnain alm is
to t*ip crEatE connecllon5 acro55
stroke comrwnfty. From Structured groip
sessions to intonnaL cafe rT*et-LPS, it
brlngs tOget￿r alL types OT groups.
Tt* network COntin￿S to grow, with
24 Independentty run group5 pinl
In 2023-24. Diversity is flQuT￿h1n9
too. wlth gr￿p5 Led by loiaL social
prescribers. otr*r charitses and arcles
ol friends.
Yhe"CtheW Stroke
'Gw in West Sjssex is ow to people
Ith conYnLffticallon dtffKutiles and
stroke suNivors who wrKrtd Ilke tD bul
.theiT cofFfldence and ty new actlvitle
Includes singlng, drLWnmry
2nd speech ￿raPY to support
tarnrrwilcation skllts
B￿[[ on friendships and fun, the groups
are a safe and supportwe space to rebulld
skiLLs, to team rrK)re about suoke and
self-care and io increase conh"dence.
knvities tailor to what members want
and need, ranging from soclal support
and exerase to entertainmenc outlngs
and rnea15 OUL Across our Srroke
A550ciarion groups In the nemorl v
have over 600 voLunieers, 5uppon
arwnd 2,900 people affected by stroke.
Dave, had a stmke In 2014 and ts
3 n￿nber of the says 'There's
.¢Jreat corrrade5Np. It's nlce tslkry to
people whx> undersbmd, and Ifs a
9ood opportsmlty to prarti5e Sp￿￿￿
I look f0ry13rd to every Wednesday.
dub alway5 has so r[￿nY Irrterestln9
ctivlbes. Whatts* group means to
is lrfendsh1￿ cartng and wmderful
eople Nothlng Is too iYLth trTh)tAe. My
Ife arKI I can't speak h￿NY efw of
Our Stroke Group Network 5UPPDrt5
group leaders so they can be there for
people afferted ty stroke In thelr Local
,area. Thpre are now 393 10(al suoke
support groups across ttr￿ UIQ Inc[L￿ing
112 supported by Stroke Associati¢
atKI 281 thai run IndeperKlentLy.
70
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

iv
Provldlng stroke gr(wps wtth the rlght
Stroke Group Network Conference
In Septerrkner 2023 Ihe Group Net4vorks
deLJ'vered our annual Stroke Group
Network Conference ISGNC). It Is an
opportunity for everyone In￿lYed In
leadlng and volunteering at stroke
support grwps across the network
to connect as one communlty. Share
experiences, learn from each other and
feel valued for thelr achievements in
supporting those affected ty strok
It's important that our grwps have ttr
nght tools to support n*mbers V¥ith
communication diftlculties Ilke aphasia,
apraxla and dysarthn"a. This year, we
dated our 'Communic3tion TooLkit
How to support people with aptr￿s1a
In a gr￿p setting ￿50￿rce 10 be In
.-an aphas13-fn'endLy format The toolkit
Includes informatjon on how to make
. group actlvitie5 more accessible. tlps for
"group speaker5 and guidance for groups.
The two-(fay onune event attracted ovEr
230 people. repreSentIr￿ 715 stfoke
support groups.
5 Digltal a￿d paper coples were sent to
au support groups In the Stroke Group
,, Network. Volunteers told v
The prograrnme focused on acce55ibillty
and Indusion. This indthed sharing
top tips on how to SUPPOrt ffErrt)ers
with co{r￿￿niCatiOn dlfficuLtses dnd
the hidden effects of stroke, and
a conversation with Suoke
Association's Chief EXea￿Ve, IvLlet
BixJverie, and Tru5fee, Hannah CatchpooL
about tr￿aLth Inequatsties and how to
reach diverse stroke cornrwnities.
Tr pack wlLLbe a good trainlng
I resource for any new helper5 that
we are able to recruiL'
'IVs the best thlng we have had
from the Stroke Association.,
The conference certainly did resurrect
my toyaLty to the Stroke Association and,
being a stroke wrvivor, l am very grateful
for all the work It does. l am buzzing wlth
Ideas - partiCLKwly at)out getting groups
in Yorkshre togetrer so we can 5UPPOrt
each other as we do such valuable vrfork..
Group volunteer and Stroke Group
Network Conference attendee
strok&or4uk

Making connections
in the community
We're always on the look4>Ut for ways to help people
',affected by stroke feel supported by thelr communltles.
Weworkhardto bulld relatlonshlpswlth Local buslnesses,
oryanlsations and health and soclal care envlronments.
' Here are some examples of the communlty connectlons
we've made throughout thls year.
SSS
We've been worklng th In WaN4kk, the We S4>POrt￿ ￿ partntts
Care UK to tr￿p them set
Brlt15h Leglon got
MK Dons FootbaLlCtub in
ip stroke peer
tOLth fcr help to set
m￿tOn KAynes to set up a
grw In local cae Inrrns., up a strL*e grw> In a
Walking Football C
S(xrth East England. -
The grw15 now partof
the Stroke GrthJp Netw￿
We're also worklng wlth
MK I)ons to develop an
Accessknluty Sport Ind￿On
Huty MJuLd offer a
range of new, acces5*>le
actlvldes IndLth
Indoor crlckeL btr•As and
Stroke A￿QdatIOTr l ArYwalRewtYearerthd 31 Marth 2024

*. kl
R1
Ow partnersNp wlth tr
Albth FO￿datI¢m (tt
offidaLd)arity partner of
We rècenty appued thfr
sane model to a rthv
parMNp wlthsto
aty FC (see page 74).
ckn are In t
￿￿eSS of s￿￿StIr¥I
other football dubs
ight be interested In
w￿Ing u&
Football aLkn) g¢ne
from 5trryth to 5trerfjtlL
have been nJMlrvJ
a post.5froke exerclse
prowamm& Many of t
stroke wrvlvors who've
ve also tr*
arranglry to exerd5e
tOgetl*r so they can conttnue
to benefft frnm peer 5UFsJofL
stro￿Or￿k

Stroke wellbeing programme with
Stoke Clty Community Trust
'1 really needed to
connect with other stroke
survivors. Having a stroke
so young, none of my
friends understand my
situation and, in addition
to this, I have aphasia
which makes it even more
difficult to get support from
friends my age. Having
Craig [a stroke survivor
and employee at Stoke
City Community Trust] in
the sessions and speaking
to other peopLe wtx) have
been through a similar
experience, have given me
so much confidence and I
reaLLy Look forward to the
sessions.,
Followlrvj the C(wld-19 pandemic, lour
stroke groups closed in the Stoke-o
Trent area. We approached Sioke Cty
Football Club Community Trust about
working tOge￿r on a p05t-stroke
wellbelng and exercise progranrne to
help l(xal stroke survivors with their lon
terrn recovery.
There are now grry> exerclse sessions at
the club. invoLvirkg SlToke 5uMvors of a
ages. The sesslons are parncularty popular
with younger stroke 5urwvor5 4vho face
barriers engaging with traditionaL stroke
group environmen15. A5 welL as improving
people's physical ￿alth, ttr* connections
made with others affected by stroke have
a posrtlve effect on partiopants. mental
heaLth.
Since completing Programrne. we've
seen people return 10 WDrk arKI get
Invotved in other Comrrnn￿ actsvities
b￿ause their mood and contKlence
have improved. Staff ai the Sroke City
Foundation Tnjst Say ttEy have more
knowledge, skn'lls and confidence when IE
cO￿S to swportFng people affected by
Stroke survivor and member of the Stroke
weLlbeing programme with Stoke City
Convrnnity Trust
Project feedtjack higNighted how
ImporL3nt it Is to tkive 'stroke specift'c,
session5 to build people's confi'dence,
beFore tr￿Y feel ready to take part in
generic activibes.
74
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

A tew of the other organisathms we've been workhw wltl4'
Bedford UnIVe￿I￿ on an exercise PfogramTrL
Tennls England on fijnded tennis session&
Disability Sport Wales on wheelctrHlr footbau Sessions.
Chetsea FootbatL Foundation on tIElr exerclse programme lor stroke 5uNivor5.
South West CoastaL Path. Sallabiljty army The Wave Proiert. f*iing them to rrth what
they offer accessible to Stroke swlvor5 and carers.
Canine Partners Offlerw￿ Stroke surviKws the opportunty to spend tlme with
3551sL￿ce drys In tt* Mldlands and South East of Englan
Tre Canal & RiverTrust and local englneers In Nottingham to Co￿es1gn an accesslbte
bench with stroke ￿vorS in the Mldlands.
Southem Rall and Care UK dellvering stroke awa￿neSS events.

Raising money for
stroke and awareness
of our cause
Despite a tryjgh economic envlronment and the c05t-of-Ilvlng crisls, our
dedicated fvndrai5ers and supporters broke record5 for the second year
runnlng. raislng £2&9 milllon for people affected by stroke. We want
to thank every slngle person and organisation wtrx) gave thelr 5upporL
Wl*tl*r you Set up a regular donation, played our lottery. organ15ed a
,' bake sale, ran a maratlKJn, or pledged to leave a glft In your WILL It's
arnazlng to see so mary people ralslng money for stroke survlvors and
', their families, friend5 and carers.
', Morn than 16,500
4 people corrffjitted
ia DirKt DebiL ra15ing
ia Thwlve £lh mllllon.
10,757 new players
ined LP5 lor ¢xJr
weeldy lottery. The
arbnual hxorr¢ from
the lottery Is now over
24 mlulo
Otff exi5tlng ￿ppOrterS
cont]nL￿d to show
Incrndlble gaier05ty.
donatlng more than
£680,000 to (wr appeals
and rnalLlr
Looklng ahead to 202*25 we vthL'
Conunue to prorrnte tt* vltal role that le9acles play In fvndlng our work arKI enswe
we do our Uln￿St to horKJur the wi51*5 of all tlxb5e who le￿e a Legacy to Stroke
Assodation In their WIIL
Endeavour to grow the rArnber of peoplÈ actively wiport the Stroke As50clation
each year by refinlng, dlversrfying and scaung cw offers while rThilntalnlng a core focus
on deUver5TV4 QUtsLindlng 5UPPOrter experience.
76
Stroke AssoclatlDn | AnnL￿1 Report. Year ended 31 March 2024

Ovtr 400 nmners took part ¢￿21alL CAJr events rai*d
In the Great North Fkni -
ovef£ZI mlWDn In 2023.24.
oyr blwe5t tearn everl
' We'tE always honDLKed
thxse to cel£brate
and remember a loved
one ty 5UPParting
' us. In 2023.24. the
erage M￿hLOVed In-
rTErrvxiam tribute fLnd'l
Increased In Wdlue by
35%, Irom £265 to £359.
548 people klndLy pledged AIn￿tE20.0o0 was ra]￿ Posttprite's Pedal for Stroke
leave the Stroke
from PAllZ BIThJo'5 special
cycllng eknnt raised ovef
A5sooatl¢Jn a gift In thelr
'GDGo' blngo garres during £10,000. The tram cyt
,WIU. a 22% hxreast OaD￿r In sUPPQrt ¢Jf
436km from Doncastertu
jpreViCAffa year.
World Stroke Day.
Eastboume In fvst three
day
C(yrt1r￿e to vthk kn parthersNp ts*lth orwisatlons and phIlant￿ptsts to rn15e
nMey for, and ralse aWareTh￿ of. cw vltal w)rk to support alL stroke gAvlvots and
thelr faThaUes vkngn ttw need IL

Our fundraislng
In 202>24, we received 468
legacles from our supporters WFMJ
so generously included Stroke
Associatlon in Iheir WILLS, rBising
6.1 mllklon, our largest s£￿1ce of
fundraised Incorne. Legaaes account
for ovef 55% 01 our fundralsed
Income.
We held Legacy events at iconic
locations acrD55 tr￿ UK such as
Harewood House in Leecls and
ttrE Royat CoLlege of Physician5
In London, featuring talks from
leading rEsearchers. cLinklan5 and
Stroke survivors. who shared thelr
expenences wnh tyjr 5UPPOrters.
Str)k6
The Stroke Association'5 Free Wlll
Scheme continued to grow from
strength to strength, with 222
people uslng the 5eryice to leave
a legacy to the Stroke AssociaDon
In 202>24.
PAUL
21651
'1 first enc(yJntered
Stroke Association Support
Coordinator In hosPltaL where
I worked as an oc￿PatiOnal
therapist. Since then, I've
always thought the Stroke
Association Is brilliant, and
very much needed. The gifts
we leave in our Wllts mean
that more people wlll have the
assistance and support they
need to grapple with huge bfe
change5, adapt their living
environment and develop
coping skilts. Our gifts wlll also
rnean more stroke research
swifter dlagnosis and better
treatments. I'M immensely
proud to be a legacy pledger..
- stroke Assoclatlon Legacy Pledger

In memory giving
Elizabeth's Story
Ekn'zabeth Kwenortey's dad, Danie( had
multiple strokes throughout h15 life. He sadly
passed away in June 2022 at 77. Ebzabet
26, has been tundraisiTrg for Stroke
Association In his memory.
'Fundrai51ng In Dad's ￿￿rn(￿ry helped
process ry grief. It allowed to focus o
my dad and show my thanks fof IN'S knf
'Settlng L4) nyy ILJ5tGiving p3ge was sinple.
Charlotte, from the Stroke Associaiion's
Fundraising team, goi in touch to see how
I vvas doing. Her support made me exated
about IL
'1 was very close to ry dad. He was my
best friend,, 53y5 Ellzabeth, '1 knew he'd had
stroke5 before I w35 born dnd when I was
. quite young. so l think he'd always Ilved a
Ilfe affected by them.,
'1 walked across London, visiting sites
connected to ry dad, indudirig the
Ghtsnaidn Embassy. tt was a IDrwJ but
bealrtIf￿ day.
en Elizabeth w35 11. Dansel had a Stroke
Ihai left him reljani on a walkn'ng su.ck or
frame to get around,
'Knowlng that tl* money is golng to a
charlty tr￿t focuses on si)n￿t￿.￿9 that'5
had a massNe inH)a(t on rrty dad's lj'fe -
and ry ￿fe - felt greaL I want to contin
fundra15ing next year,.
Then In 2019, Daniel had another severe
Stroke that meant he was unable to watk
. or speak SadLy, his t*aLth decLined, and he
j died on Father 5 Day 2022.
To mark her father's birthday In March 2023.
Eljzabeth decided to walk 77,000 steps -
1.000 for every year of Danlel's Ufe - and
' ralse money for others affetted by stro
5trok&orguk
79

We'd like to glve a heartfelt thanks to every company.
their customers and their employees, and every
charltable trust and grant glving body thays supported
the Stroke Associatffion thls year.
We're gratefvL to tr* funders have reconynitted ti*ir supporL
' thjr partner5hlp with Buzz Bingo continijes to go from strength EO 5trengttL Trir blrKJO
dubs acr055 the co￿￿ r&se vitaL lunds for the strokeA5sociation. as welL as awareness
. cf Stri)ke.
, We're pfoud of our IAvrk with Wlttshlre Farrn Foods to raise aYVarer￿ of fv Lesser-
kr￿ effects of stroke - challenges with swalLowlng and eating. This parnRrsfv"p
the Gold Award in the Corporate Engagefr*nt Awards '8e5t AUgnffÉnt of Brand Values
ttwoLKJh Sponsorshlp Actlbryty. category.
Our thank5 alsa go to the N3ti0nal Lortery Corrffwnity Fund, which contsnue5 to support
cur work In Scotland, Wales w)d Northem Ireland.
Th15 year, we've welcomed the sUp￿rt of new lunders who recognise tr* Importance of
,' our caL
We want to express thanks to Peter S(w4erby Foundation for thelr generou5
support ofthe Stroke Data Saence CataLyx which is acceleratiThJ and strengthenlng
the vatsdity of stroke reseaich. And to the Jon Moulton Charw Trustfor supporting a
. groundbreaking research study. which aim5 to develop a tateraL flow trslto (SiagrK>se
strokes at the UnNer51ty 01 &'rrnlngham.
We're deughted that home oth.ce furnrtu￿ company Postrxite ctL>se to support tt
,Stroke Associats'on thls year. We've been blown away by empltyees. commitrnent to tr
I partnership - raising awareness and money, VoL￿te￿ing and ev￿ donating product&
We were t￿Ille{l thts partnefshlp WDn the award for 'Enpityee Engagement Initsatfve
.of the Year. at the Thlrd Sectof's Buslness Charlty Awards. Chrt5 Jone5. Posttrlte's
Managlng Director saKI: 'Obviously ivs been great to raise the money and awareness, but
. actually the beneffts for us for me, have far OLrtweigf*d what th*'ve done for the Stroke
Assoaatlon, Ifs been about togettwness. Everybody in the busness has been InvoLve
Irs been asu)nistxng.'
stroke AssodatloTr l AnnuaL Report Year erKled 31 Marth 2024

ri
Jtter
sti'bHe

We worked with more than
1,400 voLunteers to support
people on their recovery
journey
'It glves me so muth loy knowing that lother stroke survlvors] have somne
they can talk to who understands exattly what they are going through -
someone that was missing in the h'rst six rrnnths of my recovery.,
stroke Assoclation volunteer
Ckn vOl￿teerS hetp U5 do 50 rTAKh
for Fwle affected by stroke. TrEy
sw>port stroke viiwrs ty ruming wr
vUIL￿teer-led 5UPPOrt grixJp5 ar￿ del￿tr
our HPf Weekly Vi)lunteer Calts service
seNlc£ Try do incredible th'ngs In tr￿1r
' community to raise awareness of stroke
and tl* Stroke Associati￿. knd thelr
fundraising efforts rnean we can reach
more stroke survivors trough vnal
serolces.
We had an ama2irwJ response to Ouf ￿lL
volunteer5 with iKed eypuience
of stroke. Slnce September 2023,
tearn ha5 proce5sed134 Uved experlence
volunteer appllcation5. We a150 recelvEd
over 30 Connect and Chal telephcme
volunteer appLlcatiortrs. Our total pool
of volunteers rrf>w e￿eedS 320. wNch
rneans Ihat nebv people affeaed by stroke
recelve their first cau arwnd four weeks
Irom first COnTrCL
', MaThy of volunteers are stroke.
' swdvors and carers thernseLves and
see volunteering a5 a vrtal part of tr￿1r
' recovery Ioumey, TrElr experience has
Iped tD build theiT confldence, make
new friends and Improve their wellbeirKJ..
In 2023 sxvey, 80% (rf VDlunteers
told u5 they would recornrr￿d ts Stroke
A55003tion as a 9￿3t pUKe to w)lurteer.;
We beueve there is more y￿ can do
to I￿roVe the experience for all our
volunteers and to supporr people to make
an even bkjger dfflererKe to our work.
t sear, the HFY team processed 1,093
new referrals and made over 800 new
matches between people afferted ty
Stroke volLnteers.
Stroke Assoclatlon l AmuaLReport Year ended 31 March 2024

Juue's story
Julie Camburn Is a retired nurse, midwlfe and health visitor who lives
,in KenL She volunteers for the Stroke Association as a Community
Connector.
The thlng l enjoy most about working with stroke survivors is carrying
.out the Stroke Awareness sessions. l enjoy meeting people with
.,experience of stroke to hear about their treatment and recovery
.process. I've met people whose heaLth has been restored folLowing a
brain anLxJrysm, which l always h'nd inspiring.
'People wlth no stroke experience come up to me and say how the
sessions have really improved their knowledge about stroke and could
hetp save their life, which Is very rewarding. TkEy often tell me that they
had no idea stroke is a condition that can affect aLI ages. And that they
ftnd the Stroke Association information usefuL as they had not seen the
, television FAST campaign.
'VoLunteering has helped me by liftlng my mood and giving me
confidence. as well as helping me connect with the community.,
strok&or4uk
83

Our public campaigns
heLped us to raise
money and awareness
, We need more people to know how traumatlc and
Ilffrchanglng a stroke can be, how gruelling recovery
Is and the Impact It has on survlvors and their famllles.
We also want everyone to know about the Stroke
Assoclation and how we're here for stroke suNlvors
and thelr loved ones every step of the way.
To achleve th1% we need poiverful
,PFL medla and ￿afid carnpalgn&
,'HlghUghts. frpm 202J-24 Inclu(*"
There were12 FAeces of n3tional
media coveFage, including articl25 In
'Daily Mlrr4Jr. Daily S￿r., T)alLy
Express, on s￿daY, and The
Sln, These resulted fft totsl ￿ch ot
Fll coverap at over12 brtliorL
'When the Word$A￿Y Wenr
,,We'creaTrd 3 new fea￿re-le￿1}
doaxrtenw, 'When tl* WaTtIs Aw
,,Wert' tLI iaise aw3renw ol dpha51a.
a speech apd Corrrr￿4Catlon dlsorder
film wa5 Part of a wider awareness
£anpaw as pan ofStrDke arKI Apha51a
AWare1￿sS MontPts. In.tt* weekthat the
pre55 fElease went out. an 88%
increase In vaffic from search enginesto
c4Jr 7Aebslte far ￿ word aplwa
fitsyb follows Il%os of ttVEe Stroke
'swvlvNs with aphasla on tt*ir pumey to
find volce. In May 2023, tt Ptemlered
)a( the 8n.tish Aim Institute18FI> and
',Ihe evert was atteNled ty the Stsfs of
'.Ihefth WFpnJffle styokeAssodatl
.'SUPPOrters and trE medla.
d(xU￿0ntary achlevèd14,092
ew5 on Channel 4's 5treamlng
platfonTr and 5,059 ￿ewS on YLwTube.
PR campaign geneiated136 plece5
We also laLthd a wite of now
ol coveragè, Mth 90% featurir¥J allow corrmJnication tools for people w6th
aphasfa ￿ tr¥)spitat and the
(see pagp 28).
Stroke A$￿cl￿n l knnuaLRepofiYe4rerthd 31 Marth2024
TPie carryxign gen￿￿ed 2JIO social
mention5 and 25 Tf￿Ulon ￿re￿On9
dwu)g car￿a￿n penod
prolile StrokeASSOCFation supponer5
e a150 WM)Ived, IrKluthn9 3Ctor5
.Chr15 ar￿ Math Chamock
chef and wrrter Bnan Twner.

