I hope none of us smoke, but if you do this one's is for you. If there’s one lifestyle change that delivers immediate and lifelong protection against stroke, it’s stopping smoking. Smoking is one of the top 10 modifiable factors that explain over 90% of all strokes worldwide. Nicotine and tobacco smoke damage blood vessels, accelerate plaque build-up, thicken your blood, and increase your risk of clots — the perfect storm for a stroke. The Good News? The benefits start within minutes. 20 minutes: Blood pressure and heart rate begin to normalise 2–12 weeks: Circulation and lung function improve 1 year: Stroke risk drops by around 50% 5 years: Stroke risk approaches that of a lifelong non-smoker Why this matters for you Every cigarette increases stroke risk, but stopping shifts the trajectory rapidly. No other intervention reduces risk quite as quickly or as powerfully across the brain, heart, and vascular system. If you're trying to quit You don’t have to do it alone. Nicotine replacement, prescription supports, and structured coaching all significantly increase success rates — and the payoff is enormous. You can get this for free anywhere in the UK. Just Google stop smoking and your nearest town or city. Your brain deserves better. Your future self will be grateful you made this choice today.

Anyone else?

Good morning. Just a quick reminder that we've got a catch up at 6 pm on Sunday. The link is in the calendar section. The aim is for us to check our blood pressure together, if you have a cuff (but not essential) and then to talk about one thing each of us is going to commit to doing over the coming month to reduce our stroke risk. I'll note down everyone's one thing and a month later we can check in and see how we got on before committing to a new month's action. This is how we're all going to drive down our stroke risk together and sort eachother.

Hi everyone, I'm 45 years old and had a stroke whilst having open heart surgery last year. Primarily my eyes are knackered and I find it difficult to read and my short term memory, concentration and thought processes are poor and bit jumbled. But I'm still here and breathing and I'm winning 😁. The most difficult thing about a stroke for me personally is how it's affected my mental health and changed my personality ( although there are flashes of the old me from time to time). I'm mad on Metal detecting,old stuff and was introduced to this community through Steve Rimmer who I play walking football with within a Parkinson's group. Great to be here,look forward to speaking with you all at some point. Be Lucky,Pete 👍