Mill Crescent in Bristol is no ordinary street, each year at Christmas the street comes together all in the name of charity . The residents of the street spend hours erecting spectacular decorations and light displays that draw crowds of excited children and adults alike throughout the festive months.

We were contacted by Fran Denoon a stroke survivor who lives in Mill Crescent to let us know that the street had chosen Different Strokes as their charity of choice to benefit from any donations recieved in 2017.

Fran said:

“On the 20th March 1997, I suffered a very serious brain-stem stroke that paralysed my right side and I had to undergo subsequent Nuerosurgery to save my life. From that day, my life took a drastic turn for the worst and has changed alot since then, for the better I might add.

I joined Different Strokes when I suffered my stroke, they offered me support & the knowledge that I wasn’t alone. This is why the charity is so vital for younger stroke survivors. I want to help in raising valuable funds, so they can continue this support, as this charity is not government funded and relies on charitable donations only”

This week the wonderful residents of Mill Crescent gathered at their local pub and passed over a cheque for the amazing total of £2850 to volunteers and members of our Bristol group .Gerry Lambert who co-ordinates the group said:

 

“We were so welcomed by the Mill Crescent group and Fran, we want to thank them for all of their hard work and hospitality, it was a great evening!”

On behalf of all of us at Different Strokes we send a sincere thank you to Fran and the residents for putting up their christmas lights for charity. Special thanks to Catherine Helliker & Felicity Spark who dressed up as Elsa & Anna respectively, to encourage as many families as possible to see the lights and Michelle Clark who was responsible for the charity collection pot.

The funds you have raised will have such an impact on our small charity. Your donations will allow us to continue growing our network of exercise and support groups for younger stroke survivors, and to continue to offer services such as our Information Line and Information Packs.

The efforts of Mill Crescent will contribute to supporting younger stroke survivors for many more Christmas’s to come.

Fran has since set her next fundraising mission and will be taking part in our  charity abseil in March, you can find out more about Fran’s challenge and sponsor her HERE