Creatlng a Garden for Recovery
We were awarded our flr5t ever Sly)w Garden at tt
2024 RHS Chelsea FIowEr Show. We won funding
ffom Project Giving Back and began planning the
garden with Miria Haryis, an aWard￿IDn1ng landscas)è
. designer wfrK) Is 3 stroke survivor ￿TseLf. With more
Ehan 150.000 visitors each year and exEensive BBC
coverage, we koped the 5tx)w w￿Ld hetp raise
awaTenes5 of stroke and Stroke A5sodatlon. The
garden successfully taunched in May 2024. See rrK>re
. detai15 in next year's Annual Report
Our Long-term awareness strategy
We caffied out market research that showed many
members of the pubuo InclLKfing those connected
to siroke. don'i undersLand the c3tastrophic impact
of stroke, or vital support 15 for stroke survivors
thr¢Jughout tsir10ry4 pumey to recovery. They also
"aren't awarp of the range of 5UPPOrtwe pn>vlde at tt
. Stroke Assoclats'on. Thi5 means that many people are
missing our on the SUPPDrt they need - and survivors
, may r￿t make the recoveries they deserve. To help
us charKJe th15 perception and reath our key goal
of 'making SfDke tre priority It needs 10 be,, we've
,developed a croSs￿rganisatIOnaL long ierm awareness
strategy.
We are r￿W focu51ng on shjwing these audien(es
why stroke wporr is essentiaL throwh the reatsty
.of suryiving and recovering from 3 Stroke and the
devastatlng impact, including on the widef family.
We'll Sha￿ and arnp￿ty survivors. Stories of recovery
. 3nd demonstrate the rote that the Stroke A5￿)(latIOn
C3n ptay, through a new campaign launcl4ng In
autumn 2024 and through our luture marketry artrd
COTTwruiications actsvlty.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

How we work
We're always looking to Improve the way we work at
Stroke Association - from the systems we use to how
we collaborate with colleagues. Every change we make
aims to help us have an even bigger impact on the Lives
of people affected by stroke.
Looklng ahead to 202&25 we v•KL"
Consoutste Ixff leamlng to ensure that we delh￿ Pfloritles at pacL
Spread our new way5 of wthing to the wlder organlsatlon.
Changing how we work
Last year. we Introduced a new planning tool- our pipe￿ne - to ￿1p
prioritise and sequence V￿rk that IrwoLves rnuLtiple ie3rDs working
iogether. Thls me3n5 we can better adapt arid respond to WI￿,5
changirmj in wortd arD￿d us arKI add more value to stroke sUp41V￿5,
ConnectlvaL
We tK>Sted our thlrd ConnecttvaL an annual onune festivaL for staff and
volunteers, In June 2023. Connectivat 15 an opportunity 10 fo(u5 on our
priorities and dlfference W￿ make, as we connect wilh our coLleagJes.
This year, 579 people attended - our highesi number yeL Of the 58
speakers, around I In 5 had Lived experience as a stroke survivor or carer.
More than 70Yo of attendees 5ald thry felt rTr)re connerted to work
after attendirM>
New People System
We ffnved to a new People System liTrent) to r￿dern15e our people
processes, improve ilE efficiency of our payro￿ and rrknike rt easier for
Staff to keep t￿1r details Up-to-dat
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Investlng in sklLI5
We￿e contlnued to lrniest In leamlng and development to help wr peoptp expand
their S￿'Lts and experlence.
In AL4U5t 2023, we ran a three-day residenn.al L&idershlp course (alLed Dare to Lead
focused on leading with our values and develoyng brave Leaders. It gave people time
to develop relationshps and peer support. whlch has become more important than ever
now that we are a remote working orgaru'satiorL
. In October 2023, arnund 80 colleagues took part in tralning to improve coaching
skills led by bestseulng autt¥)r and coach MlchaeL Bungay SLinier. The course helped
build the key skius we need to,. have empowering and meaningful conversations with
people afferted by stroke," be better leaoers; and improve way vde work With other
' coILeagues and partner
strok&or4uk

Equality, diversity and
inclusion
0vrapl>￿th to solving inequtty In
Stroke
tlng a diverse and incluslve
Board of Trv5tees
We Sha￿d 'Ow appfoach ID sr*vlry
,1 Inequlty In stTDke' and
.' approach on o(K web%"te. We LteatEd this
approach io chatlerKJe ourselves to do
better for ever>rne affecced by strDke,
, our people and everyore we wock with.
The approach has ideniified charfjès
we need io rnake to add￿55 Inequaltty,
The Board aTTrd staff merrkn have been
. exckT5ion and dlsthmlnabon, h atso ￿1p5
worklrrfj together to derfelop a plan to
. be expLkit aboui ts*se barriers and ttE. InpTDve diversity. Indude&
probleTrs iky catse.
Priorltisir¥J dlver5ity In futwe Trustee
recruitment campalg
Hearing frorn stroke stsrylvofs from
distharitaged ar￿ marglnatised
CDmTwnlties and petyle with lfved
As part of ￿j1, tonvnltment tD addresslN4'.
Inequity In 5trDke. our 8oard of Trustees
ccKJnised Éhue needs to be rrKbre people
frorn differeni backgrthmds. Identttles and
Ilved expeAence represerted ai tre rnost .
senior level in the charlty.
WE Feld an organisational ￿*bInar In
, October 2023 to share ow alrr6 10 solvlryj
,' Inequtty In stmke, and how approxh
wlll ¢Jur tharlty SJPPOrt Lvery
3ffe(ted by the conditiorL webinar
vs opportunity tu hlghll9ht areas
,we'd priontsse(( IncI￿ling dr¢efSity In
rEcTultmenL lacktsry health Inegjatsties
, wlth c(sMr￿￿5 and d￿lOp￿4 Qkx
803rd ith'ng part in
Fr new diversity and InClu￿On
training programme to develtjp ttr￿r
wLedge and capabltsty so ihey can
bettu oddress Irwwlty In woke.
Board aaions rEllea kn￿ledge,
deep under5tandiThg arrfl efrpathy fof
drver5ity of thought and experienco
Ths 15 OUT alm far ￿ard d1￿151￿ and
TrÉ Challe￿ Is to eTnbed rlms approath
.'across al( afeas of •JJr work. We work
,' wlth teams and drectorates w bulld It into
thelr plannlr¥J and deci*on m
90
Stroke AssoclatlDn | AnnL￿1 Report. Year ended 31 March 2024

Deuverfng Information In a way
thats rlght for each person
e stroke 5UTvlvors and carers have Shared
l theirview5 ab(xk acce55ibllty thrO￿h wr
l Ask and Act survtys, calls And feedback.
Olttfjse people wh) reCeI￿lI Stroke
Recovery SeNice suppo¢ 97Yf* said
V*ir Stroke S￿)P￿rt CIJofdJnaw 9ave
y them tnforrrkltion In a Yrfay ¢tr￿t ttr
lnde￿O0d. we ￿Ill more to
? da Thre were mary c¢jnvr￿nts ab¢
ffi need frK talbrnd corrrnunlcatlu)
I wh&her thavs u5mg st)fT*W￿,$ prefer￿d
b tsnwage, w)wtirKJ people with apha513
to comrwnicate In tre best way for
or belng sensltive to otl*r comrnmkatlon
needs SLK* as t*arlng loss or aud5r
Inf0M￿tiOfi also needsto be personalised
, for exaryle ty following up spoken
conver5aD'ons wlth WTTtten rnarerials and
offering ajdlo Ve￿kns of Leafiets,
I We continue to prornote ar￿ tr31n OLY
• people to Use Interpfeting 5eMces
prtyrfided by the compary Language Is
Eve￿1￿. Ovei 60 different larouages
wefe rowested in 2023. incwng Brtush
. Slgn Language. In 2023. we used the
I Interpreting service 346 time& and we
,1 tr￿pe to see this nurrt)er 9row in 2024.
We rnade OLff ￿rSt British Sign Language
j vtdeo about our 3ppfDaih io solviry
4 Ineqsjlty In stroke, We're atso workirmj to
, better ￿￿erstsnd the stroke needs of ihe
strok£oryk

Working in partnership
with others
We can't fix all the challenges facing people affected
,by stroke on our own. We colLaborate with other
organisations and charitles to pool our resources, give
ourselves a stronger voice and make a bigger difference.
We're a member of the Rlchmond Group of Charities, a coats'tion OT12 national health and
50ciaL carE charities. Merr￿eT5 Voted for our stroke A5sociatson Chief Executiv£ ju￿.eL
Bouverie 08E, to remain char for another Iwo years.
RIctr￿nd Group wod(s together 10 help the15 rn1￿0n people lknng with lon9-ienm,
rThADple or complex health neecls tn England to Ilve well and tlyivi It Is a cotLe(tive voice
to better lnIkn￿nCe I￿alth and social care pots'cy and practice.
Key achlevements for the Rlthnw
Grr￿P kn 202>24 Inclwje:.
We knrn¥ thatl fn 4 ofus wlth
at least t￿lth condition&
The RiclvTK)nd Growj calLed f
GMrnrn￿t to:
The RlctwrK)nd GroLP conthjod to pwtner
with Spcrt Eryland to understand and
address baffiers that people with 1￿.terrn
, face to getttr￿ and rernalnlng
L SLPPOrt people wlth rI￿lple Lmg"
term condlllons to lfve welL
Z redesffign of nwltlple
Belng Involved In the We kn Lkthfeatsble
AU) Campai￿ ~ bthch ￿cOurage5 people
hth Ltyfj-term conditions wch as &Tc*e ta
get aclNe - Is a signltsrt part of tlts wo
I Pron￿tr ￿alth In pclkie&'
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

stroke Assodatlon contlrK￿d to Spport
tho WAU caTrpalgn by pronx*ing ￿CeS
. sha￿ThI natlon& strategy
RICIn￿nd Group played an a(￿ ro
kn Iniknthg the draft Govemnwtt Maj
Conditk>ns Strateqrf, Including tlwh
Jullet B￿le,$ ff*n*>eJstlp ofthe Expert
Advknry Grou￿ We IK)pe that tre GovffnnMt
wlll conrnit to addressiryj nyxe
PÈr￿nalLSed G¥e for peLWe Ilving wlth
.' rrMAfjple Iwlth c(Kth(m5•1
strokLoryk

Involving stroke
survivors
We contlnue to make progress towards our vlsion
of ensurlng people affected by stroke Influence all
our work and the wlder stroke agenda. Thelr unlque
perspective and expertise IncJease understsnding of
stroke and the Impact It has on people's Llve&
We canvas5 views and opinion5 to influence decisions and co-create
projects In partnership wlth people wlth lived experlence of stroke. As
a resulL people's lived experience is having a gieater influence on the
work we do for everyone affected by stroke.
. Stroke Vievds Involvement Network
Reviewing the content of emalls and
designing 5UPPOrt packages for people
who've recentLy had a stroke.
Influendng content layout and
tesiing of our new web5rte.
One of the key ways people can be
Involved in work Is through our Stroke
Views Involvement Network, which bve
set up In 2022. There'5 now 450 people
affeaed by stroke in trE netY￿rk. In 202>
24, W￿ corrpleted 21 projects wrth the help
of the nemiork and involved 272 peopLe.
Involvement NetY¥Drk members atso took
part in ￿Tk to Influence the wider stroke
agenda, tnduding giving feedback to the
Departrr*nt of Health and S(Kial Care on
ttE Mapr Condiuons Strategy (See page
42).
The range of prolects that I￿(Ped shape
our work ai Stroke A55ociation Includes:
Designing an tnvolveff*nt session for
Confiecti'va( wr event for staff and
unteer
Influencing ovr declsions on potentlal
Corporate partner5hip5.
Re-designin9 Crtjr 'ln Memory.
fundraising comrThmlcaiions, includlng
tribute pages. cards and branding.
Designlng suNey ques￿On$ for
Ask and Act feedback systerrL
Stroke SLrv￿orS have helped develop
a Mental health wpport wvlc• for
people affected by stroke In WaLe5. In
partnership with MSnd Cymru. As welt
as sitting on the project steerfng groupi
stroke surv7vors and their loved ones
were Involved In C￿deSign1n9 the servlce
Isee page 36 for more on the profvct).
94
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

'It has been great to be able to shape the
Rebuilding Minds After Stroke project from the
very start. I struggLed with my mentaL health
post-stroke, so it is of personal interest to me
as a stroke survivor who went through a very
difficult time. The project looked at ways in the
future of helping more stroke suNivors get the
mental heaLth help they need, and as we found
in this project, most stroke survivors need some
level of psychological help to come to terms
with what happened.,
Stephen Attwood, Stroke Surviyor and
RelJJllding Mlrbds After stroke Steerlng Gro￿ member
strok&or4uk
95

Involvlng people In local
decision-making
The gcoup, which has 3round105
members, brings opporbjnitses for
people INing and working with woke to
shape research Eogether and 10 ￿ale an;.
incLu5ive enWrDnn￿n1 where member5
(eel beneht and value from taking pafL
In 2022, V￿ began to set4Jp long.term
volvemeni 9rwp5 acr055 the UL We
now have Locauty Stroke Voice5 group5
in 8 out of lo of OUT locallty teams,
supportlng u5 10 make decisions on local
priorities. For example, In 2023-24, the
MidLand5 StToke Voices gr(￿P contributed
to the deveioprnent of initiaLplans lor
,new stroke ward In LlncoLrLshire.
Our member5 con5th￿d on13 projett
grants and10 research awards over the
past year.
They con5uLted on 21 ￿searCh projects.
helping to inform new materials. priorrtise
topics, review Information and shape
research projects.
Working Wtth health professionals
TPEY have also Shaped priorities for
Stroke Voices and will be Involved in
Informlng and developing our research
5tr31egy Later In year.
Members ot Aphasia and Accessible
Voices, ortre of our SpeCia￿'St involvemeni
groups. led a session at our UK Stroke
Forum In December 2023.
The gr￿p shared their passion for
acce55iblllty wlth heaLtrÉare wofesslonal5
and researchers and Instructed on trK>w
to Involve people with accessibl￿ty needs
In projects. The session was packed and
, recewed exceuent feedback
Measurlng the Impact of
involvement
In Apn"l 2023, we carrled out our hr5t
annual 9Jrw to measure Impact
of InvoLvEment on our StrDke V5ews
Network menters. It found that 88*ts 01
network merr*>ers always have a poslts've
experience when t￿Y get InvoLved. We
aL50 gatl*f feedback on each PToJecL
Here's 3 summary.
One Aphasia and AccessibLe Voices
mernber said: 'It was so inportani seeing
a group of people with aphasla acF¥e
somethlng so big. There was so
Interest in ￿ foom for whal W￿ were
saying. It was great to See..
Everyone who responded said t
would apply to be part of another
invoivernent proje￿.
90Yo Df peopte felt were retnJitEd
ai Ehe righE time.
90Yo of people Iwd recelved feedback
on projects or knew wtr£n to expe
tIN's.
90Yo of people felt the aims of the
project were cLearLy explained.
People reported feeling
IIsEened to and havin9 a sense of
purpos
SupportAng Stroke research
Cjjr Stroke Voice5 Tn Research grDUP
coniinue5 to provide ￿'Ved experience
support to researchers and InflL•ence our-
. research grants and award
96
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

97

Financial review
In 2023-24, fft developed our work to
Increase our Impaa by raising av4areness
of stroke and bullding our base of Long-
Eem) supporters 50 that we can reach au
people in the first year after tr￿1r strok
Thi5 programme wa5 funded through
designaied reserves that hr5t arose from
. surpluses generated In previous year5.
Income
Otsr principal s(xrrce5 of rever￿ are
legacles, fundraising aaivitle5 and LocaL
services contracis. Our total IncorT* lor
the yeaf was £411 nylllon (2023: £40.7
miltson
Lega(y income thi5 year was U6.1 mlLU'on
12023.. £16.8 rniwonl. Wh'tst we hwe seen
an Increase in Legacy pledgers, Incoff
ha5 falleD thje to Increased delay5 at the
Probate Registry. The underlying positson
rernains strong with the nun*)ers of
legacie5 we recer4e growing each year.
We achieved our hlghe5t ever Inc(Jffle of
£42.1 mlllion. an increase of 4¥0 In the
year. We have used this Inuea5ed Incorw
."and our accurrNJlated reserves to grow
our expenditure on charitable actNities by
16%0, from £30.5 miLLlon to £352 miluon.
C)Jr expendtture on dirett services to
stroke survivors Increased from £18.0
milb'on to £20.6 rniuion and we also
Increased expenditure on research grants
raising awarEness of stroke, co(rmJnlty
developrnent and (xjr Ca￿￿Ign5 to
ensure itsi tr* health systems and
"governments respond lo the needs ot
stroke survivor5,
0￿r fundralslng actlvltie5 Contributed
£12.8 rniliion12023' £71.6 MiL￿On) of gfOSS
Inco￿￿. Indimdual donations grew by12¥è
to £IO.O miLbon12023: £9.0 mllllonl. Our
conu'nued invesrrnent in lottery and raffle
lundraising saw that Income increase by
40Y• w £1.6 MI￿OnI2023.. £1.2 mllknonj.
We are honoured that the quality of our
research prDgrarnrr* was recognised by a
grani of £297,000 from Peier Sowerby
F(xJndatlon and £576,000 from t*k
MedlcaL Research Chants'es Early Career
ReSearCtr￿rs Supporr Fund.
Expenditu￿ on raising funds Increased
from £7.9 rn1￿0n to £8.6 Mil￿.0n, as we
Irwested in Sncrea5ing the number of
people who give to us regularly. which
WILI prodLKe sustained long-ierm Income,
Our strategy to use reserves accurrnAated
In previous years to hjnd the de4eLopment
'of our services resulted in a deficit of £1.7
. mlltson12023: ￿3 mllllon surpLus).
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

' Our local Services contract5 are a direct
' help 10 stroke survivors, their famiLles
and carers. and a major S¢Xffce of Income
and expenditure. Local seNces contraci
Income and group network Snc¢)me
achieved £11.6 mIL￿OnI2023. a0.8
mlllioni. These contracts are primarily
awarded by locaL NHS provider5 and local
authDrttle5.
In addition. salary Costs have Increased
due to the impact of inltaiion, growth
In servlce5 and a reduced vacancy rat&
Dlrett costs of support services 10 stroke
surrflvofs Increased by l7Y..
nally, we have contlnued to bvlld our
research arnbttion wlth the totaL cost
of new grants and the research team
increa51ng by 47% tD £3.7 rn1￿0n
12023: £15 mllLlon). New grants awarded
Increased ty 57Vts to £33 rn1￿(
(2023: £11 MI￿001.
The net effect of realised and unreaLlsed
moverrEnts on our charity's Investments
was d gairs of £3.6 Mi￿0n{2023. £473.000
loss). These gains are being recycled
Into our deslgnated fund to accelerate
the achlevement of our stratw to reach
everyone who has had a Strok
Ttr￿ conThrcial trading operations
caffied out through tP￿ Stroke
Ass(Ki3tion'5 trading subsidAary, stroke
Ass(Ki3tior¥ ITrading} Llmited, contribirted
£37,00012023: E130,000} to net Incoff
35 detailed in note 3. Our dectsi¢)n to
Secure the flnancial stabib'ty of the trading
subsidiary meant increasing our reserves
10 £60,000, Incurring a corporation tax
chdrge of £12.000 (2023: £01,
Expenditure
TotaL expenditure was £43.9 millFt)n
,12023, £38.4 Mil￿On), includlng £35.2
,miLtson12023: £30,5 mlthon) on charitable
actrvities suppornng tre key objectives of
Ehe charity, and £8.6 miLts'on (2023: £7.9
,rnilbon, ¢PA_ growth) on raising funds. We
have gruwn our expendlture on chariEabLe
attNiU'es by 41¥ts over last ro10 year
Increase in the cost of charitable
,artivitses refLecied our ambitsons to
Increase crfjr suppon Line staffing (for
our Stroke Support Heipune. Stroke
AssociaDon Connect and ChldtK)od
Stroke Support plK)ne 5UPPOrt se￿CeS)
and to provide more support and cover to
front4ine staff.
strok&or4uk

Outlook
Llke aLI charitles ttrkit are dependent on
legacy Income, we are seeing dela￿5
in the processing of Legade5, which is
caL¢sing a ljquidity ckkallenge. The Longer
'me5 taken tu teceNe a(crL￿1 legacies
mearb that debtors 3fe Inueasing as a
proportion of current assets.
Last year approved a finandaL
strategy which guides our long-term
ftnancial direttion. financial wategy
15 designed to ensure that we maintain
our reserve5 targets, keep stsff costs
at a consisient proportion of ¢)veraU
. expencfiture and remain tirTrancla￿y
SUSta1nable. We 5UPPOrt our fi'nancial
strategy with a three-year hnancial
frarnework thai set5 oul ovr expectabons.
Should our free resepdes be deh"cient,
we th3ve three year5 TO restore them.
kewise. excess free reserves shwld be
designated and reLea5ed over trwee 10 flve
years. Th15 Is the direcii'on we have raken
throujh des19nating excess free reserves
Into tre Strategy Acceleration Fln
We are the only charity providing kn'feLong
support for 51roke survtvor5 across the
UK. We Cont)nL￿ to lrnprove our qualj'ry
of service 10 5tToke survivors, resulting
In Increases In locaL seNce grnnts from
the NHS and LocaL authorities. These
Increases are hard WDn. but we[con￿.
We recognise [l￿t spending constralrtts
are having an impact on the abl￿tY of
statLrtory bodies to lully lund service
Given the quabty of wr seNce as
leadlng stroke survivor charity, we will
contiThJe to advocate for 3 greaier role in ,
providing these services. However. this
uncertainty rneans that we have not made
any a5surr¥)tsons on underlying Increases
Sn support for these services in futrjre
years.
Cljrflnancial goals areto rnaintain tong-
tem sustainablbty and increase incorne
so Ihat we reach everyone as soon as
. possible after their Stroke. To do thls V*
.need to invest in new ways of reaching
' stroke survivors, raising awa￿neSS of
stroke, mainiainlng a.yd growing Le9acy
Income and Increasing the rh￿nber and
vaLue of donaEions from individuals, trusts
and foundations..
Our current plans Include haw we rnake
the changes needed ID reach rnore
Stroke suNivors and thelr careJs, to raise
awareness of stroke and to campaign
to ensure that thrornbectomy15 made
available acr055 the eniire UK on a 2417
basis and to increase our supponer base.
We expect the next fvee year5 wail be
a chalLenging environmeni in which 10
"grow our income. Recefjt high inflation
and cost of ljving challenge5 arp affectirbg
'our supporters as rr￿ch as everyone
else. However, we are conftdent that
have the strategy In place to coritinue to
Inuease I￿r svpporter base.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

