For the past three years, a group of stroke recovery patients at the Chiswick Nursing Centre have been getting together on a weekly basis under the banner of CNC United Stroke Club. To aid their progress, they have undertaken a series of creative activities designed to stimulate their memories and imaginations. Projects have included plays, stories and CDs.
Since the Spring of 2019, Fraser Cains and Hannah Ringham from the InterAct Stroke Support Charity have joined Residents on Wednesday afternoons to facilitate a poetry project. Together, the group has created a series of poems and recipes based on their memories and experiences. These have now been compiled into a book.
The changing seasons have provided much inspiration. Here are just a few lines prompted by the Autumn season:
Copper gold rust red
Amber and khaki leaves brush the sky
Squirrels scurry
Autumns fading sun casts long shadows
Across the now barren pastures
Horse chestnuts sprinkle the pathways
Chestnuts are roasted to ward away the chill The project has also been supported by Nirjay Mahindru, Chief Executive of InterAct Stroke Support, CNC staff members, Daphne, Chris and Patricia, All Saints Fulham Parochial Church Council which helped fund the scheme and a Relative of one Group member, Vernon Burgess, who not only helped to sponsor the group but wrote the original poem that inspired the team to create the project.