Hello everyone,
As the year comes to a close, the holiday period can be a mixed time for many people. Wherever you find yourself at this time of year, we wanted to share some helpful information about support and what to expect on the Online Community.
Stroke Support Helpline
If you have a question or need to talk, our Stroke Support Helpline is here to support anyone affected by stroke in the UK, including family and friends.
You can contact the helpline by:
- Phone: 0303 3033 100
- Email: helpline@stroke.org.uk
During the holidays, our Stroke Support Helpline will be open at these times:
- Wednesday 24th December: 10am – 1pm
- Thursday 25th December: Closed
- Friday 26th December: Closed
- Saturday 27th December: 10am – 1pm
- Sunday 28th December: Closed
- Monday 29th December: 9am – 5pm
- Tuesday 30th December: 9am – 5pm
- Wednesday 31st December: 9am – 4pm
- Thursday 1st January: Closed
If you think you or someone you know is having a stroke, please call 999 immediately.
In non-emergency situations, please call:
- NHS 11 (England - 111
- NHS 24 (Scotland) - 111
- NHS Direct (Wales) - 0845 46 47
- GP out of hours service (Northern Ireland)
Need immediate support?
If you are feeling overwhelmed or need immediate support, please reach out to these organisations:
- MIND: Call 0300 123 3393 or text 86463.
- Samaritans: Call 116 123 (available 24/7).
- SANEline: Call 0300 304 7000 (4:30 pm to 10:30 pm daily).
- Lifeline: Call 0808 808 8000 or text 18001 0808 808 8000 (available in Northern Ireland)
- Helplines Partnership: Find other helplines through the online directory.
Online Community Team
The Online Community will remain open throughout the holiday period, but please note that it won’t be monitored as frequently as usual. This means responses to queries or posts may take a little longer than normal. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.
If you are concerned about another member, please let us know by flagging their post or notifying us through the Service desk. We may not respond immediately, but rest assured we will follow up on any concerns as soon as we can.
We’ll also be trialling a new status message feature. This lets us add a short message to show when we are away or next online. The Online Community team will use this to make our availability clearer. This feature is also available to everyone on the Online Community. You can view a status by hovering over the emoji next to a member’s username in posts, or by clicking onto a member’s profile. We’ve also put together a short how-to guide on using status messages, if you’d find it helpful.
We wish you and your loved ones a joyful and restful holiday season. Thank you for being part of the Online Community and for helping make it such a supportive space.
The Online Community Team 