.. Balance sheet
The investment portlouo has risen to
£28.9 mIl￿on (2023: £27.5 milbon). A
£28.9 Mil￿On is held wrth ¢xJr Investment
managers. During the year we drew down
E2.6 miltson trorn the portfolio (2023".
£3.0 rn1￿0n invested). However, due to
strong stock se￿(l10n and Inc￿ased
globaL retLffn5 Investrnents grL
by E3.6 mllllon12023". £473,000 Ioss).
We continued fo lake advantage ol
short-term interesi rates ty putting
excess fvnds on short-term deposiL This
produced interest Income of £86,000
12023: £32.000).
The consc}￿daIed balance sl*et SF
Eotal group funds ai 31 Marth 2024 of
£36.9 miLllon (2023: £35.0 miltsonl, Ttri5
consobdates Stroke Associaiion
chanty and our wholly owned trading
si*)sidlary. Stroke Associatlon ffradmg)
Limtted.
Included In total lunds are £23 mllllon
12023; £2.8 mlLbon) of restncted fund&
These monies have esther been ralsed
for, and thelr use restricted tu, 5pecrflc
purF)oses, or they comprise donations
subject 10 donor-Imp05ed condillons.
' Full details of ttrese restntted funds are
' In rK>te 29 10 the ftnancial statements.
,Eogether with an analy￿5 of movements
in the year.
We recognise legacles when w￿ are
entiiled to them and confident that we
WIIL recelve tr￿rn. They are recogni5ed a5.
Incorr￿ and the arr￿nt owed is S￿￿Wn
as 3 debior, tr* val￿2 of this debtor has
risen to £9.4 mlllion (2023: £7,4 miwonl.
Thi5 reflects both strong underlylng
perf0M￿nce, but also the increased time
tsken at the Probate Registry to process
legacies.
Unrestricted hjnds of tF* thar￿ at 31
. March 2024 amovnted io E34.5 milLion
12023, £32.1 miujonl of which E16.5 miuion
12023: £11.S milLlonl has been designated
for strategy acceleratlon, to ur￿er¥irrte
frJture legacy incoff* fluctuatlons, lof
.transition pro}e(ts and otskr activitl
Our fixed asset reserve is £2,8 milLion
12023., £2.9 mllllonl. whlch ￿presents tr
cost of our fixed a5seis aftef depreciation
and arnortisation. alorKJ Wwth the net book
vaLue of asseES held for sale. Otsr free
Teserve5 have decreased to £15.3 million
'12023, £17.7 miluonl. which is in bne with
our target range.
Research grdnt Ilabllrties rose to £6.7
millJ'on12023.' £6.3 miLllonl, This is due tD
tr* £3.3 milu'on in new awards12023' £2.1
million), offset by £3.2 mlllton in grants
pald durtng year (2023: £2.0 MILI￿￿).
strok&or4uk

Cash flow5
Reserves pollcy
r bank balances lell sughtly to £53
million12023.' £5.4 mi￿oni, We have
50LKJht to maintain rea50nable workn'ng
capiial balances wrth the drawdown of
Ehe Investment portfoijo being used to
fund the in-year deficit and increased
delays In legacy processing.
Our charity faces risks that we manage
Ihrough a risk register. Dur reserves
pollcy is designed to ensure that we have
suth'cient resen￿5 to ensure that
i. We can respond to ￿fOreseen events
wittK)Lrt Jeopardising our abibty 10
Contin￿ to swport people affe￿d
by 5voke.
2. To provide gfflloent liwidty to rr￿[
ow obtigaiions as trEy faLL due.
3. To fund pLanne<l deh'ats in fuwfe
year&
Golng concern
The trustees are of the vlew that thp
Stroke Association is a goirnj concem as
there are adequate resources avalLabte
to fund the chanty's activitses for the
foreseeable futuri
trustees revlewed risk-based
reserves policy in March 2023. The policy
5taies that the Stroke Association 5￿Ul￿
keep sufficient reserves to cover.
Maintaining the long-terrn hnanciaL
abiLity of charrty and Its SE3tus as
a going concern has been a key focus
for trustees and management. This
',has invoLved Contin￿ analysis of t
emerging context. wuiar monttorlng of
rEsuLts and adpjsting plan5, forecasts and
. budgets as the situauon evolved. Trusiees
approved a f&nancial 5tr3tegy last year
Ihat en￿j￿ thai risks. reser4ES and
flnanoal plans are arnbltious, cO￿rent
and sustainable.
Restricted reserves.
Designated fund5 to support t
future developrnent of Ihe Stroke
A550ciation, to ensure continuity of
UK Suoke FonJm and to ensure
ttr* hnanclal independence of stroke
groups across the country.
Flxed asset5 reserve&
Free reserves to cover.
Woiking capital needs.
Welghted risk requlrernents.
weighted fisk feserrfe requirement is
based upon the ts'kely range ol expected
cost5 5￿Uld a fisk materiatise. This is
weighted by the Llketshood of the rlsk
occurring. These risks are considered
as part ot risk Tegister. as expLained
below under 'Principal nsks, uncertaintses
and M￿gationS, Ipage 106).
702
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

free reserves requirement is rerfiewed regtslarly throLN4hoiit year and at 31 March
"2024 was £15.6 mlLllon. As set out below. our free reserves level was £15.3 milLion. which
Is £OJ miL￿.0n beLow the fequirement. Trvs is due 10 the pending sale af the Brom5grove
property. whch took place in N>iiL 2024. Leading to the f ree reserves belng re5Lored 10
. Ihe Tequired leveL
£ rnKIknI
£ rnllllon
At￿ Mwth 2024 Al￿ 2023
Total reserves (tharity only)
Restncted fund5
36.9
35.0
18
DeS￿nated ftjnds
Fixed asset fijncl
IL5
2.8
153
17.7
Free resen￿5 reryjirement
Worklng Cap￿al
Midpoint Risk Requirement
Future Planned Detici
ss
8.7
(Ddklt) or exctss agaln¥t polky
103)
14
The working capttaL requiremert has
, remalned at £5.5 milllon 10 recognlse
Ehe ongoing delays In the prDcessing ol
Legacies at the Probate Registry. and the
need to rnanage In-year cash fluctuation5.
The delays In legacy proce55ing are
conEinuing and requiremerrt will
SL*)iect to ongolng revlew should condltions
Improve or detefiorale. The risk requi￿rnent
trk35 Increased to £8.7 mlLilon, with the
main Increase being thJe to havlng m(Ye
,afrt)Itlous fvndrai5ing tar9ets.
strok&or4uk
K13

We have severat designated fiJnd5 that
. trustees Ikive Set aslde. ￿se are:
A5 these grwps a￿ part ol the charity
their Income and expenditure are Included
in our financial 5taiernents. However,
recognise thai t￿se funds have been
raised by the group5 and stK)uLd rema5n
under their contsoL
Strategy Acceleration Fund- £12.6 milllon
Th15 fundls provldlng support fof o
arr￿[dOn5 to:
Inuease awarene55 of stroke.
Increase Incon￿ Irom regLtsr gNln(i.
Improve our oryani5ationaL capacity.
Reach rtb)re stroke survivo
Northampton Resource Centre
Relocatlon - £296,000
Our distribution and fuLfrtry￿nt faallty Is
based in a ware￿uSe In Nonharnpton,
which is not fi.t tor purpose in its currenE
state. These funds are deS￿nated to
provlde tor costs of designiry ar
fittlng out [rT¥)roveM￿ts to the buSldirwJ.
To achleve these goals we need 10
spend our resource5 wisely to ensure
Ehat we reach more stroke 5urvivor5
in a sustainable manner. The StraTegy
Acceleration Fvnd is de51gned to provide
slgn"rflc3nt hjnding io allow us to rTkike
. Ehe5e change5.
Unlted Klngdorn Stroke Fonm (UKSF)
Fund - £61,000
The UKSF15 an annual conference
where practitioners and organisations
connected to 5uoke meet io dlscuss new
deveLopments and chaLtenges. It is hosted
iDintty by the Stroke Association and t
Britlsh and Irish AssociaDon of Stroke
Physlclans.
Operatlry model - £l.I mlluon
This fund was de5ignaled to pay for new
' IT investments required to modemise
our Sy￿emS and for prDpety transiuon
COSf5 as we TTh)ve iowards alfTK)St alL staff
. being rernote workers. Provision is rnade
In the fund for the depreciauon of ttK>se
Investments and for the introduction of
new investments suth as a People System
and a replace￿nt for Ihe CusiDmer
, Relatlonship Managen*nt System, which
15 Vital for the effloent detsNEry of our
serrfices.
This fund accurTrJlates wrplv5es and
deficits of each event over t￿ prewous
fve year5 OTder tt) undenvrite costs and
risks wrth each yearfs evenL
Research Fund . £575,000
In March 2024 we received fundiry from
the UK Govemrnent's Medical Research
Charities Early Career Researcher5
Support Fund of £575, 511 to fLmd early
career stroke researchers. TrNS funded
grants that we had aLready awarded from
unrestrlcred lund& To ￿r￿ur Ihe spirit of
thi.s award trustees have agreed to UEate
a research frJnd of the same value to aLIow
for addltional grants to be awarded in
2024-25.
Legacy 5tabiUsatlon Fund - mlllion
This fvnd Is designed to Iron (Njt the
fluctuation5 In the receipt ot large
Legacies: the timing of legacies is always
uncertain and can cause disiortions in wr
flnancial performance. Thls fvnd allows
us to rnanage these fluctuations without
' causing disnption to seNice&
Stroke Assochatlon s￿pOrt Gr￿p5 -
£503.000
Stroke Association 9JPPOrts local
volunteer-led stroke support gro
acr055 the UK Isee page 70).
104
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Ai
strok&or

Investment policy
performance o* the portfollo and
investment 5traiegy, Each quarter the
chairs of the Investment and Financial
Performance Commrttees meet wlth the
Executlve Dlrector of Finance ta revlew
investment and ￿quIdIty levets. ALL wr
investment decisions are guided by
our Ethical and ResponsibLe Invesument
Poucy (see page1231.
The InveStn￿nt straiegy is set by
.the tW5tees and considers Incorne
requirements, t￿ risk prohLe and t
IrT¥estmEnt managers, ViLWrf of rnarket
prospects in tt)e medlum ienn. We have
an annual total return target of CPl*3.5%
averaged OVEr seven years on the main
porrfollo. The Invesunents are not
required primariLy to 9enerate sh)rt-term
Income but to undenNritE our research
. ￿abIlity and ￿r reserves requlremenl,.
boih of whlch are long.term obJecrive5.
, This allo¥vs u5 m move to embracing a
hlgher S￿rt-refrn risk approach In retwn
for an expected hwher long-term retum.
Principal rlsks, uncertaintles and
mitigation5
Otsr tnjstees Identify, asse55 and
nderstand nsks facing Stroke
A$5￿13tion and a￿ sati5fted ttkx an
approprlate risk framework Is in place
to manage these. We take a batanced
approach to considerlTrg risK taking
steps to minlmise the UkelllK)od and
iryact of nsk wherevef possible and
providing reserves to cover risks. while
acknowledging that exposure to r(5k Is
inevltabte and should not prevent our
charity frorn pUrS￿n9 new opporwnities.
The toLIL retLWn from inve5trnent
was £649.00012023: £579,000) In
dividends and incerest and £3.6 MI￿"0n
In investment growth12023: £473.000
lossl, thus representing a rotaL return of
£4.2 milLlon (2023: ￿06.000) or15.6Yo
12023: 0.7¥0) oll the opening fijnd value.
CPI Inflat￿￿ was 32Vo in March 2024
{lQ.l% March 20231, thus thls performance
exceed5 the target by 12.4% in 2023-24
,,19.4Yo shortfalL In 2022-23).
trustees betleve that by rrK)nltoring
reserrfe levets. wwring controls exist
over key financial systeff6 and processes,
and examlning organisational risks
the charlty f3£es on a regular basis
as documenied In the charity's Risk
Regisier, risks can be rnitigated and
effectively managed, Tr* Risk Register
ts ￿gUlarlY reviewed by the Executive
Team and monitored by ttr* Audit and
Risk Committee and ￿ Board. Risks are
ranked on a score alLocaced by assessirKJ
the level of Impatt and Ilkelihood.
We tréve a bond portfotso of £S.O millfon I
wh'ch is designed io cover investTT*nt
. drawdovms over coming year& TTr￿Se
are in low-ri4( govemment bonds to
ensure thai tr* capitaL Is maintained In
the slK)rt-Lerrn and to minirnise the need
.EO selL volatsle investments when the
, market is Low.
We also K4ve negots'ated a £l.O rTvlllon
overdraft faabry With Barctays to prevent
the sale of Lor￿te￿ Investments for sh)rt-
Eefm cash clerrwJd5. Tr¥"s is secured on a
debenture agalnst all ttr￿ charlty's asset
Every rF5k on tIE register has been r
as5e5sed quarterLy, alongside their
financIal InwacL and a number of risk
rating5 and controls have been adjusted
accordingly. Tr top ranked risks wlth
s￿nifiCant financial Impart at tr end of
2023-24 were:
A cornmittee of trustees and indeperKlent
,ad￿50rS meets ￿gUfarIY with the
Lrlvestment rnanagers to review
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

"5k
Action5 and mlllgatlon5
A successlvl
iyber-attacks are mcreasing In treq¢Jenry ano soprn5ticatson an
securtty breach due could potentsalLy d15able the charty's IT system& To rTvtsgate the
to a cyber-attack
risk, we have a concinLK)US wry)rovement program to keep our
tectnology defences against cyber security risks ￿der review.
We have iryplernentEd ways of controutng span web access and
adrninistraiive access conrrol using Mutii-Factor A￿￿en[Ication.
And introduced a number of measures such as meeting Nau'onal
Cyber Security CentYE Standards for emall securtty and new ways
of re5tr5cting acce5S to ow services.
r charity achieved Cyber Essentials accreditation and in the
coming year, we expect to be(off￿ accredited to Cyber Essentials
Plus. conform 10 NHS DC81596 standard for our cLI)ud services
and strerfj￿n IS027001-reLited control&
F￿lure of the
Mitlgats'on comes from reguLaf scenariD-based financial MOde￿.n9,
investment In
and Improve[r￿ts we are maklng to better understand the
fvndrai%ng to
needs of dlfferent Customer groups, monrtor the perforrrkince
deuver ts required of our fundra151ng activides and be more responslve to new
opport￿ltIe&
Breach of our duty Miilgarlon cornes from effectlve HR policles, ￿alth and safety
of care to our
p0￿cleS and safeguarding procedures, as well as approprTaie
volunteers and
Man￿erne￿t systems and an effective compliance framework to
t￿￿1clarIeS
en￿re thai ￿ c￿LY wrth atL legal and re9uiatory requiremems
and good practice.
5iness Conrinuty We have developed a crisis management plan 3nd iry)roved
FaiLure
resilience In our systems. We witl be moving applications and data
serrfices to the cloud and undertaking more scenario planning to
mits'gate trds risk We are working with key 5￿pIlerS to ensurE t￿t
their trAJsiness continuity plans are effecrive.
Progressrrfe Loss of We are a¥vare of financ￿1 pressures that the NHS and locat
Contracts
autknrities face. We are mitigatlng this risk ty wioriti'sation of our
engagement 10 secure Iny)rovpments in 5tfoke semces. We are
rrnnitoring 5ervlce5 under threat and taking a prw..ctFve role In
cwntering tsm.
GDFII Coryuance We control tty5 risk through mandatory staff GDPR training and
Failu
ongoing process reviews arrK)ngst other attJ'vitie& We undertook
an external review of dats protection and are irrplerrerrting tr
recOmm￿at10n￿
strok&or4uk
107

Our structure,
governance and
management
We've prepafed thls Trustees. Annval
Report, according to In accordance
wlth FRS IOZ (Xir report a150 rrEets
. Ehe requirernent5 far a direttor5' report
set out In the CoTryanies Act 2006
the Charitie5 and Trustee Investtr*nt
{ScotLandl Act 2005. the Chariues
Accounts (Scotland) Regutations 2006
.-and Chanties Art 2011. Sections
on 'FinanciaL rev?ew tor year. and
'Prinupal risks and uncertainties. Included
wlthin 'Trustees' report. meet tr
requirernents for a straiegic report as
outlined in the Corryjanies Act 2006
,, (Strategic Report and Directors. Report)
Regulations 2013. We prepared tr
fi'nancial statements In accordance with
the accounting potscie5 Set out on 143 to
149 of the attached fi'nanciaL statement
Objects of the charlty
Our chanty is govemed in accordance
with our Article5 of Association (last
amended 18 November 20191, which sets
our 5trucwre aThd purpos
The obj'ects of charty are for the
relief ol sickne55 and distres5 and for the
advancerrEnt of health ty..
Working for the preven(Fon of stroke.
EthKating the wblj'c In aLL rr44tters
contemlng strok
Carrying OUL promoting or sponsoring
research into preveniion or
treatmenl of Stroke or other Condi￿On5
where the efferts are 5irniLar 10 5uoke,
tkE rehabilt'tation and Lormj-ienn care
crf stroke Sw41v￿ and publlshirmj the
usefuL results of such ￿SearCh.
Responding to the need5 caused
by efferts of stroke, or oiher
COr￿lI10n5 where ttE effects are
simlLir to stroke, by providlng advice
and support to those affected their
famj'lj'es and carer
. Status
The Stroke Association 55 a charitable
company l1rn￿ed by guarantee,
Incorporated on 25 March1899 and
registered in England and WaLe5161274).
Stroke A550ciatlon Is reglstered as a
charrty in England and WaiEs (No. 2n0151,
In Scotland ISC03n891, the Isle of Man
19451 and ler5ey (2211., it atso operates as
a charty in Norttrwn Ireland.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

strok&oryk

Trustees and govemance
As reported earlier, we are also working
towards irnproving dlverslty of ow
Board.
The trustees govem our diarity and act a5
..directofs under company law. Coltectively
our uustees constitute the Board of the
Stroke Associatlon.
We are iryLementing the
reCom￿￿ndalionS from the extemal
review of our governance that w35
undertaken135t year. We are pleased that
this review concluded Ihat our charity
is l￿daMentallY garfemed and
tlgt*ly controlled, with a high quauty and
commltted governance function. As part
of the recommendations, we are focussirmj
on four areas"
Trustees have a duty to act in a way that
Promotes the chanty's purposes and are
responsible for
Setting and monitoring progress
agalnst our strategic otyectfve&
Setting Et* highest S￿ndardS and
deuvering 9ood 9overna￿e and
Leader5hlp.
Erwring that charity's resowces
are only used for Its charitable
objectives, in Ihe best interests of its
benefi'ciaries. and in cornptiance with
alt relevant st3tLrtory and regulatory
oblJ9ations.
Accelerating our strategy,
Being Custory￿r first so that we
iryrove cusLorrEr reath value and
irr4)acL
Significandy gr¢Milng our incorne
throw exploring new financi
lryoving Board diverstty.
hen T￿ewing our aim5. objectives
."and future plans. the trustees conftmi
they've compbed ￿￿[h Iheir duty under tt
ChariEies Act 20TI and have feferred ID tr
Charity Commission's general gndance on
pubbc benefiL
The Board deLegates the 3Lrthofrty to
rronage d3y-tO-day busine55 to the Chief
Exewtive. assisted by the Executive
Directors Team IEDT). The Board approves
the chaw's suategy. at ttk proposal of
the Chief Executlve and EDT. Tro CINef
ExeartNe is responsible for implementinq
the agreed strategy and pobae
CAJr Board TrEets fw times a year, as
weu as rr￿lIng for a strategy away day
. dedicated to focuslng on our long-term
ptan5 and Strategy. Board and committee
, meetlngs are a mix of face-t(Ff3ce and
remote meeiings on Microsoft Tearn5.
Our govemance arrangements adhere to
the Charity Governance Code for Large
[￿kirt[jeS and are reviewed annualLy.
We adI￿re fulLy 10 tr* code except
that the size of our Board Is larger than
. reconvnended to renect the breadth of
' our actNities and geographical spread.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Our commlttees
Recrultmeflt and appolntment of
trustee5
r 8oard currently has three committees
and one subiommittee that rr*et
reguLirly throughjut Ihe year to focus
on aspects of tharlty In more depth,
These ar
We regularty reviert ￿ skill5 and
dlversity of our Board to guide us when
reuuitsng trustees and committee
merrTbers. Th15 aL50 5tspporCs cxjr
succession planning. This year we have
appointed new recruttment advisors
to help u5 ensure that ow Board arKI
committees have a strorkg and drverse
mix of people. skius afKI expertise.
Financial Performance Committee
scnJtini5es our financial and
comrnercial affairs, a5 well as our
lundraising.
Audit and Risk Cofnmittee -
5CllJtinise5 our ftnancial statements,
ftnancial control systEms, Internal and
e￿ernaL authL and risk rnanagerr￿t
process_
Investment Commlttep - a
subcorT¥Thttee of FinanclaL and
Performance Corrrnittee ttrknit develops
and rnalntatns our pouaes relating
to Investments, selecr5 and rN)nitors
our Investment rnanagers. and
monitors and evaluates inve5trr￿nt
perfomiance, serwce and C05L
Govemance and Renxmer3ts0n
Committee - oversees the effective
governance of the charity (including
the corry)05ttion of ￿ Board and the
recnjitrnent and IndLKtion of Injsteesl
and the pay, beneftts and condiuons of
service for employees.
We have a rigorou5 and conpetitNe
trustEe recruitment process set ¢yJt in our
Trustee RKruitmenr Poucy and Procedure
documents. This Includes public
advertislng and may incLude the use of
execuiive Search Specia￿5[5 10 identify
sultable candidates. Selected candidates
artend InteNiews.
We have independent advFsof5 to brlng
additional expertise and diversity to our
committees. We also Ikave a programmÈ
of 5UPPOrt and tralnirKJ for volunteers
Sntere5ted in trusteesNp in futu
No trustee may Sen￿ for rrrf)re than
nine years. unless there are excepdonal
circum5t3rice5.
A5 a ￿SuLt of ￿st yearfs extemaL
-governance review recomTrEndations,
we are considering merglng our Anancial
Performance Corrmittee and our Audit
and Rlsk Committee and are revieviing
the remit and responsibilities of the new
committe
strok&or4uk

