An Okehampton support group for those affected by stroke is raising awareness of the condition as May, Stroke Awareness Month, approaches.

The group, which has now been running for over a year, provides peer support to stroke survivors, giving them the chance to share experiences and offer practical advice to one another, including blue badge access, carer allowance, exercise on referral, attendance allowance and Personal Independence Payments.

Hosted at the Pavilion in the Park by the Okehampton Community Recreation Association (OCRA), the group is funded by Okehampton United Charities and received initial support from Devon CVS.

Several members, their carers and partners have shared their experiences of life after a stroke and how the group has helped them.

Mark struggles with severe fatigue following his stroke and often feels like his battery is flat.

He said: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint, but talking about it helps you accept the situation and adapt moving forward, sometimes slowly.”

Ian and Sandra also described their frustration with aftercare after hospital discharge. “We just wanted someone to sit with us and help us pick up the pieces, to map out tomorrow, and the next day, the next week, the next month, but we couldn’t find anyone,” they said.

The group meets on the third Thursday of each month and is part of OCRA’s Peer Support Hub, which supports people with long-term health conditions. There are also groups for those living with diabetes, cancer and Parkinson’s, which meet on the first, second and last Thursdays of the month respectively.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, killing brain cells and potentially causing long-term disability.

According to the Stroke Association, the UK’s leading stroke charity, 100,000 people have strokes each year. There are 1.4 million stroke survivors in the UK.