{"id":3353,"date":"2013-09-06T10:10:08","date_gmt":"2013-09-06T08:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ceidiog.com\/pr\/?p=3353"},"modified":"2019-04-24T11:55:50","modified_gmt":"2019-04-24T09:55:50","slug":"daring-zip-wire-duo-from-wrexham-raise-cash-for-the-stroke-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ceidiog.com\/pr\/news\/daring-zip-wire-duo-from-wrexham-raise-cash-for-the-stroke-association\/","title":{"rendered":"Daring zip wire duo from Wrexham raise cash for the Stroke Association"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two women will bomb at 100mph down the longest zip wire in Europe in an adrenaline fuelled rush to raise cash for a stroke charity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Caring daredevils Gerry Humphries and Alys Griffiths, who both work at the Pendine Park care organisation, Wrexham, will soar for a mile through the air at 500ft above the water at Zip World, Penrhyn Quarry, in Bethesda, in aid of the Stroke Association. <\/span><\/p>\n

Alys, 22, who conducts musical workshops for residents at Pendine Park, said: \u201cI\u2019m really excited but also a bit scared because I\u2019m not entirely comfortable with heights.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think going up the quarry will be fine. Standing at the top, waiting to push myself off will be not great but I think the experience will be amazing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Stroke Association is a really worthwhile charity to do it for because they provide so much support to not only stroke survivors but their families as well. “They\u2019re doing a lot of research into why strokes happen, and how people can be helped in recovery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Every year an estimated 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke – that’s one person every five minutes. Most people affected are over 65 but anyone can have a stroke, including children and even babies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helping people who have suffered from strokes is a cause close to the heart of Pendine Park activities manager Gerry.<\/span><\/p>\n

She said: \u201cA stroke can affect people\u2019s day to day living. People can become disabled through a stroke. They may lose part of their memory, their speech, their ability to walk. We deal with people at Pendine Park who have had strokes, and there\u2019s a varying degree of severity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe found out about it by receiving a letter one morning. It had flyer saying about the zip wire challenge to raise money for the Stroke Association, and Alys and I thought why not, we\u2019ll give it a go.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very much looking forward to it. It\u2019s going to be a big buzz.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gerry believes giving residents the opportunity to take part in activities is an essential part of taking care of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

She said: \u00a0\u201cMy belief is that somebody who happens to be in a care setting, their social life shouldn\u2019t end just because they\u2019re being looked after by someone else. Whatever they want to do while they\u2019re here, we try to accommodate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPendine Park is a place that attracts community minded people to work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Alys, who completed a degree in Psychology at Bangor University in 2011, has loved every minute of working at Pendine Park. The grade eight piano and saxophone player said: \u201cI love being here. I just love going round and seeing all of the different residents every day. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been running the music workshop, and just seeing the residents enjoy themselves and really coming out of themselves and dancing around the room has been great. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can clearly see that they\u2019re having fun\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started playing the piano when I was seven.\u00a0 So for as long as I can remember really music has been a big part of my daily life. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s nice to be able to share that with other people, and to be able to use it to help other people to enjoy themselves.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To donate please visit <\/span>www.justgiving.com\/pendinezipwire<\/span><\/a> and for more information on the Stroke Association please visit <\/span>www.stroke.org.uk<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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