Trustee inductlon and
development
New tnJ5tees and non-trustee
Independeni ad￿50[S receive inductl(J
training to Inform them abotN the charity
and our work, and to ensure they have
an appropriate LeveL of understanding ol ,
charity goverrtrance and Etr* legaL dutie5
of charity trusiees. This Includes trainirKJ
In the charity'5 activiUe5 arKI operations,
governance, 5trdlL43y and finarKe5.
All tTr15tee5 and non.trustee independent
advisor5 have acces5 to ongoing training,
U51ng Inlemal and external resouTie5
. to SUPPOrt them In thelr ￿tieS and
re5ponsibiLitses, DeveLoprrEnt of trustees
.-and non-trustee Independent advisors È5
-a wular Item in all appfaisal disCU55ions
wlth trustees. At our 2024 Trustee away
day we identif￿d a trainlng programff
for tr￿ year a￿ad.
112
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Our trustees and non•tru5tee Independent advlsors
Tiusloo
￿nt￿ r•*nety Camrnlttee B￿rd
Andrew knchsbald BA
(Honsl MSC
Dr Davld BLth MBbS
DRCOG MRCGP
Hannah Caictrpool Bsc
IHon51 Msc DCM MAAT CA
Pralessr* A¥rii Dr[MY￿ftd
SID Fas¢ DEP COT KOT
Ed Garcez Bst (Honsl Msc
FPC
75V.
Mce Cfralf
(MeJ&caU.
GRC, ARC
IC FPC
0%
ARC Cmtr
ARC
75%
ARC
vJo%.
75%
K•ttv1r￿ G￿lespIe MA
IHonsl Msc M5cR
Vlce Chali hypolnted Vlce Chalr
¢Lay)18 October 2023
GRG ARC
FPC
0%
Ceri jackson
Professor M3rtln lama
MRCP MD CC5T FRCP
FPC
75%
0%
Ctrkilr,
Cpolr
GRC
Stephen Kkng MBA FCMI
GRC FPQ IC ￿0%
Lee BA(Htyks> CA
FPC Chatr
FK IG Cac KIO%
HaThln(kr Rattan ACCA
ARC
25%
Roblnsm 8 Med Sd BM BS
MRCP MD FRCP FE50
Rrfked18 October 2023
0%
George SpEntzos 8ASt
M&4 CFA
IC Ch*
IC FPC
0%
Vlce Chalr
(Layl
Rewed18 Oaober 2023
GRC. A
IQ FPC
N)0%
Dr Nlamh Kennedy Bsc
IHon5) MA P
Appoinied18 October
2023
0%
Professor Rustsrn AL.Shahl
S•Lman BA {Honsl MB
t MRCP IUK) FRCP Ed
FHEA FESO Fmedsd
Appointed IB Oct4Jbef
2023
0%.
strok&or4uk

.' Register of interests for trustees
ErnploYM￿ts and appolntments
Trustee
Andrew Arch'bald
CornmeTcial Dlrectuf, MDU
Pffjfessor ol k1è3tttr£a￿ Researth at unh￿sEty of NottIng￿rn
Occaslorbil and IKmorary appointments 4t vaflovs
unlversltles lor N(jnM)￿Qrs, evalvth, FYO É¥Amlnlr4
Jrkshops etc
Chaff . European Ltte aft.er Slroke Scletttlftc Coffmktee
TA￿te￿. ELu3beth Casson FTroundation for Occupatsonal
Ttrttapy
Menknr ¢1 swerat researth ftKKllng cof1￿l(￿ES Indud
Senlof cl￿4¥ ol trt NIHR Doaorbi CknnlcalAcadefftic Docthral
l*ogr•ivne
N&ned menior on a nLmber af stroke Associayon grants
Chair lor the Llfe alter Stroke Domakn forthe revlsion ot tt
ActloD Flan lot Sltoke in Ewope
or)-Executive Director to the We15h knthlance Suvice5
NHS Trust (WAST)
Ifffenrn Vice Chalr- Wetsh AMbJEan￿ IOL1220231
Cerl Jackson
Chatr of tt* Sodety Iiy A$s15￿nce ol Methcal F4vnlUe5..
d bJcklE
Non*%ec HertfordshlrE HospltaL5 NAS Ttust
Norpexec Sailsbury NHS FoJndJtion Tw
T￿￿[ee- Crolm's and cO￿￿S (UK Sepi 2023
Dire(ior Ilnterim, E55ex County Col￿clu
Je to corrmence as Assodale l advlsor- 31ten
Con5uitry
Trustee, Tre Tapscoo Leamh4 Trust
Chalr oi Al￿li and Rith ConYnlttW Trt Tapscott L&imthg
Tnjst
. Chef In￿rnt Offl¢tr. Futyre 30 Fun(ts
Ed Garcez
r*orye 5peTrt2O5
Hannah Catclyool
Parinff a RSM UK
Board TrUs￿e of Gwdwara Slkh Sangat LondM Eas¢ Ickwty
Reg. 278097)
Governor Bamet & Swihyte College
Dlrecror; Yaclwry tlntefnatsonau Corrpany Unmted TIA
EXpef￿ RÉd(th>n knaly5ts.
114
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

TrUs￿e
Employments and appolntments
Lee
Trus￿￿ - The Endrick Trust IGi2swl
Direcior - Stroke A5sociatson ITtsdingi Ltd
KattRrlr* GILe5ple
Consuitsnt Stroke Physjdan - RoyaL I)thon Urdverslty
HeaitPtsre NHS F￿ndatIon Tnj
Cknical Pfofe$50r at the Un￿e(sIty of Exetef MedicaL s(1￿01
Cbnical Director ol the narional srroke audit SSNAP and
sltlng Pfofewr. Klng s Couege LondLYJ
Martift Jarr*s
anth Kemetty
IAstw Unlvetslty '
Rustam ￿.Shth Saiman
TJustee ol Harper Coujns Exeojtive Penslon 5cfome n7th
May 20181
Chatr of Integrated Care 24 INHS Soaai Entaprlse) (vlth
effect from l Awll 2019)
Dlrpaor ot Strokn Assodallon (Tradlngl Lurdted
sknphen thg
strok&or4uk

folLowlng Independent advisors bvere in office and served thrwJlK)ut the year,
except where stated.
Non.trustee IndepeNlent ad¥lsor
AppOInte￿ reslgnedl retlred Commlttee
Helena Eolon
Ic
8en Malttrw
Ic
L￿ Stahlry BA ACA
Chnstow*r Queree
lasrm P¥ker U ACA
Reslgned 20 JJLY 2023
ARC
Ic
App)hKed18 Octthr 2023
Trey Bul CA APCIP
.Appoinied18 October 2023
ARC
Committee mernber5hlp key
ARC - Audit and Risk CoMmit￿e
FPC - Financial Performance Cornmittee
' IC - Investrnent Committee
, GRC - G(Mrnance and Rery￿er3don Committeé
(See stroke￿ry.Uk1Our9eople for fijrther trustee detaits).
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Statement of re5ponsibilitie5 of the
tru5tee5
The trusiees confirm that
In 50 far as they a￿ aware, there is no
relevant atKlit information of which
the Suoke Association's audiEor15
naware.
The tru5tee5 have iaken au tr* steps
Itw they OLNJht to have taken in order
to make EtEmsetve5 aware of any
relevant al￿[1 information and to
establlsh that the auth'tors are aware of
that Information.
The trustees are responsible for preparing
the 'Trustees' Report. and the fi'nanoal
Statements in accordance with appUcabLe
law and Un￿d Kingdom Accounting
Standards (United Klngdom Generally
Accepied Accounting Practice),
Corry>any law requi￿5 the trustees to
prepare frianoal stsrery￿nts foi each
hnancial yEar trh3t a true ano falr vlew
of the State of affair5 of ￿ charitabte
company and the group and of the incorne
and expendiwre of the group for that
perlod.
The iru5tee5 are re5pon5iblÉ for the
rnalntenance and Integrity of the
coq)orate and tinanclaL information
included on ctk3rity'5 websiie.
Legisl3tion In the un￿ed Kingdom
goveffilng the preparation and
disserninaiion of h'nancial staternents
may differ from Leg￿latIon In ot￿r
isdictions.
In p￿ paring flnancial ststeffwts,
trustees are required 10:
Select suitable acc(xmting pots'cies and
apply trem consistenrly.
Make judgerr￿ntS and e5tsTTkltes that
are reasonable and Pfudeni.
Srate Wtr￿ther applicable United
Kingdom Accouniing Standards have
been foLLowed, subjert to any maierial
departure5 disclosed and explalned in
the flnanci3l statements.
Prepare the hnancial 5tatement5 on
the going concem ba5$5 unLes5 It is
Inapproprlaie ro presume thai the
charity wllL continue in operatson.
The trustees are responsible for
maintaining propef accounting iecords
ai strK)w and explain with ￿asonable
accuracy the tknandal positlon of
charky and enable tI￿rn to ensure that
the ftnancial statements compLy with the
Companies Act 2006, the Charitles and
TnJ5tee Investment IScotlatKI) Act 2005
and Ckorities Accounts (Scotland)
Regulations 2006. They are also
responsible for safeguardirvj the chaiity's
a55et5 and for taking reasonable step5
to prevenl and detett fTaLKI and other
irregularities.
strok&or4uk

Tru5tees' duty to promote the
5ucce55 of the Charity - Section Ir2
statement
We deeply value our relationshlp with
Stroke 5LKvlvors and thelr farnitses. We
Lmder5tand that stroke support ts vital
10 inspire and main13in strength
Ihat survrvors wllt need to face the long
and gruelLlng journey to recovery. so vve
provlde iailored support serlices that are
right fof thefn.
Trustees have a duty to art in good faith
. 10 promote the succe55 of the charity
for the benefit of it5 StakehoLdef5 and In
dolng so are required by section 172 01
the Conpanies Act 2006 to have regard
. to variotjs facLor5. The 5taterr£nt below
sets out how the charity has had regard to
Ihose factors In tr￿ past >Eaf".
The Impact of the comparrf5 operatlDns
on the communty and the environment
We have adopted ethlcaL 5tandard5 for
our activit5e5 and InveSrrr￿nts. We comply
with the Code of Fundraising Practice and
have strirKJent gift acceptance poucies to
ensure our lundraising compLIES with the
hSghe5t 5tandartls. We have adopted
Green Plan 10 minimlse erpnrontrenL3t
Inyact of ow atttvlll'es,
The Ukely conSeqL￿nceS of any dec151on
In the long term
trustees make all key dectsions with
' rpference to the charity's broader Long-
. term strategy aTKI arnbiiion to help alL
stroke suNvors both present and in the
future.
The desirability of the comp
maintalnlng a reputation for high
standards of buslness conduct
The interests of the ccfflpatys
employee5
We alrn to make the chartty a good place
to work for our employees. We consult
wlth LINK, our effployee representatsves .
on au major aspects of working at the
chaflty, Such as the ierrrs and conditions""
of eryloyrnent, employee weubelng,
Leamlng and development and diversity
and Inclusion. We acEively support ways
of working that are safe and sec
We beueve that rnalntainlng a reputatlon
for high standards of semce dellvery and
business conduct is fUnda￿On(aL to the
longer-term 5vcces5 and vlabiuty of the
chanty, We keep this In mind in everyth'ng
we do from recwitment and resourcing,
the sethng of poUcle5 and procedures,
the choice of 5uppbers and partner5
we work witty the Level of r15k we are
prepared 10 accept and the govemance
and monituring arrangements put In
place. Thi5 Include5 setts.ng appropriate
ethical standards for charity for our
operations and our InVestr￿nts.
The Treed to foster the companys
buslne55 relatlonshlps wlth 5uppUers,
customers and others
We recognise that the charity can
' only succeed if our re131ion5hips wrth
' commissioners. fLfftders, donors and
key suppuers continue 10 thrive. We
, artively engage In 5ervlce review5 wlth
' our coM￿Ns510ners and funders and
. reguLirly fewew wr relationshlps with
' our key suppLiers. These are two-way
. relatlonshlps,. we seek w3y5 to achieve
. rTWJtuaLLy desirable outcomes.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

The need to art falrLy between members
of the cornpany
The organisation, being a charitable
company limited by guarantee, does not".
have shareholder5 and Its merrthrs are
miied to the dlrect015 01 ttrE company
' {l.e. the trusteesl. ALI dlrertor5 recelve
. the saffE Inf0m￿tIon ab¢wt strategy.
operations and finances of ctknirity
and have eqLJaL voices in all key decision-
making.
strok&or4uk
119

Ovr leadership team
'On 31 Marth 2024. the member5 of our EDT were:
let trou￿re OBE u <0￿).DMs
Dofrmnic Brants Bsc IHons
CNefE1eaK￿è
Execullve Director, Strate9y, Insi
and TecthoLogy
Andrew Cook BSC (Horsl Msc Icarrtabl.
Oytsthp￿r Fyfe Bsc Mst CPFA
Alexls Kolod*eJ
ctff15tophEr Rennlsoft apD FCMI
Executfve DIreC￿r. Flnante
Executlve Dlrector. PeoplE
Andrew Cook Left tre charity In April 2024. Chari Hlngorani IA550ciate Directur of
Legacie5 Engagement) and Ka[￿rine Staley (Associate Director of Customer Cafe
and Suppon) jointly covered tK5 rote on an Interim basis. We are pleased to announce
Ehat jackie Harborloineil Ikk Stroke A550ciation a5 Andrew Cook's gJccessor on 30
Sepiernber 2024.
Reg15ter of Interests for EDT
EDT
EmpioymuAt & appakntsnonts
Al2xls KoiodLleJ
None
Dlrector d Stroke Assoclatlon rfradlng) Llnlted
Trustee at Age Intemauorjal
Trustee al HpWg• Intertwuonal
ChrIsto￿ Fyfe
None
ChrlstQF*of Rennl
140Th-Executive Director ts'ncolnshire Rural H￿5
DcKnlnic Brand
None
BDard rr*Thl)ef of Warfd stsoke Organlsailon
Merrthr of NHS Assen*>Ly (Eng￿d)
Co.Chalr NHS Engknd Siroke Deuvery Board
Chatr of RIChrTh￿d GrcKry) ¢1 Charlues
,See stroke.orguklour-people for rnore informatlon about our leadership team.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Ovr people
In last T2 JfK)ntr6. we pubts'shed 'Our
approach to soLvtng inequiry in stroke.
report. Th15 new approach help5 U5 to
understand the barriers to equalFty,
diversity. and incLusion In our charity.
aLso empower5 US to take actsons that
WIIL address ihose barriers. Our approath
to soLvirKJ Inequity in stioke makes
clear what actlons we've committed
10, lo create a More equltable Stroke
Associaiion for our staff, volLnteers and
everyone affeaed by stroke.
We're privileged to tHve 802 staff (as
of 31 March 20241 and more than 7,400
. volunteefs across the UK, incLudlng lersey
and the Isle of Man (between l April 2023
and 31 March 2024), wh) VKirk hard to get
.the best for stroke S￿VIvOrs, their tamltse5
and friends. We want to make sure our
staff feel vaLued, tEard and supported.
so itr*y can do thelr best work for people
affected by stroke. Nearly aLI our staff
work trom Ix)me and Uve throughwt thJf
area of activity.
Opportunitte5 are avBilable to alL our staff
includirrfj those with di5cLosed dSsabltsEies
or speci17c needs. for training, career
deveLopment and proryM)tson. We make
reasonable adju5tTnents fur people wth
ad￿ltIOnal need5 during the appUcats'¢)
pf¢xess. when they sLIrt at our clk3rtry and
throughoui time with us. We review
the adp5tments regularly 10 make sure
they're ￿￿eting the indivlduaL's current
needs.
We regLrtarty consult employees via LINK,
our staff consuLtation forum, LINK is made
up of IS representstive5 from aT(yJnd
. Ehe organisation, covering all levels and
locaiJiie5, To make sure we represent
different Uved experience5, UNK panel
Includes deifiicaied seats for colteagues
tr(Kn Our network groups, including stroke
survivors. UNK Listens to feedback from
our staff and meets with senior leaders
-.and IDT at least foLK time5 a year (or
rTh)re Ire(wenily at 11ry￿S of slgnthcant
change} 10 Infomi and consutt on the
Is5￿S ￿Y raise.
We also provEde access to tEalth benefits
and support to alL of (Jur staff, including a
heaLth cash plan, crttical illness cover and
EmpLoyee Assistance ProgranwY* with
access to ccxjnselllng.
LINK reviews our remuneratlon pollcles,
and change5 affetting aLL errplDyee5
are discussed in depth. There 15
UNK repre5entaiion on our Pension
G(Nemance Board, Safeguarding
G￿ernance 803rd and othef groups to
ensure our people are at the trEart of
organisationaL decisions that affect our
staff.
We engage wr staff and volurTteers
In rnany ways, to connea ttEm to our
straiegy, our work and each other, Last
sEar ran Connectival again, a rnulti-
day rerrnte event where staff can diaL
Into sessions on a rarbge of toplc5. Ttr
C3n Leam frorn suoke survivors, stroke
profes540nals and resear(t￿r5 and tr￿ar
dlrertly from our staff networks. Staff
can also attend montNy 'Ask Juuet.
Q&A sessions with our Chief Executive
and executive team, as weLL as reguLar
webinars wrth ￿ternaL and extemal
speakers.
We also have active staft net￿)rkS who
offer peer support to each other as V￿lL as
Influencing staff poucy and processe& This
Includes stroke survivor5, Asiary black. arKI
minority ethnic comrwnities. LGBTQ+ and
disabltsties staff networks. as welL as peer
support groups for menopause, parental
, Leave, carers, and neurodlver5ity.
We hold simiL3r webinars for our
volunteers. on role-speciflc topics, and
keep them Informed of tre charity's work
through regular newsletters.
strok&or4uk

We conts'nue to focus on a progressive
y￿rkIng culture and ensurlng our beneftts
and flexible working arrangement5 relain
and attract be5L peopLe and their
. ialent5. Our Wmover and sickness raies
' remaln low and one ol best within the
"charity Sector benChn￿rks.
Executive pay,
Our executlve pay Is rtwiewed annually
and Is benchmarked with other 5aLanes In
the sector.
Our Chlef Éxecuttve's salary lor 202>
24 wa5 £155,509 lexcluding errYl0￿r'5
pension and Natj'onal Insurance
contributions). Guided by Ihe Ass￿13￿0￿
of Charity Chlef Executives, IACEVO) best
practice advice on pay transparency,
we pubtish our Chief Execirtive's current
salary on websiie.
15troke.org.uk/executlvtrpay}.
Ovr approach to pay
We're committed to being open and
.transparent at)OLrt work that we do,
about the money that we ra15e and
we Spend IL
We ￿lIeve the charity 5eaor strKxJLd not
"and cannot compete with the comrr*rcial
sector on pay. However, we want to make
sure thai we're able io attraa and reGwn
the best people. so we TeguLarly review
our pay and benefits to bring t￿rn In tsne
wth other charitles.
Our Executive Directors, (Key
Management Personnel) salaries for
2023-24 lexcluding errploypr's pension
and NationaL Insurance coniribuuons)
were within the range of £93,256 and
£118.917. depending on tt*ir experience
and market berKhmark
We need to be financially 5UStainable. b
we know that the rising cosi of LNing is a
real worry for many ot our peopL@ After
careful consideratlon ar￿ consulration
wth LINK, we were pleased to r3ise
saiarle5 by 5Vo lor all staff on alL salary
-grades fTom1 ApriL 2023.
WtrEn setting seniof salaries, our trustees
are guided by the principles set out in
the report on Charity Senior Execu￿
Pay by the National Colmcll for VoLuntary
Organisa￿Ons, whlih Is SilPPOrted by tr
Charity Comm15510n.
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Our Ethical and Responslble
Investment Policy
Our ESG principles
Our charity airrs to Insplre stroke
survivors to gather the determinats.on
and strength they need to ry￿ke their
best recovery, EnvironmentaL soclal afKI
govemance issues a￿ at heart of
en5urlng we do thi5 properly. We beLlevE
[￿se issue5 are everyone's responsiblLity
and il'5 ourpb as a charity to try to lead
by exarylo
. C)Jr EthicaLand Responsible Investrr*nt
Poucy guides InveSt￿￿nI decssions
of our c1¥3rity's Investir￿nt manager
and alL staff, trustees and advlsors whr)
are involved p13nning or authorising
Investmeni of fwr charity's hjnds.
It ￿fleCts the principLes of our
tharity'5 Ethlcal Pokn'cy to behave In a
sociaLLy re5pon5ibLe way, and to make
decisions that wotect our beneficianes,
. deman5trate our integrlty and vaLues. and
Inspire txjblic trust and conh'dence.
We already ty to be as 5LlStainable,
equitable, accountable and transparent as
we can in our worklng practices ID make
Sure we'fe Uving our value¥.
ChJr ethical and responsible inve5Ement
prlncipLes are:
We are hjman,
We belleve in better.
We gwe our alL
We say it as lils.
We vvllL rKYt Invest in organlsations
if ￿re is evldence to ￿'nk t￿1r rfkiin
products or se￿(eS to a 51gnthcant
increase In the risk of stroke or poor
stroke outcornes.
We SLPPOrt and promote pubuc tEalth
initlatives lo rEduce stroke risk factors.
We wilL not invest in companies
that undermine or fru5trare tt￿se
inidatives,
We rnay invest In organisations,
programmes or projerts that could
signrficantly irrprove stroke outcorr
We fav¢yJr organisaDons vfith
a positive attttude towards
ErwironmentaL Social and Governance
IESG) matters, especiaLly if t￿Y art to
reduce Stroke r15k in their workforce or
society.
We try to avoid Investrnerits that
could be seen as LmSUitabLe for 3
trEathpron¥)ting charty, Th15 InclLMSes
high stakes gambbng, high Interest
money lendlrKJ, or companies with a
reputatjon for poor ESG corry)tianc
There are eXa￿leS of how we're doing
itr¥s throLKJhout our reporL These include
publ15fvng 'Our approach to soliyng
Inequity In stroke, report, Launchlng our
new People System and investing in
5klUs. We also adopted a new ethical
nvestment poLJ'cy, as welL as new
prooJrerr*nt pa￿￿es.
We will continue to bulld, develop and
Irrprove on this vrfork in the year to Cof
to help us to ensure the susralnablLJty
of our chadty afKI Improve our abltsty to
bulld on our c￿n￿bLe obFctsves.
strok&or4uk

