Once a month, on the first Thursday, the charity Say Aphasia hosts a group at the Four Clocks Centre on Newgate Street.
Aphasia is a communication disability caused by brain injury such as a stroke. Damage to the communication and language side of the brain means that people with this condition have to relearn to speak, read, write and use numbers.
Say Aphasia provides supportive groups for people with aphasia to meet. They encourage people with aphasia to build the confidence to reconnect with life and live positively.
The local group was started by Pete Coady after finding a lack of support for people with aphasia in the North East.
“I had a major car accident that has left me disabled and living with aphasia, but the lack of support when my rehab had finished was hard,” he said.
“Aphasia can make people feel alone and isolated so having a place to go and where people understand what they are going through can be a massive help.”
The free support group meets at the Four Clocks from 10.30am until 11.30am, offering support and understanding along with a cup of tea.
There are over 350,000 people currently living with aphasia in the UK.
You can find out more about the condition and the chairty’s work by visiting their website at www.sayaphasia.org.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
