A CHARITY, which runs a service for stroke survivors in Bromsgrove, has been awarded a huge grant from the National Lottery.

Megan Baker House has received a grant of £375,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund to help fund its REACHOUT project. 

The grant, £125,000 each year for three years, will help with the core costs of providing its education services who experience movement issues caused by motor disorders such as cerebral palsy, or recovering from a stroke. 

The total cost of REACHOUT over the next three years is £1M and will involve recruiting additional staff so that even more people can benefit.

Chief executive officer Lee Gough said he was thrilled to receive news of the grant, “especially as the fund had been oversubscribed and only 20 per cent of applications were successful.”

He added: “We had been working on this for almost a year and would like to thank the Lottery funding officer for Herefordshire, Anthony Bush, for his help during what was a very demanding time for MBH.

"There are an estimated twenty-four thousand people with motor disorders in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Gloucestershire and we are looking forward to helping as many as we can improve their independence. 

"There are only about fifteen major conductive education centres in the UK so I hope that local people will take full advantage of what is on their doorstep.”

Megan Baker House, which receives no government funding, is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary and has a host of events planned to raise the additional funds needed to secure REACHOUT into the future.

The service for stroke survivors in Bromsgrove is based at the Life After Stroke Centre on Church Lane.

Clients can self-refer for a free assessment by contacting admin@meganbakerhouse.org.uk and for more details look at their website www.meganbakerhouse.org.uk