Energy and carbon reporting
The Independent review (arried o
by Moore Klngston Smith c(>nfi￿r￿d
CoMp￿ance in relation 10 the UK
Govemment's SECR framework and ttr
Energy SAvlng Opportunitie5 SCI￿rne
(ESOSI. The lollowing tabLe demonstrates
Our performance yEar on year as part
of UK Govemmenys SECR. Data in
relation to 2023-24 has been foryT4J13ted
IniemaLIy In ￿ne with the UK Govefnrrent
Green House Gas Conversion Factors
NHS EngLifFd r￿5 Climate Change Dirties
enshrined inio the HeaLth and Care
ACE 2021 To meel these dutle5, It has
committed to bec0ry￿ a Zero Carbon
organisatson by 2045. This includes
workin9 With Stroke Associatson and
other paft5 of ttEir 5uppLy chain and
commis510ned servicos to ensure fuiL
abgnment with this pian.
2023.
The NHS Net Zero SJppts"er Roadmap
requires suppLlers of all new contracts
from 2023-24 onwards above £5 mlLtion
peryear to FKJbtish a Zero Reduction
Plan for their UK Scope l and Scope
2 erni5sion5 arbd a subset of Scope 3
emissions,
Across Is UK-based annual energy
usage and associated greer*trK)u5e gas
emissions from l April 2023 to 31 March
2024. Th5 reknites to our office location-
based con5ufTPtion and vehicLe ￿￿tea
Slnce the prLViOUS report we have
released a fijrther three propertbes, PLease
note thal we have found discrepancies
in previous reports. This is to our
extemal con5uLtants 1nWttu￿ incorrect
data In relation 10 gas Usage. We have
collated the data within this rep¢xt
Internally and have arnended the previou5
years gas consumptson figures.
To support NHS Net Zero Roadmap
we have pUb￿'Shed a Carbon Reduction
Potlcy. To ats'gn with tre NHS, we have
decided to retr05pectively Set a baseline
of 2019 and have collated emi55ions data
undef the folLowng categofies as part
of our StreamLlne Energy and Carbon
Reporting ISECR),,
Intenslty ratlo
Scope l - gas and conyany owned
vehldes.
kope 2 - purctklsed elettricity.
S(ope 3 - employee vetH'cles used In
busines5.
The Intenslty ratio Is total emlssions
In metric tonnes C02e (Tnandaiory
ernis5ion5} per employee. The calculation
s tonne5 of carbon divided by total
nurrthr of ernployees. TN5 metric is
consldered the m05t relevant to the
ch3rity's energy congjming acuvities
and provides a good comparison ol
performance over t6trE.
In February 2024, our extemal audltors
Moore Kingston Smith carried out.
a review arKI subsequent report
to surrThari5e findlngs. Includlng
recofTwnendation5 for the next step in
' our loumey to fuLL Scope 3 discLoSUfe.
MaieriaL Scope 3 caiegories wlll InctsJd&'
Purclwsed goods or seryice&
Waste generated In operatK)ns.
Jslness traveL
Employee ccNYmLrting.
Envestment
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

d35,906
374.803,,
Id 456
259,747
264200
256,421
chased eieclrltlty
Tran500n fuel
601282
80d.,718
TotaLenergy1rn3ndatory)
825,165
1,125.229
1,281211
20n.22
2022-23
202>24
Scope I
Gas
79.9
47.4
46.8
Transport- corrpèny owned vehicles
Scope 2
Kthased eLectrtclty ¢Locatlon-based)
Scope 3
Category 6. ETryAoye&owned vehlcie5
Tol•Lwoss {ma￿alory)
Inten51ty Tatlo (mand31ory em1551•ns only)
Tonnes of C02e peT numbef of eiry)loyees
13.6
418
14&3
246fj ',
198.5
026
0.35
ope2
rthased eiectriclty (market.basedl
Caie90ry 6. Bu51ne5s travel (air rail)
417
2Jg
Inienslty ratio Ito(aL Location*ased emissions)
Tonnes ol C02e per efrM)loyees
Intenslty ratlo (totaL market4•ased emlsslons)
Tonnes ol C02e w eryployee5
0.26
0.35
0.35.
03
We are currently looking into ways In wfthch V￿ can reduce transpon fueL Tros wit[ inctutje
changing way In wlych Y￿ collate data in retation to type ol vehtcLes used. This wllL
. reduce thi's hgure V4fien corry)itsng reports for fubJre year
strok&or4uk
12S

Ovr envlronmentaL aim5
Compliance Informatlon
We're committed to improvlng our
envIronn￿nIal su5ralnablb'ty, so we can
play our part in i1rn￿ng (he damaging
effect5 of ctimate char)ge and ueatlng a
greenef world for of u&
Governance and compliance
Each year the Board receives an annual
compLJ'ance reporL a consoijdaled
report coverlng alt compliance
affectirKJ [tr￿ charity. suth as dala
breaches, sericKJs Incidents reported to
the Charity Corrwni55ion, safeg4Jardsng
and whisilebiowng, NHS information
governance requirements, cornplaints.
health and safety, and Comp￿anCe with
UK GDHI.
Moving to remote working and disposing
of over 95Yè of Our properties ha5 hElped
us to reduce cKJr direct emissions pef
employee by almost two-thirds since
2020. A5 part of aur corrmiiment to
)portlng ￿ LJK GovemrrEnVs net
zero straiegy, y￿ continue 10 look for
way5 to become more energy effi'cient
by n￿nit(KIr￿j energy use and setting
. decreasing targets for the future.
The report on the year 202>24 str￿Wed
strong overall compknance.
We are rr*rnbers of the A550ciati<)n of
Medic2L Research Charitles IAMRC) and
adhere to Iheir research go4*rnance
pO￿lle5 and regutatsons.
In January 2024, we 4reed a Carbon
Re(Jucilon Potscy. This potscy wlll
. be knrther developed by way of the
Irry)lementation of 3 Carbon Reduttion
Plan, whlch ￿LI replace the Green Aan,
We also amended our InvesurRni Poucy
to111 exclude investments in corrpanies
.that derive more than IOYO of their
revenLFes from the saLe and extraction
of f05s1I fuels and12) begln rfM>ves
10 reduce the carbon Intensity of our
Investments. In llne with our obugations
35 an NHS contractor we have cornrnitted
to achieving nei zero emissions ty 2045,
with an 80Vu reduction by 203&39.
Safeguardlng and wh15tlebLowlng
Our safeguardlng and K4&5t(eblowlng
pr(xedures to.
Protett service users from abuse
or tEalth concems from Ot1￿r5 or
[tr￿mSelves.
Addre55 In￿rnaL Issve5 a
corscem dlrectly relates to our
employees aridlor votunteers.
We recorded158 reported safegu3rdlng
ca5e5 between April 2023 and March
2024, None of tfrEse case5 reLaEe to OLK
employees or volLfftteers,' rarher. these a
safeguardlng issues that we Identlfy In
the LNe5 of benefitlaries that we support.
An oveNiew of cases is dlscussed at our
safeguardlng govemance meeting every
quaner, where organ15ati.onal Learn￿9
is slkired and aLso reported to the Board
through the annual govemance report
We l￿d no whlsttebLowing cases In
2023-24.
126
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Serlous Incldents and fraud
We also aim to meet the NHS Data
Coordinatlon Board1596 IDCB1596)
SLandard for our cloLKI seNices. The
DCB1596 is the secure email standard for-.
health and care organisations designed
to reduce cybersecurlty risks In emaiL
comrTrJnications. FurtlwrrK)re, we are
gearing up to strengthen IS02700
relaied controls. IS027001 Is the global
standard for ImpLernentsng Infafmation
Secunty Management Systems.
In thls financial year. we reported
'one serious inodent to tP￿ Charity
Cornmission. This related 10 a data
securTry breach at one of our data
Pfocessor5. For fulL detaits see betlml.
Data protection
' thr Inforrnation Govemance Board 15
chaired by our Executive Director of
strategy, In519ht and Tecthology. Data
protectlon 15 di5CU55ed ￿guLarlY at EDT
and Board meeiing5. Our A550aate
Director of Legal and Govemance is the
Char￿,$ Data Protectson Officer.
In addition. fft twve revlewed our data
protection processes, procedure5 and
record5 Using externat advisors and wSti
irnpLemeni their fecommendaDons in tt
comlng year to further 5trerWhen our
practices in th5 area.
Dunng 2023-24, we reported one data
, breach to the Information Commi55ioner'5
Office IICO) and ttr￿ Charity Commission.
This related to a data breach ai one of our
sth)-contractors that processes SUPPOrter
daL3 on our behalf. breach occurred
despite the sulKontrattor having
high data security arrangements and
accreditations, and ts ICO and Charity
Cornmisston have conhrmed to us that no
regulatory acti¢M wlll be taken In reEatlon
EO this incident. In addition. we trkive trh3d
two Incidents wtrere, due to operational
errors, lundraising email5 were sent to
wrong contingent of supporters. We are
taking steps Eo prevent 5irnilar Incidents
from ￿ppening in the futvre,
In 2024-25, we expert to athEve Stronger
. da￿ security accredit31ion. Th"Is inclixles
accreditation by Cyber Essential Plus,
wfrmch is the higlEst tevel of certification
provided by the Cyber E55entAals sctEme
,and incl￿e5 a deeper audit of our
systerns to ensure we rr*et rigorous
secuTity Standards.
strok&or4uk

' Fvndrai5Ang
To read It In fiJlL visit strok&org.uk/y¢)ur-
supporL We also have a Gambung Social
Responsibilj'ty Policy and a VLtherdblb"ty
and Fundraising Poucy.
We're committed to fair. ￿nest and
ethical fvndra15Ing and strive for the
hlghest possible standards. We raise
money for our tharlty in a variety ol
ways, inclLKling working with corporate
sworters, philanthropists, tnjsts and
many genercNJs indlviduals who donate
Ehr0￿h our appeals and take part
fundraising events.
FurKlralslng regulatlon
We're reglstered wtth the Fundraising
Regulator and adhere 10 its Code of
Fundrdising Practice and Ftsndrai51ng
Promise. We have a dedicated monitoring
programme in place to ensure compllance
wlth tts code and Yilth best practice In
fundraising generally. We strive for best
practice In fundraising and comply with all
relevant Statutory regulations. including
the ChaTitses Att 2011, the Chantses
IPrDtection and Social I￿vestynent> Act
2016, the Daia Proiertion Act 2018, UK
GDPR and the Privacy and Electri)nic
comfr￿nICall0ns Regulallons 2003.
We also screen agalnsi the Tetephone
Preference Service. It* MalL Preference
SeNtce and Fundraising Preference
Serrflce. Different areas of fundraislng
activity are re¥￿Wed on an ongoliig
basis, including polj'cies. procedLKes and
outbound communicatlons.
'. Fundralslng on our behalf
Vthere we engage 'professlonal
fundraI5ers' (agencies) to fLff¥draise on o
behalf, such as face-to-face, door-10-door
ar￿d teleptrK>ne actlw"tie5, we continually
'monitor and review our acuvitie5 10
make tt*m a5 effective as P05sibte. In
ljne wlth the Fundrdising Regulator's
recofrrfr￿ndati0n5, we also rrK)nitor
our agencies through training, regular
meetings and 'm)stery shopping, to
ensure meet standards and high
expectauoDs.
We continue to V40rk in partnershlp with
organisaiions lcorf¥￿rCjal partlcipatorsl
pay us a return from 5aLe5 generated
through (Kjr own channels and when
offering a service or producL to stroke
survivors.
Complaints and feedback
We value feedback from cxjr beneficlarie5
and stakeholders to help us develop
and Improve. CMJr complaints F)otscy and
procedure5 make it easy far people to
raise concems with us and l*ip us to
resr)Lve complalnts quickLy and efflcienrly.
We also hotd reguLar 'le550ns leamed,
meetings 10 better understand ￿ere we
can develop In the fvture.
r suppwter promise
We coffwwnlcate with (>ur 5UPPOrters
In many ways, incLudlng appeal letters
ieLephone caus, rafftes. TV advertising and
online via our wRb5ite and 50clal medla.
We are eXtre￿￿(Y grateftrt to everyone
supports We have a 'supporter
promise, to make gjre tlui everyone
we Interact with leets respected and
vaLued. and to rEassure our supponers
that their data Is safe and secure with us.
Durlng the year. we received a total of
194 complaints, a signthcant Increase
on La51 year. Thi's was caused by ttr
emall Incidents referred to under Data
Protection above.
128
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

01 these,172 corTp131nts ￿Lated to our
funthai5ing actfvlties12022-23: 45).
', hlghest number of complaints were
around emails1105 complaints) and
'.door-tO-door hjndraising activity being
unwanted by Lhe corylainants (52
complaints).
In reiaiion 10 our ￿ppOrt services, we
recewed 22 cornplaints, up three from last
year. Corrrnon tt￿rneS include a perceived
Lack of support, pty)r COMTh￿tnication or
Is￿5 relating to volunteering/voiunteer
group& AIL coryylaints %vere irwestigated
. thorougNy, but there were no clear case5
of poor qUa￿ty ol supporL
We have leamed from these complaints.
workiThJ with manJJer5 and 51aff to
ensure we are providing the best possible
support and that our 5eNice users know
what they can expeci from us. Leamirbgs
are also L￿d In guidance and tralnlng for
our staff.
TrHS report con5tttutes the 5tatsrtury
reports deSCri￿d on page108. This
Trustees Reporc, Incorporating a Strategic
ReporL was approved on betr￿11 of tt
. Board by..
'StEphen Klng
Chair of Board
Approved on16 Octobef 2024
strok&or4uk
129

Prnsldent
HRH The ￿01K￿rtKG GCMG GCVO
Pmle550r Tony RLrtJd CBE MA Icantab) MB Bctlr FRCP
Vlre Prtgdent5
p￿lessor Sir Charte5 Gecyge MB ChB MD
Prolessor Daryt AvErll man5r￿d OBE Chm FRCS FRCP
Margarei G0ts5e OBE MA FHSM FRSA trlon MFPH Flon
FRCP
Jon aarrick M8A DPRI> (trLLI FCMI
Prufessor Hppa Tgrreu MBE MD FRCP
st￿1￿ Kthng FCMI
A51151ed on page5 114-115
Jth Bo(NeTle 08E ￿ Horf toxon) DMS
Membus of the management team As Ilsted on pagÈ120
j￿.WIllemj0nker LLM
stroke Assotiatlon House
240 Clty R(￿d
London
ECW2PR
Re955teied offlce
Teles*￿￿
0207 5660 300
Webslte
stroke.org
Emall
61274 {ErW arK1 Wales)
211015 IEh¥and 4ru1 WaLes)
SC03778915coiiandl
945 (Isle of Man)
.221 Uersey)
Moore Kingston Smlth LLP
9 I￿pol￿ Streei
London
EC2A 2AP
Bafcity5 PLC c
I ChJrchliLFYa
London
E14 5HP
Waverton Investment m￿￿eMent
16 Babn￿e5 Streei
Lor￿On
Chartty reg15tratlon nunknw5
Audltor
lftvestrnent managws
130
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

r•
stroke.orguk

Independent auditorfs
report
Opinion
Have been piepared In accordance
With the Companies Art 2006, 1
Chantie5 and Trustee Investment
IScotL7ndl Act 2005 la5 ampndedl and
regulallons 6 and 8 of the Charides
Accounts (ScotLindl Regulations 2006
(as amended).
We have wdited ftnanciaL statements
of the Stroke Associatson (the parent
charitabte company'l and It5 5ubsl(fiarie5
group'l for the year ended 31
, March 2024. which comprisÈ the GroLP
.'Staterrent of Financial Acttvities,
the Group Surnmary Income and
' Expenditure Account, the Group ar
Parent Charitable Company Balance
. StrEets. the Group Cash FLOW Statement
-. and notes to the h'nancial s￿leMents,
Including signfficant accounllng p0￿CleS.
The hnancial reporting framework th4t
ha5 been appLied In their preparation
15 appbcable law and United Kingdom
Accourrting Standards, SncLuding Financial
, Reporting StandaTd102 The Flnanclal
, Reporting Standard appll'cable in the UK
and Repubknc of Ireland (United Kirrfjdom
' GeneraLLy Accepted Accounting Ftrartice).
Basis for opinlon
We conducled our audit in accordance
wlth InternationaL Standards on Auditing
(UK) IISAS (UKII and appLicable Law. Our
responsibilities undef those stsndards
are further desuibed In tl* Auditor's
Responsibiuties for the audit of
'nanctal statements section of our teporL
We are independent of thp charitable
company in accofdance with the ethicaL
requlrerrtnt5 Ihat are felevant io our
audit of financial state1T￿ts In the
UK, Including FRC'S Ethical Standard,
and we have futh"ILed our other ethical
responsibl￿[leS In accordance with these
requlrerrents. We bebeve that the audit
evidence we have obtained15 Sufficient
and approprlate to wovlde a basis for
f opinion.
In ow opinion the tlnanciaL statement
Give a true and fair view of the stale of
the group's and the parent ctrh3fitable
Cofnpany s affatrrs as at 31 March 2024
and of the group's Incoming resources
and appiF'caiion of resources, including
its incon* and expendrture, for t
year tt*n ended.
Have been properly prepared In
accordance with United Kingdorn
GeneralLy Accepted Account
Practic
132
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Conclusions reLiting to golng
concern
If we identify such Material
Inconsistenoes or apparent material
mi55tatements. we are requlred to
determine whEther there 15 a material
misstatement In the financlal statements
themseLves. If, based on tr* work we
have perforyned, we conclude that there
is a rr43terial rnissiaiement af this ot￿r
Information, we are required to report
that facL We nothing to rew)rt In
thi5 regard.
In auditing the fIr￿nCial ststements, we
',have concltsded that the trustees, use of
.rhe golng concem basi5 01 accounting
In the preparation of the h'nanoal
statements is appropriate.
' 8a5ed on the work we have performed,
we Iwve not identified any rnaterial
Kertainties retating 10 events
or conditions that. individually or
coILeaively, nkiy cast signrf?cant doubt
on the group'5 and paTent charitable
cornpany'5 abiliiy to continue a5 a
goiTTrg concem for a perlod of at least
tweLve rronth5 from the financial
statements are authorised for Issue.
Opinion5 on other matters
prescribed by the Companies Act
2006
In our opfftion. based on the work
undertaken in the (ourse ol the audir.
Chjr responsibilitie5 and the
responsibiLits"es of the trustee5 With
respect to going concern are described In
the relevant 5ectsons of thi5 report.
The infomation given in the Strategic
report and tru5tees' annuaL report".
for the hnanciaL year for vthich the
nancial 5Laleff￿nt5 are prepared
Is consistent with the hnancial
statements.
The strategic report and the trusiees.
3nnuaL report tr&ave been prepared
In accordance wrth appUcabLe
requirements.
Other information
other inforrrkitton corTyrÈses the
Informailon Included In the annual repor¢
ott￿r than the linancial statements and
our auditor'5 repon thereon. The trustees
are ￿spOnsible for Ot￿r information
.contained In the annual report, OUT
opinion on fi'nancial statemen15 doe5
not cover the orhef information and,
except to tIE extent other￿lse expucldy
stated in wr repo¢ we do not expre55
,any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
Our re5ponslbility Is to rp3d the otlw
Infornkatlon and. In doing so, consider
wtr*ther the Ot￿￿ informats'onls
matenalLy inconsisteni with the financlal
statements or our knowledge obtained
In the course of the audii or otherwise
appears to be maierially misstated.
strok&or4uk
133

Matters on which we are required
to report by exceptlon
ReSponslblU￿es of trustees
In Ilght of knowLed9e and
undef5L3ndlng of the grDUP and
parent charitable cotTpary and tr￿4r
enVIronn￿nI obtslned In Ihe course of
. the audiL we have not Identthed rnateriaL
misstatements In the srrategic report Of
Ihe twstees. annual reporL
As explalned rrK)re fLdty in trustees.
respon5ibiUtses Stater￿n[ set out on
page 117, Irustees {who are atso tt
directors of the charitsble company
for purpose5 of company law) arE
responsible for the preparatson of
ftnancEaL staternents and lor belng
sau5f*d tFkiL thpy gP4e a true and falr
view, and for such tntemal control as the
trustees detefrnine is necessary to enable
the preparation of financial statements
that are free from material misstate￿nI
W￿ther due to fraud or error.
We have nottyry to report In respect
of ihe fottowlng rnatters where the
Companles Act 2006 or the Chariues
Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as
arn*ndedl requlre ts5 to rep)rt to you if, in
our opln50fL
In preparing ttrle financial 5t3ternÈnts, the
tnJsiee5 are responsible for a55essing t
group and parent charitable company's
abitsry to continue as a g￿n9 coniem,
discloslng, as appUcabLe, matters related
to going concern and using golng
ioncern basi5 of accountlng unless the
trusiee5 eitr*r Intend to tsquidate the
groLFP or pareni charitable company or
to coase operations, or have no reab5tic
altemailve bLrt to do so.
parEnt charitable IOTryary has
not kept adequaie and 5Lrtficient
accounting records, or retums
adequate for our audit have not been,
received from branc￿5 not vlsited by
us; or
parent charitable corTyany s
financial statements are not In
agreement with the accounting
records and ￿￿rn5", or
Certain dlscLogures of trustees,
remuneratson specihed by law are not
made," or
We h3ve nol received all tr
information and explanations we
qUiTe for our audiL
Auditorfs respon5ibilitles for the
audit of the financlal statements
We have been appointed as auditor
under Section 44OMci ol the Charities
and TnJsEee Investment (ScotLindl Act
2005 and under the Companies Act 2006
aTKI report to you In accordance with
reg￿atrOn5 made ￿der those Art&
Our obJectNes a￿ to obtain reasonable
3SgJrance about wt*ther the h"nanclal
staiements as a whole are free from
rrk3terial rnlsstatemenL w￿ther due to
fvaud or error, and to Issue an auditor's
134
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

