Sunday, July 1, 2007

Support group on launch pad


PEOPLE in the Driffield area who suffer from speech difficulties have been given the chance to join a new support group, which will be launched next week.
The Speakability group, which helps people with the condition aphasia, will hold its first meeting at The Lodge, Nafferton Slack, next Monday, June 18, between 1.30pm and 3pm.

Helen Bellis, senior group worker for the East Riding Social Services, said they aimed to work in partnership with other agencies to provide a wider service to the public. The condition, which has no known cure, can be brought about by strokes, head injuries or other neurological conditions.

It is thought that around a quarter of a million people have the condition in Britain.

More than 90 support groups are currently operating across the country, including groups in Hull and York.

Graham Johnson, of the charity’s self-help group development team, said: “It's a self-help group, so members decide what they want to do at each get-together. “They may arrange a visit or an outing, they may invite a speaker, they may just spend the time enjoying each other's company, having a laugh.”

The group, which is being organised in partnership with the Driffield Resource Centre, is open to anyone who has communication difficulties and their carers.

It is thought that meetings will be held once a fortnight at first.

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