Local woman set to conquer Dudley Castle and raise funds for the Stroke Association

A trainee nursery nurse from Kingswinford has been inspired to abseil down Dudley Castle to raise funds for the Stroke Association after her father had seven strokes.

Stefanie Massey, 35, will scale the castle’s medieval walls on Saturday 19 March alongside her partner Tony Carlino. Together they’ll climb the spiral staircase to the top of the castle towers, before abseiling to the ground.

Stefanie was inspired to fundraise for the charity after her dad Joseph Warr had seven strokes over a period of two years, which all went undiagnosed until he had a major heart attack in April 2015.

Joseph didn’t experience all the usual FAST symptoms and as a result, his strokes weren’t recognised by professionals until he had a brain scan after his heart attack. Joseph, 67, is now cared for at home by his wife, Susan Warr, along with Stefanie and her sister Gemma.

Stefanie said: “I wanted to take part in the abseil to raise vital funds for the Stroke Association to provide support to other families affected by stroke. I’m also keen to do as much as I can to raise awareness of the condition. I think it’s really important that people know that there are a variety of symptoms for stroke and not everyone experiences the FAST signs. I have taken part in an abseil before for charity but vowed never to do it again, as I’m scared of heights - so this will be a real challenge. But if it helps more people understand about stroke, it will all be worthwhile.

Katrin Winstanley, Events Manager at the Stroke Association, said: “With around 152,000 strokes a year in the UK – that’s around one every three and a half minutes - it is vital that we have people who can raise funds for people affected by stroke. We’re incredibly grateful to Stefanie and Tony for taking on this challenge.

“We’re calling on even more adrenaline junkies to conquer Dudley Castle, and help raise vital funds for the Stroke Association. No experience is necessary, and everyone taking part will receive abseil training before enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Funds raised through the abseil will help the Stroke Association continue to offer vital support to stroke survivors and their families. The standard registration fee for is £15 with a sponsorship target of £100. The minimum age for participants is 16 years of age. For more information call 01604 687768, email dudleycastle@stroke.org.ukor visit www.stroke.org.uk/dudleycastle.

To sponsor Stefanie, visit www.justgiving.com/stefanie-carlino or text the amount to GFCP80.