' report that inclLJdes our opinion.
. Reasonable assurance is a hlgh level
'of assurance, b￿15 not a guarantee
. Ihat an audit conducted In accordance
with ISAS IUKI wlll always detert a
material MISS￿te￿￿nI when It exists.
mlssiatery￿nts can arise from fraLKI or
error and are considered material If,
individuaLLy or in aggregate. they cou
reasonably be expected to Inlluence the
. economlc deck5ion5 of users taken on t
, ba515 of these fnancial stalen￿fits.
Conctude on the appropriateness of
tW5tees' L¢Se of the going concem
ba515 of accMting and, based on
audlt evidence obtained, whether
a maierial tmcertainty exists related
to evenE5 or condltions that may cast
signih.cant dovbi on the group and
parent charitable company 5 abll
to coniinue as a 90ing concern. If v
conclLKle that a materlal uncertainty
exlsts. we are required to draw
attention In auditor's report to
related disd05ures in the financial
statemenis or, if such disclosures are
inadequate, to ryM)dity our oplnlon, Our
coniLuslon5 are based on audit
evidence obtained up to the date of
our auditor's repori. However. future
events or conditions may cause the
group or parent chariLible company to
cease to cOntsr￿ as a going concem.
Evaluate the overalL presentation.
strucwre and content of financlat
statements, InclLKling the disclosures,
and whether the fi'nanciat staterwts
represent ￿derlying transathons
and events in a manner achieves
fair presenratlon.
Obtain sufficient approprlate audit
evidence regardtng ttr￿ financiaL
inforrnatson of entstie5 cr
tXJ5iness 3ttivities within the
group io eXp￿sS an opinion t)n the
consolidaied h'nanclal statements.
We are responsible for the direction,
supervision and performance of
group audlL We remain soLely
responslble for wr audit report.
We communicate with those charged
Wtth govemance regardlng, among
other matter5, the planned scope and:
tlmlng of the audit and slgnifkant
audit hndlng5. Includlng any signih'carit
deh'ciencies in internal COnv￿thatwe
identfy durlng our audlL
A5 part of an audit in accordance with
ISA5 IUK) we exercise professlonal
Jui*Jement and rnaintain professional
sceptlC15m trKougtKJut the audtr. We also:
Identify and assess the risks of
maier13l misstatement ot ttr￿ financiaL
Statements, whether due to fraud
OT error. design and perform audil
proced4Jres responsive 10 those risks,
and obialn audEt evidence thai is
sufficient and appropriate to provide
a basis for our opinion. The risk of nor
deterting a material mi55tatemeni
resulting from fra￿ Is higher than for
one re5ultlng from erruf, as fraud may
involve collusion, lorgery, IntentionaL
Orni5510n5. misrepresentstions. or the
override ot intemaL controL
Obtain an understandlng of Intemal
contiol relevant to the audit in order
to deSKJn a￿11[ proce<kJres tt%3t are
appropriate in Lhe circufflstance5, but -:
not for ￿ purposes of expressing
an opinlon on the effectlveness of
the group and parent charit3bLe
company s intemaL coniroL
Evaluate the appropriateness of
accounting p￿cleS used and the
reasonableness of accounting
estima￿5 and related disclosures
made by ttE trustee
strok&or4uk
135

Explanatlon as to what extent the
audlt was consldered capable of
detecting Irregularities. including
fraud
the Charity SORP, and UK financial
reporting standards as issued by the
Finanoal Reporting CounclL
We obtained an undef5randing of
the charitable coryany COmp￿e5 with
these reqUI￿rr￿n[S by d15cussions
with rrk4nagerr*ni ar￿ tIK¥se (harged
wilh govemance.
We assessed the risk of material
misststement of the linanclal
5taternents, irTrduding the risk of
materiaL Misstate￿nt due to fraud
and how it rnight occur, ty holding
discussions with rnanagÈment and
those charged wlth governance.
We iTwired of managemenT ar￿ t￿j52
charged with govemance as ta any
kriown instances of r￿n<0MpLIanCe or
suspected non<orrplJ'ance with laws
and regu13(ions.
8ased on th's understanding. we
designed 5pecrftc approprlate audit
procedures to Idenufy instances
of non-coryliance with Laws and
regulaiions. Tlys included making
enquiries of manageffonE and
those charged with governance and
obtaining additionaL cortoborative
evidence as requlre(L
There are inherent Llmitations In tP
audit procedure5 described above.
We are Less ￿'kelY ro becorr* aware of
Instances of n0n-corypl1a￿e wtth law5
and regulations are not closely
related 10 events and tran5actlons
reflected In h'nanciaL staternents.
Also, the risk of not detectlng a
rnateriaL rnisstatement due to fraud 15
hgher than the rlsk ol not detecting
one resuttlng trom error. as fraud may
volve deitberate concealment by,
for example. forgery or Intents"onaL
misrepresentatsons or ttrrwgh
couusion.
Irreguiarrtie5, incLLxling fraud, are
InstarKes of r￿n{on￿LIanCe wlth law5
and regulatjons. We deS￿n procedure5
In ￿'ne with ow respons1b1￿.tieS, outlined
above, to detect maiedaL mi55tatements
In respect of irre9u13rities, IncLudirvJ
fraud. extent to which procedu￿5
are capable of detecting IrregAarities,
Including fraud Is detailed below.
The obJeaive5 of our aL￿￿1t in respect
of fraLKI. are,. 10 Identify and a55ess
the nsks of material rNsStatement or
the linancial staternents due to frautl:
to obfain sufficieni appropriate audit
evidence regarding the assessed risks
of material mi55taterr*nt due to fraLKI.
through Ile51gning and Implementsng
appropriate responses to those 355e5sed
risks,. and to respond appropriately to
Instance5 of fraud or suspected fraud
Identihed during the audit. However. the
prlmary responslbiuty for prevention
and detettlon of fraud rests w4ith both
managernent and those charged with
"goverrHnce of the charitable company.
r approath was as follows..
We obtairth an tmderstanding of the
Legal and regulatory requirernents
apptscable to the charitable company.
and con51dered that the most
significani are the Conwanies Art
2006. the Charittes and TnJstee
Investment (Scocland) Act 2005 (as
amended). regulations 6 and 8 of
the Charities Accixfrnts {S(otLand)
ReguLition5 2006 las afrendedl,
136
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Use of our report
Trus report Is made soleLy to the charitable
'company'5 member5, as a body. In
accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16
of the Companies Act 2006 and to
charitable company'5 irustees, as a bodyi
In accordance with Secuon 44Ollcl of
Ihe Chanties and Trustee Investment
(Scotlandl Act 2005. Our audtt work has
been urKJertaken so tt43t we rn￿ht sL3te
. EO the chant3bte company'5 rnember5
and tTUStees those matters which are
required to state to them In an audiiorfs
' report addressed to them and for no other
purF)ose. To the fullest extent permitted
, by law. we do not accept Of 3SSUn
responsibiLity to any party other than
the chariiable company and tharitabLe
company's members as a body, and the
charity'5 trustees, as a tthy, for our a￿dit
work, for this report, or for the opinlons
we have formed.
rt)y. (£f
Luke Hotr (Senior StatutDry Audltort
For and on behalf of Moore Kingston
Smith LLP, Stat￿ory Auditor 9 Appold
StreeL London, EC2A 2AP
Date: 23 October 2024
', Moore ￿ngs1on SmtLh LLP is eugible to
art as auditor In tem￿ of Section1212 of
. the Coffwnies Act 2006.
strok&or4uk
137

Consolidated statement of financlal actsvltles for the year ended 31 March 2024
(Incorporating a group income and expenditure account)
T•thl turwls
In¢(ma frmr,
DonatI￿S aid le4Ja¢l
2é.069
16,429
t946
28375
Ch4rrtatdaadlvi¥es-
2a
10,3Bd
IOJ12
tradKN adivlUq5
35
735
611
on
798
. 8,102
TL524 20.6
11.0
010
2.162
Re5•¥¢hwrts WKI ow¥dy
2.994
1.706
Sweirn Innwnclro
1325
319
1674
Awaienoss •wJ erya9EWrt
wlthjttokn
5,633
1133
5.1Y.
R•lslro
)D,305
.461
75316
lJ65
Mpt lup*JdtEw*lllr*orn¢ be14X•
qalns on frnw5tmtnts
419
ius
Net ￿[rryl{lOSSoI nn tr¥*&￿ 20
3.625
16
14731
wi lTr¥•Jtrnwts brt•rn
.44?
COrp￿all￿rI tsx (Di
thidirq Sut)51th￿ prollt5
ozj
R•cm<JlLrtltsn ol Iwwts.
Fthds brvwt foThyard a( l Aw
31
1807
34.963
28.819
V35
19351
5971
IT￿ri￿nI In IuFh*5 in ye¥
449
1,9
7662
1841
J(MJ
138
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

AILul tl*¢ywi's a￿¥1￿￿5 are derhyd ffum abo%Y twfiwwKlal ￿*1(￿j￿
Ali1rK0ry￿ aad ￿pendI￿rE In starÈrnEr* vl ￿n￿lalaCt￿￿E5 ￿1￿5 10 Il* fin•￿•1 i¥
TtrDsy)rt lhEad1*￿5 of StTDhéAssOCibtwi ?￿st10k*AsS¢(IatiOn tfr•iW UTrut
Charlty statement of financlal actlvitles for the year ended 31 March 2024
Not•1 UnrtstfktDd ReSVictvJ
2024
R*5￿•d H•ststod
vhls T¢tsi bjr
Inrom• frum:
Qotknitltxts arKI I
25.813
Z786 2&599
26287
1,946
462
11124
428
,10384
lQm2
TJ5
6n
6n
LlOO
957
951
gM)1 tt02o
Expondltwe o
51tt&2 swort )wvkes
0,102
20,026
n,0
14J7
2.994
1706
io
InllL*nclrq
L696
140
1325
3d9
U74
AwThe55 •wJ er¥JagEtt￿t wrth stmkE
SA02
I1￿¢1￿]
8.512
8541
Ai | a799
449 117391
7,838
J¥•
91
Nef lupendtturÈ)Ilntomo belJJre 9akns
.188
3,135
18191
Net galroJtt055esi on In￿lMentS
1625
16
1473)
14731
Re£￿￿1￿1t1trn ol fvnd
FLKK15 brDtsW lotward ai l
32.142
2,807 34.949
28.005
4,301
4106
fvrbd5
935
1935)
sin
15971
2&
tT8)
muycrrwr iri ILsfKIs in
1.437
4A9
2.662
jl
gll ￿1
"¥949
of Ilp ttrwrtys 4aMtt& d#rwEd fr•ry¥tontvury4 OPEr4tMg Ikm9 lht ab[￿￿ perlods
I and ios%•s art Incl￿ded In sts¢ffThni o11hu￿1￿aEI￿kne
All and ewvJth•z [M￿d&1 adj￿14•> and Th71es 147 thE fTrrK￿s￿W1￿nIS b wWeStr￿ u
This a(bvI￿ ol tly Stroke A5sooédon an￿, •Mcluthffj tr￿ acuvitses4lSuoktA5socts￿￿ (tpathrx]l i%rt￿d
strok&or4uk

Consoudated balance sheet as at 31 March 2024
2014
rott+
Ftted asi•ts
Tarw Iivd awls
1467
19
493
28.890
2].4173
T4ts1 Issots
ca5hatts1nk￿￿th¢￿.lernd0s]0$ts
5,416
l456
Llablut
2>24
26
2951
afflo￿ts l•LUn9 In mrye than ijn* year
Rt5par(mgr￿ts pay*e
, 25.8
14J0611
Q.4361
26
14701
funds DI ihe thKiLy.
ihrv*tndod luntt5
ted knr4
16.474
1,768 .
I￿$
29
7,293
2B07
J4895 ,
96>
Ibe noteg on pw4È5 150 10 IB3 tarrn part 91 the statomer
-nd 1(Fr tsyjv ty the trLf51ees on 16 OElotiei 2024 arnl bE14Llbi'.
A55o(latsM. CurnpryLirnred by rA￿Tantre ReqislTltloft fthjnthr 61274 IEtyl4nd VAilul.
140
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Charlty balance sheet as at 31 March 2024
Note5
2014
Rx•d assets
Ta¢4itlo ftxedassots
aiglJkfiK•d
19
493
28.89C
ZT.473
,OY3
tash& bank•)0stHXt.iaTn de￿ts
&040
Assetshold for AÈ
22
l456
ethtLYS w￿L￿stIl￿n9 &jevAthln0￿ year
23-24
.8401
20
JTJ
Ctedltor£ arnounts 14lUn9 due In ffl0￿ than one￿ar
25.8
14.31Y61
g,4361
PtowsYm¢. Ivr Ilabiifre5
26
147
34.?49
The tLThtsol the <hariLf.
4ksWdtpd lurx
14474
05
. F￿*￿ a55dfwhl
1768,
-Geniirdl IfrEè iLisorw￿l
15.300
.S42
Restyiiied mCOfM funds
19
1193
2,B07
J4035
34.VP
ThE no￿ gn p4ges 150 tol53 furm pa11 vl Th[k￿CIal)￿&m￿n
*4jpr0￿d aTrJ *Jt1w￿ lorsstse ty the trLt5tees on 16 OaLknr 2024 %•wed un ttr*f bknll ty.
strok&or4uk

Consolldated ststement of cash flows for the year ended 31 March 2024
48041
649
5J
'. n601
1¥ace￿* Iromd* i*wsat ol
o.
In and cashequNalents
Qsli and r35h eqLwalerrt5 & l Jpril 2QZ3
5,955
9.866
s.ns
2a14
.+ff
Nvt mrorrn n ye* la> con5okndated 514lWltrt orrffjar<wl
¥tMlla)
1,843
AdIl￿t￿￿& lor
NetIgal￿j11O5Its$0n In%tSV
1162
2A7
242
ns
I￿)Er￿&Sel th debtm
0,7751
rJ.1sZI
Intie45E Vb trpEYtto
595
J59
IOe% rrasel In urovijity
1531
14•t c*#h Ivwd Inl owr•UI¥ x1fvrtl*i
An&y5b of cath •MI cash •wl¥aionts •TrJ an•iysls ol th net debi
Cash at bank ind slrn-term t
52
5.116
Castt ￿.4d by InverArrw.I maTha9Ers
406
539
959
142
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

PrlnclpaL accountlng policles
The principal accounting poucies adopted, judgThnts and key sources of estkmatlon
uncertainty in the preparation of the accounts are lald out below.
Basis of preparation
The trustees have conclLKled that there a
no material uncert3intle5 related to events
or conditions that may cast signift'iant
doubt on the abiLity of the charity to
conrintse a5 a golng concern. ￿ tr￿tee5
are of the opinion that charity wlll have
5uffiaent resources to ry￿et ljabitsties
as tt*y fall due.
The ftnancial staiernents have been
prepared on a going concem basls, under
. Ehe historical cost convention, with ftems
initiaLly recogni5ed al cost or transaction
value unless Otherwise stated in
relovant accountsry pollcle5 below or the
'notes to the accaunts.
The most significant area5 of iudgemerrt
that aflect items In the accounts are
deiailed on page148. With ￿gard tu the
next accountin9 period, the yeaf endlng
31 March 2025, mos15ignificant
areas that affeu the carying value of
a55ets held by the charity are the level of
Invesuneni retum and performance
of the invesunent markeis (see tl
'IrwestrrEnt pobcy, on106 and the risk
managerywt 5ects'ons of Trustees.
report, fof fTKYe Information).
,fv financial statements have been
prepared In accordance wrth Accounting
ar￿d Reporting by Charitie5.' Statement
of Recornmended Practice applicable
to cFkiritie5 preparing their accwnts In
."accordance with the FlnanciaL Reporting
.Standard appUcabLe In Ihe United
Kingdom and Repubuc of Ireland IFRS102)
fcharltles SORP FRS1021, tte Financial
Reporting Standard applicable in the
Unoed Klngdom and Repubtic of Ireland
IFRS1021. the Charities Act 2011 and the
Cornp.anies Art 2006.
The tharity's thtee-year plan projects
Inue35ed cFkirlLible expenditure. which
WIIL be refle(ted with a defvcit fof t¥vo
years and retum to a surplus In year
three. Reserves remain withn ranges
spectfi'ed in the revised reserves pob.cy
Isee page1021.
The chariiy and Its subsidlafie5 constitute
a public benefft gr(yJp entity as defined ty
FRS102.
financial statements are presented In
sterting, C￿arIty'S fundonal curfency,
and are rwnded io the nearest tr￿u53nd
pounds.
The Stroke Associatlon has welL-dlverstf7ed
fvnding 5tTeam5, Wsth no Indivldual funder
or donor exceedlng 4.kn of ioial IncorrL
Contracis with tr￿Se funders generate
a cmtribution towards tt* central costs
of managing the Siroke As50ciats'on
secretar￿[ which (Se￿vef5 manage￿n¢
People, Technology and Finance systems
to support Its pro9ranwne globally.
Assessment of going concern
tnjstees of t*￿ chafity have 355essed
wl*ther the use of going concern
assumptson is appropriate In preparing
Ehese accounts and ￿ve rykide this
assessment in respect to a period of one,:
year from the date of their approval
Recognislng tr￿t the 5uoke Associats"on's
continued abiLity 10 deliver its programn
of work WILL depend on contsnued forward
strok&or4uk

secured funding wng into Its new
5iness Plan period {2021- 2024).
. UUStees tkive considered sever3l facto
In concLuding that the adoption of the
goir)g concern basis in the preparation of
Ihe5e ftnancial staiements Is appropnatL
These have iTKluded:
Income
Incory￿. In(L￿J[￿9 Investment income,
ts recognised in the period in which
the charlty is entlded to receipt and
the arn(￿nI can be Tr*a5ured ￿ ts'ably
wlth reasonable cefthinty. Incorne is
deferred only when the charity has
10 fuLfi'I conditions before becoming
ents'tled to it or w*ere the donor or fijnder
has speofied that the income Is to be
expended in a futu￿ accounting Per￿1.
Existing reserves and WTrEstrneni
)Lding5.
forward pipellne of secured
and prospecttve contract and grant
awards.
growth of the legacy n(rtificatFon5
and pipetsne.
Income cornpri5e5 donations. legacies.
commi55loned services income, trading
Incorne, InvEStment Incorne and other
Incorne.
rigour of pipellne monitt)ring and
C05t controls thai are In place to en5LKe a
balanced budget in the current12023-241
and 5ubsewent financial year12024-251
wtrule stlLI rnaintaining cjetsvery of the
. Stroke Associats'on's programm
In accordance with the Chafliies SORP
FRS101 volunteer time Is not recognlsed.
a5 the value of their contrilNJtlon cannot
be reLÈably Tneasure
Cash rnanagernent and working capiial
controls in place to manage ￿ poientlaL
risks of Lite payments by fundef5 and
ensure restricted and unresEri(ted assets
"and reserves are appropriately managed,
Donations and granty Including those
In re5pert of parncipation event5,
are recognised when ihe charlty has
confirrnauon of both the amount and the
settlement date. In the event of donatsons
and grants pledged but rx)t ￿Ceived. the
amount is accrued for ￿t￿re tr* recelpt is
probable.
After making this assesSrr￿nt,
trustees are confi'dent the organisation
Ikis adequate resources to operate lor
the loreseeable futtsre and can adopt
the going concem basis in preparing its
financial staiernents.
Grants and dor￿tiOnS f￿rn govemfnent
and other agencies and charitsble
loundations are included as income frorn..
aaivw'es fvrtherance of the charity's
obJecEives thre t￿se 3mount w a
contrart for services.
Basls of consolidation
financlal 5tatpJnerbts consolkdate
. resuLts of the charty and tts ovmed
subsidlary, Stroke Association (Trading)
rnited Company Reg No 00898941.
. DorTTrint subsidiaries have not been
' consots'dated on the basis of materiality.
Legades are 5ncLuded in the ststeff*nt
of finanual activities Wtr￿n the charity
is entwtLed to the Legacy, the executors
have establlshed there are sufficient
surplu5 assets in the estste to pay the
legacy. and any conditsons attached
10 the legacy are wrthin the controL of
the chartty. EntitLement to a Legacy 15
tsken a5 the earber of the date on which
144
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

either. the charity ts aware that probate
', has been granted. the estate has been
finabsed and notificatson has been made..
by tt)e execLrtor to the charity that a
..di5tnbution witL be made. or wtr￿n a
..di5tnbution 15 recetved from the estaie.
Recelpt of a legacy, in whole Of in part,
Is only considered probable when
amount can be measured rebably and the
charity has been noiified of the exe(utUf'S
Intentson to rnake a distnbLrtion.
Expenditvre
Liabllities are recognlsed as expenditure
as soon as there is a legal or consuuciive
obLlgation commrtting ctrwriry to rnake
a payment to a third party, It 15 probable
that a transfer of economic benefi'ts wl(L
be required in settleffEnt and tr* arYK)vnt
of obtigation can be measured
reuably.
ALI expendiiure 15 accounted for on a
accrual5 ba515. Expenditure conyr15ES
dlrea costs and suppori costs.
All expense5, InclLKling support Costs, arè
allocated or apportiDned 10 the appticable
experKlrture heading5, The classification
betweer5 actlvitle515 as folloys.
Where legacies tkive been notified to
.the charity, or ck4irrty Is aware of ttr
granting of wobate, lyJt the criteria for
income recognition have not been met,
Ihen the Legacy Is tTeaEed as a contingent
asset and disclosed if matenaL In the
event thai gift is in the form of an
"a55et oth￿r than cash or a financial asset
traded on a recognised sio(k ex(t￿nge.
recognition is subject to the valLFe of the
gift being retsabLy measurable with a
degrèe of reasonabLe accuracy and t
tle of the 35sel havlng being transferred
to the charity.
Expenditure on ralsing funds inctudes the
salaries, direct Costs and sUPPQrt costs
associated with generatsng donated
Inco￿￿. and itre costs Incurred by t
tradlng subsidiary.
Expendtture on charlt3ble activltles
Include5 alL costs associaied with
furthering the charitable purposes ol
the charlty through provlsion of Its
charitable actswties. Such costs ￿ndL￿e
charitable grants payable, direct and
5UPI)ort Costs incLuding govemance costs.
Cornmissioned stroke recovery and
communication sjpport semce incory
and tradlng incoff* is recognised to
the extenr that It is probable tkk3t the
economlc benefits will ftow to the charlty
and the revenue can be measured
rellabty. li 15 measured at fair value, bein9
Ehe amount invoiced and conSide￿d
, receivable, excludlng any discoLmts or
, rebates.
Grants are Included In In the
Statement of ft'nancial activiries wI￿n the
award has been approved and the
Intended reclpient ha5 eIt￿r received the
lund5 or ￿￿en Informed of deci540n to
make the donation and has satisfied all
related condltlons. Grants approved. but
not paid at tr£ end of the financlaL year,
are accrued for.
Dmdends are recognised once the
"vidend has been declared and
notificaDon has been receNed of
thvidend d￿.
Interest on lunds held on depostt Is
Included wtEn receivable and 47mount
can be measured rebabLy by the charity:
Ihis Is normally upon notlficats'on of the
Interest paid or payable by ban
Irrecoverable VAT ts aLlocated to the sarr
expendrture hEading as the as50clated
net COSt
strok&or4uk
M5

An exercise w35 undertaken during
the year lo en￿re alL costs have been
"correctly mapped to appropriate
'charitable goaL5, as a result of
.this exercise there has been son
recLa55ihcauon of costs between goals
. 10 better reflect thelr purpose, Tr prtor
year comparatives have been restaied to
refiect change&
Donated services and facllitie5
(gift5 In kind)
SeNlce5 and facilities donated to
charity for Its own use are Included In
incorne at thplr worth to cFkifTty as
ai ttr￿ time of gtft with an equivalent
amount inctuded in expenditure.
The red3Ssrfication did not have ary
effect on rtr￿ prior year surplus for the
af ended 31 March 2023.
This recla55ih"cation has also had an
lrnpac( on FfE and head (￿nt alL<xation5
across goats.
Taxatlon
The charity Is considered to meet the
delinitson of a charitable cryary for UK
corporation tax purpose& Accordingly,
co extent that income and gains falL
within Part11 of ttr* Corporauon Tax Act
2010 and sectk>n 256 of Taxation of
ChargeabLe Gain5 Acr5 1992, tr* charity is
exernpt from UK taxation on such Inci)me
and gains provided they are app￿ed for
charitable purposes. Furtherrnore. any
subsidiary company that is trading and
makes (yjalrfylng donations ol aiL its
taxabLe profrt5 to its parent company wilL
not Incw any corporats'on tax.
Allocation of support and
govemance c05tS
. Support Costs represent Indlrect
charitable expenditure. In order to carry
out primary purposes of the charity
rt Is neiessary to provlde support In t
form of personnel developfnent. fi'nancial
. procedures, provlsion of office seMce5
-. and equlprnent and a suitabLe worklng
environment
Research grants and awards
. knernance costs Include ttH)se InoJrred .
In ￿ governance of the charity and its
a55ets and are primarily associated wtth
the constitutional statutory rewlrements.
The Strctrke Associatson awards research
grants and FeitOW5hips each yeaf. whlth
r￿ fur periods of up io ftve years. Such
research grants and aNard5 are accrued In
full ai the time of thelr award.
Support COSTS and golernance co5￿ afe
apportloned on a basis cons15tent with
Ihe Lse of resources primariLy FTE and
expenditure rarios,
The stroke As50dabon undertakes an
annual reporting revEew for alL grant5.
Any Lnder perfornance Is investigated,
vthich w Involve an extemal reiiiew by
Stroke research experts. This w very
occasionaLLy lead to the reduction or
cancellauon of a granL
lorb9.term research grant
commFunent has I￿t been dlscounted on
the gr(￿d5 that it would not be materiaL
146
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Tanglble fixed a55et5
Intanglble fixed a55et5
ALI tangibLe fixeij a55ets costing more
than £5,000 and wtth an expected ttsefvl
'fe exceeding one year are caprralise
They are fthted at COSL whlch includes
. the origlrML purchase price of the a55ets
plus costs attrIt￿table to bringing the
asset ro Its intended use. Deprèciation is
calculated on a sualgh14ine basis over Its
expected useful ijfe.
All Intanglble fixed assets c05ting more
than £5,000 and with an expected usefuL
Ufe exceeding one year are caplLILlseit
These include 50ftware. the charitys
website, and other irltemally developed
Dnune iools. Intsnglble asset5 are valL*d ,
ai the cost to the charity of actwlring
these a55ets.
Intsngible fixed assets a￿ fecognised
Dnly rf all the foilowSng c¢)ndlt(ffl5 are
mec
Freel￿d propertle5 Used for the th'rect
charitable ¥ryort( of the charlty arE Included
In these financiaL ststernen￿ at cost ai the
dale ol 3cquisiEion, together with the cost
of additions and Irnprovements to date.
Only functional freehold properties arE
. depreciated at a rate of 2Yo per annum
on 3 straight-llne basis In order to write
them off over their estlmated useful
lives. Those undef COnSUUCtion are not
. depreciated unD'I are browht Into
Use. An 1mpalTr￿nt review In respect to
."a partlcular cLass of a55ets Is conducted
rf events. or changes In clrcurns￿nces
Indicare Ihat the carryirtrg amount of
- any tangible ft'xed asset may noi be
recoverable.
An asset is created that can be separately
idenfified.
It is pn>bable that the a55ei ueated WIU
generate futwe economic benef￿. arKJ
deveLopment costs of ttr￿ assei can be
measured reUabLy.
Amortisatson of intangible fixed assets 15
calculated u5in9 straigh14￿e methDd
to aLIo(3te the c05t of the 355ets ovpr
their estimated USe￿l lives. ALI Intangible
frxed assets are assumed to have useful
Uve5 of h've years and are arTh)rtised
accordiryly at an annual rate o120Vo. An
annual Impairment review is cond￿ted
IDr each 355et after It ha5 been brought
Into Use to re-a5se55 its remaining usefuL
ute arKI that it still meets the definition of
an Intangible a55eL
During the year, the freelK>ld property
was wt on the rrAfket for 5ale.Contracts.'
were exchanged before the year-end
wtrth completion In April 2024. The net
book value of tr£ asset trws been rnoved
to asseis held for sale wtth galn on
dtr5P05al being reflected in next yeaf5
'nanc￿l staiernents. See note 22 and 41.
Fixed asset Investments
Slx)rt leasehold wemises consist of
Ehe costs of entering Into the Leases for
'offlces. together with associated fi'tting-
out COSES. These costs are WTrtten off over
the Ufe of the lease, reflecting the useftjl
Life of the LvKlertylng asset to the charlty.
Fixed asset Investments tssted on a
recognised Stock exchange are initiaLLy
recognised at their Lransartional value
and subsequentty measLtred at tr￿1r
valve a5 at the balance 51*el date uslng
the quoted market price.
Office fixtures, ffttsng5 and equipment are
depieciated over five years based on the
. e5timaLed useful Ufe on a straight-￿The
basis.
Realosed gains or tosses on investment
assets are caLcLJlated as dlfference
between di5P05al proceeds and their
opening carying vatue or thelr purchase
strok&or4uk
147

value if acquired d￿fing finanoal ￿ar.
Unreal15ed gains and1055e5 are Ca[cu￿ted
as the difference between the fair value
at the year end and t￿1r carying value
at that date. Reabsed and unreaLlsed
Investmpni galns or L055es are COfrt)Ined
In the siatement of fi'nancial artiwtses and
are credited or debited in ￿ year in which
.they arise.
Creditor5 and prov15ion5
Creditors and proNisions are recognised
WI￿n there Is an obllgation ai t1￿ baLance
S*￿et date as a resutr of a past event,, it
15 probabLe that a transfer ol economic
beneftt wilt be required iri settlerTEn¢
and a￿K￿nt of the settlement can
be esdmated re￿ably. Creditors and
provisions are recognised at the amount
the charity antiapaies it w5LI pay to settl
the debL They have been dIsc￿nted 10 the
present value of the fuwre cash Pay[￿nt
wF*re such dIsc¢￿J￿llng 15 materiaL
The main fofrn of financial risk faced ty
Ihe charity Is tharof v0lau￿.ty In equity and
Invesfftni rrkirkets due to wider eCr)noff￿C
conditlons the atts'wde of Investors to
InveS￿￿t risk, and char>ges In SentI￿￿nI
conceming equiiie5 ana within particuLar
. sectors or sub sector
Fund accounting
The IrwestTT*nt in the charity'5 tradlng
subsidiary Is vats￿d at ￿ cost of £7
{2021'£7).
Restricted funds coryri5e rnonies ra15ed
for, or wtr￿re their use is restricted to, 3
5peclfi"I purpose. or contriljutions subject
to donof-irry)sed conditsons.
Debtors
Unrestrlcted general funds represent ttKase
monies, whith are available for appllcation
toward5 achieving any charitable purpose
that falls within the charity's tharitabie
objectives.
Debtors are recogni5ed at thelr settieTT*nt
arr￿in( less any provision for non-
recoverabiLity. Prepayments are va&￿d
". at the amount prepaid and have bee
discwnted to preseni vaEue of the
future cash receipt where SLKh dISco￿tITrg
15 matorlaL
Designated funds comprise unrestricted
funds that have been sei aside by the
tnistees and des￿natsd for panicuLar
piJrp05es.
Cash at bank and In hand
The fixed assei fund represents ttbe net
book value of the charity's tanglble and
IntangibLe fixed 355ets and ha5 been set
aside EO demonsiraie that these assets
are ilLlquid and are not available as free
reseNe&
Cash at bank and in hand rep￿Sents
such accoun￿ arid instruments t￿t a
avaitable on demand or have a marurlty
of tess than three Months from the date
' of acquisition. Cash placed on deposit for
rnore than one year is disclosed as a ftxed
,asset InvestmenL
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Significant accounting estimate5
and areas ofivdgement
Operating lease5
RentaLs apptscable to operating lease5
whefe substantially all of the beneffts and
r15ks of ownershlp remaln wrth the lessor
are charged io the 5tateffEnt of finandaL.
actfvities on a stralght-ts'ne bas￿ over the,
lease teml
Preparation of the financial staiernents
requlres the trustees and managemeni
to make signihcantwdgement5 and
.. estr,r￿tes rhai affect the reported
value5 of assets, Liabllities, inco￿* and
., expenses.
'" SignifKant areas of estirnation and
Judgement inctude..
Pension costs
Contributlons are paid to a group money
purchase personal penslon plan for
eryloyees. Contributsons payable dufing
the year are charyed 10 statement of
nanclaL artivities and any baLances owed
at )tar*nd are included in c￿dItorS -
amounts falllng wlthin ane year. See
note 21
Assessing the possibiuty of receI￿n9
legacie5 of whlch ￿ ch3rity ha5 been
notifled.
The 5ptst betwn current and no
current lJ'abilitie5 lor granl awards
that malnly exter￿ over three Of more
years.
Deterry4ning bass for allocattng
suppon costs.
The Useful economic life of tarybl£
and intangible fixed assets.
Provision fDr dilapidation on the
leasehoLd propertle5 15 based on
'storlc data, ongolng monitoring of
the condiilons of the property and
discussions with properties developers
and landlords.
Assessment ol the charity's ablllty to
corillnue a5 a golng concern.
Onerous leases
An onerou5 lease p￿s1On vfis made In
previ¢yJs year for au thjse properties
rhat were not In use and would not be put
Into use before the end of I￿}r lease.
. Provision was based on all conEractsJal
Costs from the balance sheet date to
. tr￿ end of ttE Lease. In this year tl
'. prOV￿50n Ikls been fuLly reLeased as ttK)se
Properties have been disposed of ￿ the
. year. No provision was required for tr
remalning priwertle&
strok&or4uk
149

l. Donation5 and legacies
&JryoLri£l¢d R￿L[lL￿d
IQ24 U'irwiwthd
£'ooD | Tatsilw*s
2023
£￿00
GwÉraLOonknr&
1248
495
I7AJ
,16
l4
Lott*ty and rame
l6
Dlrn(tfYwll
OA7
L327
Corporale ar¥1 trbAts
1041
97P
6S8
2.Q99
1069
rLAld
799
Lryade5
15.615
16,624
16,7J5
Gvants
2.10
578
11)07 '
To
io,(Kp
L940
Contingent asset
Durlng reporting perlod. we have been rlotifled of Legacle5 that could total £2.5 mlllion
12022-23.. £3.1 rnilLlon), Wr￿re eitt￿r no grant of probate has been feceived or the grani of
probate ￿ been ￿(eNed wlttvn slx nM)nths of the end of the ft'nanciaL year. This gives rise
to a contlngent asset as It Is a possible a55et arising from a past event notlfi"c3tion of the
lega(y by the soucitors for the deceased Legaiorsl, lyjt ttE oUtCoff￿ WILI be deterrnined by an
(mcertain futtKe event (any debts owed by tr legator or chalLenges from family rT*rt)ers).
2. CharltabLe artiVFties - Local servlces
11124
463
428
Toul
NL Income from commissioned svoke recovery and comrnunication support ser4ices in this
and the prior accounting perKxI was restricted and represents detsvered seNices.
150
Stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

3. Other trading Incorne
Stroke Association owns seven ordlnary shares of £1 each nOOY¢l of Stroke Association
(Trading) Llmlted Company Reg No. 00898941. a cornpany Incorporaied England af7d
Wales. Tr company Sells thristma5 cards and raises corporate 5ponsorshlp rnonies to fimd
the actlvities ol the charty. AIL incorne is therefore unrestricted.
The tradlng coffyany glft alds its taxable proltts to the charity to tt* extEnt that it has
disLribuLabLe resenies with which to do so.
24
2023
81
ofsalos
Grv5s pro
Otr*r In¢orne- corptyate sponsor51up
305
35g
Nti prr
Nei prc4lL to 5tn)kÈ knocwt￿￿ undw g¢lt ad
V301
The trading company's dlrecrors agreed ro retain such fund5 a5 to bring reserves ￿ io
£60,000 In order to maintain its fi'nan(lal stabilFty. This has resulted in tax ctwge on tr
retained profts SurptU5 profit5 were glft aided to the charity.
4. lrniestment Incorne
2024
2022
649
579
InTerESt r2CO￿laty
3Z
strok&or4uk

Other Income
u￿￿$trIct•d
Unre5tfSCted ' Restrkt*d T¢Kai
D•fegate le
532
413
473
TralnlrKJ IMDir*
Room1•
210
Svntty rnrr
63
91
& Stroke sUPPOrt 5ervlces
REsLr,"GILd
2024
EOOC+
Tatsi
servKqS
1.022
1,826
579
154
73Y
UNvvy•i 5eThlcos Ir)tl&thg
1.440
1039
Stspwrt 121
5.061
647
£000
8271
servxes
l397
5Tr
UNvwsal IrxlLthg Hdplrn
Support Clt5ts Ino& 121
428?
810
%097
aiLocation of direct Costs to our six expenth'ture goals are regularty rewewed to ensure that
the expendFture correctly reflects their wrpose. As a result of this year s review some costs have
been redassth'ed. Last year's ccHrparisons tmave been restated based on this reclas5iflcation.
152
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

7. Community development and volunteering
UD4*Str*aed
£'LVJ
2024
Stsllcosts
1.599
74
92
Suwirt¢V5ts tno&121
670
670
To(￿- IOZM4
1456
Stsff ¢05ts
l.N9
281
Otref drnea coy5
139
139
rt ro&ts Intrte IZI
'593
593
strok&or4uk
153

8. Research 9rant5 and awards
Llfftestricied
Re5vicied
2024 ,
R•5tst•d
23
TotA- 20ZH4
InciLMled within research grants and aV￿rdS are the dlrect and stppon costs of NnnirKJ
research departrf￿nL The fourteen new grants aPWDved thi5 year are detalled on pages 6445.
A full Ilst of grants is av3ilable on 5troke.org.uklre5earch
Totsifimds
resLrtd•
2023
£'ooo
Grwls
1492
712
I409
416
95
IndlrEct costs Isev r￿1* I
1706
IOQ91
¢P￿ty
2024
Xt23
6349.
Wrltttn batk dwlr•J
5)
Pthld (krlng
5321
durlr¥J thp y
10
Cornrnltrn•￿ ar JI
P*￿)1e a5 loLL￿.
Wlih'n one Inote 131
14
er mLve than Y￿ Inule 251
143a
Xyi
&349
154
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Related party transaction5 2024
The people who are Llsted belo¥v against each award are from the institijtion as ￿,
award hoLder, and have eltJ*r been a member of a funding panel In the Last year, or are
sted on our Research Awards Pool membership.
None af the below research awards pool Member5 took part in the review or adhKlication
'of their research appLlcation5. and were exCEL￿ed from Ihe entire review, ad￿dicatiOn,
ana aV￿rdS panel Pfoce55 for the fespective award lo￿d5.
Postdoctoral FeLLowshlp
Sabrfna Eltringham for £210,000 at SheffleLd Teaching Hospital5 NHS Foundation TnJ5L
Michaet Stringer for £215.000 at University ol Edlnbjrgh with Rustam AL-Shahi Salman
'{Trvstee and Funding Paneu,. Giluan Mead (Research Award5 Poou,, Feryu5 Dotsbal.
(Research Awaids PooQ: Emily Sena (FundlrM] Panel).
.P05tgraduate Fellow5hlp
Kate Ledingham for £113,000 at Unlversity College London wlth David WerrlrKJ (Research
Awards Pool),. Holly Robson (Fundlng pane￿.. Sumanjit GilL (FundirKJ PaneL),' Rul Lourelro
IF￿ding Panel),. lenny Crinlon (Funding Panev.. Triin Ojakaar for UIO.000 at Unlversity ol
Oxford with Abson HalL5day (Research Awards Poou,. JacinLa o'sfEa {Re5earch Awards
Poou: Derrick Bennett (Fundin9 Panev.
,, Lectvreshlp
latinder Minh35 for £235,000 at Unlversity of Lelcester: Neshlka Samarasekerd for
£235,000 at UnNersity of Edinbutgh with Rustam Al-shahi Salman (Trustee and FLnding
PaneLI,' Gllban Mead (Research Awards PooQ: Fergus DoubaL (Research Awarits Poov,.
' Emily Sena IFunding Paneu.
Project Grani
NichoLis Evans for £226,000 at Unrtyerslty of Cambrldge with Hugh Markus (Research
Awards Pool); Jonathan Mani IResearctri Awards Pool and FLnding Paneu.. Matifr*wi
Lambon-Ralph (Research Awards Pool), Df15uru Induruwa IRJnding Paneu, Fiona Row
for £267,000 at Universty of Liverpool with Gregory Up (Funding PaneLI: Arshad Majid for
£267.000 ai Unlversity of Sheffield Wfth Ruth Hert)ert IResearch Av4ard5 Pook).
Condttlonal offers
Jesse Dawson for £270.000 at Unp4ersity of Glasw with Terry Quinn (Research Awards
Poou, Robin Young (Funthng Paneu, Jesse is a mefrthr of ttr￿ Research Awards POOL ancl
was Chatr of the P05tdoctoral Funding Panel in 2023.
jonathan Hevntt fDr £270.000 at Cardtff Unlversrty., Matthew O'ConnelL for £186,000 at
King's College London WTth Ben Bray (Research Award5 POOLI, Lorna PauL for £214,000 al
Glasgow Caledonlan Univer51ty with Frederlke van Wljck (Research Awards Pool): Marlan
Brady (Research Awards Pool and FLndlng Paneu.
strok&or4uk
155

9. Systems influencing
Ufvre5tricied '
RestrlL1ed
2011
Ststl cwts
93
350
SvpvJn coA5 Inoie 121
554
U•96
U36
Stsll iuyts
349
IB54
Ol*• drèLt t05ts
282
Svppm costs Inole YRI
538
535
756
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

10. Awarene55 arKI engagement with stroke
Arftricied
2011
Ststl cwts
434>
l637
Ottw direct ¢itsts
26
Swpon costs Inott 121
Tfjl￿- 102>-24
&Arrcoyts
iojo
1,030
14*nL%>rwJ rF4rketlng
I,X8
766
766
SupFon coxs InGie 121
619
619
T￿- K214Y
strok&or4uk

11. Costs of ra15ing fund5
Atistyicte
X124
R•st•t•d
£'OOD
Slaff cgsts
3289
3.0311
3.780
25
3,084
3,780
25
tsEqutsltion ar>d rotenlliyi
4nl
SI￿￿.rr. fr￿)te 721
1.070
7.879
158
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

12. Allocation of sUPPOrt Costs
5trokE
CL¥ThnU￿[Y
Ilaismg
fvn
2024
tsar
EDOO
14,918
L706
3,620
2.282
1,918
7509
433
42
Property
671
lQ
65
126
io40
l454
U4S
I057
124
103
TKtholo(iy
1,5119,
292
93
63
70
Tot*1 .
Sknstatod
5EMke
Roststed
ReS￿led Rutated R*stathd
Re>ttarth
Total
.wJ
IB6
Y&.461
IJ3
39
74
p￿Perty
02:
64
934
7266
155
244
1,9&3
X17
l661
12
irf8
2rf4
19n
GovE￿3￿.e £￿ts
60
61
1674
s.
Futt time equivaienL Locaticrf￿ and actNiiies forn￿ tt￿ basis of altOC3tion for the fiJnttions
L&sted above.
strok&or4uk
159

13. Govemance costs
2014
Totsifvn
2023
OweiE#oatht oince
45
IlDC￿tr,r4 ￿Fd gtrrseral Inmrrel
ajs
791
14. Net movement in fund5
1024
R•#tsi•d
2023
£'ooo
Dwffl•lon InotE 181
Ifl
242
ordsavon lrnrte 19)
Opefatmu lease ren&ds. OffKe rent
.. CtyTwny C#1¢ès
Pn'or ￿ar auditof s fwres have been restated to exclude IrTecoverabLe VAT.
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

15. Employee and key management remuneration
c4Jsts ￿r* as louow
2024
2023
E'OIX)
Wtyts 5olaries
20.799
19
74
PèJTherrta lo ag*n(y siaff
67
35
709
Non-taxable statuLOry red￿dan(Y paynwts totalted £31000 (2023: £60,000>.
The average nurnber of employees during year, analysed by function and induding SLry)POrt
staff as alLocaied pef note 12, was as folLows.
7024
Full bm•
2023
2023
Owrtablts *ctiviue5
. Stmxt suppDit 58vk
496
47
61
RèlJinq finds
In addition to ￿ above, a considerabLe am(xmt ol tiry￿, ts vaLue of which it Is not practiC3L to
wantlfy, was donated by ￿AUnteerS tlyoughout year.
strok&or4uk

15. Employee and key management remuneration (continued)
The number of eff4)loyees wto earned between the amounts st3ted below (Including
taxable benefrit5 but excltsdj'ng e[￿lOYer pension and natsonaL insurance contributions)
durlng the year wer
2024 rn•mbw
2023 fiUrrt￿r
£70.001- £*J.O
£90,001. EllJO,OC
00,￿1. Eno,or
EITO,OQl £t20,000
n4rJ,007. . [150,￿0
£150,QOI. fi6Q,QOO
Key management personnel are the rnembers of the Executive Team. In 2024, there viere six
¢uLI tirne equivalent {FTE) merr*)ers of thi5 team (2023. six). See page120 lor fwther detalls.
The total fer￿￿ra￿,on (including ￿xable benetits and employer's pension and national
Insurance contributions) paid to the key rrninagement personnel of the charity In the year was
£822,00012023. £791,000).
16. Trustee remuneratlon
None of the mJstee5 received any rerTxJneration for ttElr servlces duTing the year. Travelll
expenses arrounting to £3,836 (2023.. Q552> were reIr￿UrSed to 10 tnistees120E3'.12).
charity trhls purchased Insurance to protect tt from any Loss ansing from the neglect or
default of it5 trustees, eryloyee5 and agents and to inderMIfy the trustees or other offi'cers
against the consequences of any neglect or defauLt on Iheir part. The insurance premiurn for
the year was £28,600 {2023.' £25,0001 and provides cover of up to a rrkaxirnurn of £5 rnill￿n in
any one year.
Due to their expertise witlwn ttre field of rnedlclne and research, trustees may complete
projects funded ty the Stroke Associati¢)n. TIK5e aro monitored by management ar￿ rewire
approval of the Researd) Awards Commrtee and the Boar(L Research grants awarded to
trustees during the year are detaiLed in note 8.
162
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

17. Corporation Tax
Tte Charity is considered to meet the definition of a charitabte company for UK
corporation tax Ixjrposes. Accordlngly, to the extent that incorro and g3ins fau wlthin Part
11 of Corporation Tax Act 20KI and sectton 2 56 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains
Act51992. the charity is exempt from UK taxauon on such Income and gain5 provided t
are appued for charitsb(e wrpose5, Furthermore, any subsidlary company that 15 uading
and makes quabfylng donations of all Its taxable profits to its parent company wlL not
inaff any corpofauon tax.
£12,000 taxation charye (2023 - £nlE) arEses from the cfk3rrtys trading subsidiary whlch
retsined part of It5 operating profits In the year. In the prevlous year a don3ts0n ot alL
taxable profit was made to ￿ d￿rity frorn tt* tradlng subsidlary via the Gift Aid
The tax charge of the retalned profit In subsldiary on its ordlnary activitle5 for the yeaf
Vla5 a5 folLosYS"
2024
rrr¥nt an ordf*y belor• tthx
C¢rptyaWI rate in UK
Profft on tyth"n•y of Co￿[**r1￿￿
Effects OP,
Gift Aid tSDfk*i¢Nrty Str)keAssQC4t
klarythal tsx retiel
strok&or4uk
163

18. Tangible fixed a55etS
51¥Jrt
2024
To
£'ooo
£-000
AI IW1120
1.947
1850
55
55
Tr•)4tt(se? note la
94n
106D |
At l AprlL20Z3
loo?
Owryt lor
19
247
Transfertsw 221
149
Dw05ab.
18451
IBBOI
31 1024
J45
P4et t￿￿￿ values
40
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

19. Intanglble fixed assets
124
C05t
1 *¥rt12023
761
At Y htrth 2014
IApril 21
lory*
18761
D15P05a15
Al 11 ￿14
Nel bor￿
Al JI M*rh Y024
strok&or4uk
165

20. Fixed a55et investments
Tr*se comprise investments at market value and cash held for re-Inve5trnenL
2024
2D2J
26,933
24,It16
Arwlyiws
9.646
8,2701
mrJvETT*trt in rr4rkel %*aluH". l•¢0 bftlry
3MS.
14TJI
Cè3h liel4J u¥ .'nve5tmp.ni rnan3ger5 lor
539
90
2144> 1
1024
2023
Ilea1￿e￿ qAinsl(105SFsI
Umallsed qaiftxfllosse4
stroke Assoc6atlon l AnnLBL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

All investment5, except those in the pioperty funds, the funds of hedge funds and the multi
asset holdings, were b'5ted and dealt in on reccrfjnlsed 5￿ck exchanges and coryriseil the
foLLowing:
2024
rJz?
20,V)4
20.059
7B
Nprwovorwnirt btKJds
UK proputy fvnds
1596
2A913
7.455
UK prDW knd5
k4JlU *T55et hDitQr
21. Debtors note
Chartty I
2024
Charlty
X123
Z124
Tr•lÈ dEbtlW5
6J6
1.18fJ
owed ty traiw gJbsldi4f
.605
.710
?.944
Y.WJ
.¢m
strok&or4uk
167

22. A55ets held for Sale
(rfo+•
h¥ily
200
2014
23
£'ooo
Pwty ior ¥*
. l456
l456
At the yèar-end, contracts had been exchanged lor the sale of our freehold prcipèty in
BronwrovE. The book value of th5 asset ha5 been treated as an assei held for sate.
See noie 4L
23. Credltor* amount5 falling dve within one year
2024
2023
X123
£'ooo
Ttade UBditori
1042
IIw8aith(yants Inoig 81
1401
1401
19
T#*itsn and su¢laLswity
(orpc*aEHJn tsx Uabltlty
Otrof CTodltDF&
374.
Arcrua
1261
U40
53
L234
6.909
7.840
The charity operaies a gmup personal pension SCI￿￿, which Incorporates employees jolniry
through auto.enrolment,
stroke Assoc6atlon l AnnLBL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

24. Movernent in deferred Income
Gmvp
Oper
DelwrEd
IY4
T￿1023
rooo
MU¥e￿nI tn thIEffett
V18
1113401
,445
Openi
Roiease
Oelwr•J
cl￿
I￿20
33
707)
C￿r
Qpoi4
QL,lur*a
EOOO
n4,lJ201
Opu¥
I￿1022
MLwèff*ryt in dEltrr•d Ii*onit
175
Defer￿d Income includes commissioned service Income where involces have been ralsed
in advance of Service delwery period along raffle tlcket sale income that relate to
future draws and trust funding for futureyears.
strok&or4uk
169

25. Credltor5: amounts falllng due in more than one year
(￿ty
23
E'OI)Q
2024
rooo
Z02J
2024
Rtse￿￿914nts Inoth 81
1436
4306
1436
J6
26. Provlsions for Ilabluties
Loss tl*4n
Mort ttwn ,'
#lon
Pmptrtydllapldatbon
44
470
514
The charity has built up a dila￿datIon prOV￿lon for works required at the end of the lease or at
Its break dause if ea￿'er to bring It￿ property to fv state It was at the con¥r*ncement of the
Lease as requI￿d under Lease agreemenL
The provislon Is based on historlc data, ongolng monltorirNJ of the condltaons of the property
and d15CUSsion5 wlth properly developers and landLord5.
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

27. Designated fund5
Certain unrestricted fund5 have been set aside as designated by the trtsstees for future
activities.
rw> and charKy
2024
2023
rthjo
F￿￿ CQ>t nwdBI over ￿￿t thrne yEirs
,'io
5tatxli5aUon Fund
Svategy A£¢elÈrAtSon
Flmasbtld lorStrok2 knsDCi•￿l ￿pport Gr
503
UK FoTrJm
505
purpose o* each deslgnated fundls set OLrt under ts Reserves Policy pages102 to 104 of
tr£ knnuaL Repon.
2& Fixed asset fund (Including assets held for sale)
The fixed asset fund represent5 net book value of the charity's tangible 3fKI Intangible ftxed
assets and has been sei aside tD demonstraie that these assets are I￿.qUId plu5 ts* value ol
assets held for Sdle and are not availabLe as free reserves.
ÉYMXJ I
1768
1013
£DOO
rx*J lssetknd
strok&or4uk

29. Restricted fvnd5
Gnwp d¥flty
A¢ l Apnl
Fund
Incoff
A)pIt& EAporsdiiJJre At 31 Marth
Eooo
Modical *xl oth•r r*searth
. DuThatsuns tEgarits
1,61)6
. C(Hnrr¥5510f￿Y
IU14
l￿4)
. s￿rUke and prowaryrn
. Ottw dorwtions le9￿*e$
L813
1773
Capilal projects
1281
Tot&1 20D14
351
stroke Assoc6atlon l AnnLBL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

l ty)rJl
2022
Firirl
Incon* '
Al 31 Varrh
EOQQ
- Dnnatsms and I￿a￿
1.053
14SJ7
10.383
th)3831
(6941
. OIhÈr(IYf￿j￿rts aid leg¥1•5
CapitaÉ project5
135
74
31
28
Durlng the year additionat fvnding vrd5 received for research grants that had prevlously been
luLLy fvnded frorn unrestricted lurmls. This tr4is been refLected in a uansfer between fund&
Incory* on cornmissior￿ stroke Recovery and corrfftjnlcati￿ &pport 5eNices contracts
Is for ¢)perating COTTKrnJnEcation and famlly stspport sefvice
Incoff* for other Stroke servlces and prOgraTh￿s Inctudes servlces ￿ as the Stmke SLPPOrt
Helpune and support grants.
Other restricted donations and Legacies are received for specifbc regional volwtary group5 and
services, generaL educatFon and training. along with enhancing awareness and Inforrrkition.
strok&or4uk

30. Analysis of net a55et5 between fund5
GÈnoral
Dosl9natod
Iw#15
FIXEO asset
RestrTrttsd
2014 Tot4
rooD
819
rtrylble a55ets
493
1&471
45$
PJ
43Q
iallM¥J due or*>
l&*J91
16,
PtO¥ts¥llns IN Ilabillti
[5221
Cre&kn￿. lalury due al¢v One￿ar
14.3061
'14X161
474
G￿￿tal
E)eslgnated
FL¥ed asset
Resldatd . 20Z3 Ttsial
Tanqible fixed &5et5
,401
1467
ImaryllA£ fftxtd •ssets
4ss*ilnvestm15
.967
IL505
27AI3
R553
5360
Piothsi(Th lor UabiUv8
25
Crettttm amoLrt laWr¥J due atier one y
361
R4361
P,7
34963
stroke Assoc6atlon l AnnLBL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

GÈnoral
Dosl9natod
Iw#15
FIXEO asset
RestrTrttsd
Tot4
1114
rooD
819
rtrylble a55ets
493
1&471
14.601
45$
PJ
iallM¥J due or*>
10,8951
10&951
PtO¥ts¥llns IN Ilabillti
[5221
Cre&kn￿. lalury due al¢v One￿ar
14.3061
'14X161
a4W
G￿￿tal
E)eslgnated
FL¥ed asset
Xt23
Tanqible fixed &5et5
,401
1467
ImaryllA£ fftxtd •ssets
4ss*ilnvestm15
.967
IL505
27AI3
11
Piothsi(Th lor UabiUv8
25
Crettttm amoLrt laWr¥J due atier one y
361
R4361
34y49
strok&or4uk

31. Tax
The charity is unabLe to reclaim alL VAT incvrred on expenditure. IrreccNerab(e VAT Incurred
Jrlng the year an￿￿nted to £1,286,000 (2023: £1,J61,0001.
32. Leaslng commltments
Ai 31 March 2024, the charty had totsl fiJtsXÈ comrnttments under non-canceL13ble operating
Leases as foLIows:
Propw(y
QIIK
20Z4
2023
rot
Opoiattry le*￿ wlwch explr•'
Withn onè y
Wlthir.. two lu frvi VL73ry.
495
242
1.086
1.532
413
055
33. Reconclllatlon of movements on unreallsed galns
2024
2023
UnfEaLtsed qiLirs a l
3.104
4.78a
Less. In iespeii io dlsposats In y2ar
R4911
V,5801
net q3mv.111055esi on revaluat￿r￿ * ioar
3396
176
stroke Assoc6atlon l AnnLBL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

34. Liability of members
The charity 15 constituted as a company Ilmited by guarantee. In e¥Ent of the charity being
w0￿)d up, member5 are required to contriDUte an ar7MWnt not exceeding Sp.
35. Dormant subsidiary companies
The Stroke AssociatÉon own5 IOOYO of Tr Che51 Heart and Stroke Association (company
number 021004971, The British Siroke F￿ndatIOn (company nurnber 026423391 and Stroke
UK Limited Icory)any number 05741880), dornant cornpanle5 Incorporated In England and
Wales and IOO°/o of Speechmatter5 LirnitEd (company number N1049026), a dofrnant compary
IrKorporated In Nortt)ern Irelan(L
36. Related party transartions
Details of retated paty tran5artlons Irv4oLvlTrg re5Earch grants and trusteeg expenses are
provided in noies 8 and 16 respertively. During year the chariiy recewed £49.716 in
community seNices Incory￿12023'. £48.2681 from West Essex Clinical CorTYnissioning Gro
of whlch ￿epI￿n King (Stroke Assoaation Chairl Is a governor. The orlginal contract was
entered Into beforE he be(an￿ a trustee.
During the year costs toialtsng £258,000 plus VAT (£2023.. £116,000 plus VAT) Ivere charged
from Stroke Association Ltmited to stroke Association (fradingl LimFted representing costs
IncurrEd by the charitys tTr￿t relate to if5 subsidiaries actlwtles.
Durlng the year costs totalling £9,000 ptus VAT12023', £9,000 plus VAT) ￿￿re charged frorn
Stroke Association trrading i Llmited to Stroke Assoclation Llrnrted repre5entlng costs
IncurrEd by the Trading Coryany that reLite to CFk3ritys activitse5.
DLKing the year, a donation of all Suoke Associatlon {Trading) Llmited's prior year profKs of
30,01)012023: £1310001 was paid to Stroke Assooation Unutsd mder the gift ald scherne.
At 31 March, E26.000 {2023: £130.000) has been accnjed in ttr￿ books of ts tharity belng gift
aided profi￿ from its tradlng subsidlary under a deed of covenant
strok&or4uk

37. Agency arrangernent5
During tPE year, the Stroke Association received É87.000 (2023.. Ell6,ODO) frorn BHF as part of
an agency relationship. In recent years, the chanty has ctrfunded research awards with various
tharitles, Including BHF. Th5 Involves d￿rIbuting funds it holds as agent to research grantees
In Une wlth an agency agreemenL
Cash paYrn￿t5 from tr￿se BHF re(elpts to grantees amounied 10 £87,000 in yeai12023:
£91,000), and cash held by Stroke A550ciacion on behaLf of BHF at the year*nd amoLmted
to £0 (2023.. £246,000), wh*ch is included wtthin grant commiunen
Cash held by Stroke Associatson on betwlf of ALzhwrr*r's Society a5 at year-end
atTK>￿ted to £012023: £133,000) ￿1(h is lnClL￿ed wlthin grant cornrnitirEnts.
38. Contract and grant Income
The Stroke Association wa5 awarded many grants and contracts during Ihe year induding t
foLlowlrkg thai have feque5led a formal aCkr￿Led9Ment in these account
CentraL Bedfordshire co￿(1[
Mèd and Swth Essex ICB
NHS Friryty ICB
NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB
Norfolk and Waveney ICB
S￿th Yorkshire ICB
Wakefreld Coundl
178
stroke Assoc6atlon l AnnLBL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

39. Movement in funds
C4)oning
ExpenditoI
Funtt
C1￿*rh4
l Iprfi 2023
M*th
UrnstriCt￿
n.505
1287
7J09
174 1
- Flxed a55tt fLry
il915,
17,722
176B
I,Q191
t&50DI
J1446
*htvfft .
.9
llJ,46
P6
45355
f43,114
Fu71h wlthha n(TrC￿le
yts5id
13681
45.710
C4)onir)g
Intgm
ExpenditoI
Funtt
I Iprfi 21)22
31 M¥th
23
tooo
Il960
7041
Flxed a55¥4 fun
147ZI
155
4WI
J30
a3,M91
b3id
390
strok&or4uk

39. Movement in funds (continued)
onit
Incon￿ Exwrd71L)rr
Clogln9
l 2023
31 M*th
2Q24
11.5Q5
1287
,ozn
74,
. Fl*pQ 45Set ILMI
,19
275
- GenetaLlfft05 Ilree feseNe5}
7,418
16.5601
JL
3[735
R•$v￿Q6 inc¢J•T* .
V3.46T
196
1293
14,949
Y6.
Q)enir>g
Inog
ExpErrfl:wrt
£'ooJ
Ftmd
I Wi 2012
20D
E'OOO
Il940
Flxed assw_ I￿*￿
14721
19
17.m
la445)
2AaJ1 tt5.&*) |
687
11,711
06
12,330
n3.M9
n))7
iofflj
87
Y4,919
stroke Assodatlon l AnnuaL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

40. Income and Expenditure for the three devolved nation5
and two British Crown Dependencie5
W4
I￿4
£000
EDOO
24
awitst%•_ actl¥lt1•5-lorai ser4itos
630
55
Otr* tr*llry act1v1￿*S
Exp•ndlknn o
47
SystEms ItkntrYJ
Aais*nq Iwd5
47
5lxpluvlde￿
strok&or4uk

40. Income and Expenditure for the three devolved nation5
and two British Crown Dependencie5 (Continued)
Rert•t
R*slai•d
R•ststed
tooo
Otr• tr*Jtrw actty1￿%
Toial
3011
14
52
er4Japff•rtwthstrol(t
aignq hmd
Tot* •xponJM
i.OllA
4?
SwplwltDellctt)
stroke Assoc6atlon l AnnLBL Report Year ended 31 March 2024

Income IncLudes all donats.ons wTr￿re the ￿gIStered addre55 of the donor can be determined as
ane of ￿ devolved nations or Brttish Cr(y¢m Dependencies.
Expendlture includes all costs tr￿t can be dlrecrty attributed to the nation or Crown
Dependency. Property costs have been treated as overheads and have not been allocated to
the nation or Crown Dependency where are located as various actlvitles operate from
them.
Each trXpendr￿re tsne al50 rndude5 an overt*ad allocatlon. We calculated the dlrect
exFendiiuTe of the devoLved naiion and Cr(Mn Dependency a5 a prDponion of the overatl
charity spend. We tr￿7n Eook ￿ same proponion ol the totaL overhead cost of tt* charity and
added thts to Ehe devolved natlon and Crawn Dependency expendltur&
Overheads inclLKle People, Technology, Property, Rnance and managen￿nt
surplu5 oc deflcit for each devotved nation 8rit15h Crown Depen(Sency represents thelr
contributlon toward5 or utslrsation of the charlty's unFver5al 5ep4ice5 acrD55 the UL
Re5erve5 are noi allocated across thp nations or Crown Dependencies but are held centrally
and are availabLe across the organisation.
Vthere reserves have been restricted to a devolved natlon or Crown Dependency. t￿￿Se have
been appts'ed to expenditure In that devolved nation or crown Dependency.
Research grant awards have been treated a5 universal c05tg IK>wEver, it should be noted
thai this year, El,554,000 (2023.. £546,000) was paid (o Unlversity ol Edinlxjfgh with a further
£316,000 paid to University of Gtasgow12023.. £347,000), £IOO,000 Glasgow C3tedonian
University12023,' £116,000) and £5.000 paid to Cardlff Unlver5ity (2023: £17,000).
41. Events after the balance sheet date
We are required to consider conditions that have arisen between balance Sheet date
(31 March 2024) and date the accounts are SKJned 06 Ortober 2024).
Durlng the year, our freehold propety In Bromsgrove was pui on tIE market tD seEL Contracts
were exchanged in March 2024, Sn ApriL 2024, the SisLe was completed and the disposaL ol the
property reflected in our records, The gains on the disp053l alT￿Unted to £lll,000 and will be
reflecfed In our 2024.25 Anrwal ReporL
There have been no other events that requlre adpistrnent to the flnanc13l St3terrents, Impact
our assessment of the charity as a golng concern or indicate a frkiteriaL change ttk4t has aii5en
since the balance sheet date.
strok&oryk

The Stroke Association is the only charity In the UK
providing Llfelong support for all Stroke survivors and
thelr families. We provide tsiLored support to tens of
thousands of stroke survivors each year, fund wtaL
stroke research, and campaign to secure the best care
and support for everyone afferted by Stroke.
We're here for stroke suNlvors and thelr Loved ones,
from the momentthey enter the new and frightenlng
post-stroke world, supporting them every step of the
way as they find thelr strength and their way back to
Ufe. It's only thanks to the generoslty of our supporters
and donors that we can provide vitsl support.
Donate or find out more at stroke.ory.uk
We're here for you
strc*£ &pport Helpllne: 0303 3033100
From a textphtK*: WOOI 0303 3033100
•£
WetsltÉ' strokuryuk
stfok6
.Assoclailon
RThllng Strnn￿ through ￿P￿t