West Midlands stroke club leader wins national volunteering award

Liz Topliss, 75, from Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, has won a national award for volunteering after leading a stroke group and supporting the stroke community in various roles for almost 40 years.

The Stroke Association’s ‘Life After Stroke Award for Volunteering’ was presented to Liz by Actress Elizabeth McGovern, at a ceremony at the Landmark hotel in London on 21 November 2018.

On hearing that she had won a Life After Stroke Award, Liz said: “I wasn’t expecting it and I feel very humbled and surprised. Stroke survivors are very inspiring people, so to be part of that community is an honour. It’s so encouraging to see such courage every day. Stroke has become a passion and it did take over my life – wherever I go I have my ‘stroke’ hat on.”

Liz decided to join the Sutton Coldfield stroke club after a close friend had a stroke. Unfortunately Liz had lost three of her grandparents to the condition and later on, in addition to running the club, she cared for her mother for nine years following a stroke.

Originally applying to volunteer as a driver for the club, Liz soon found herself on the committee before being made secretary of the club and eventually club organiser.

Liz said: “I ended up becoming a member of the committee almost by accident. I was there a couple of months before I was made secretary of the club. When the organiser resigned, I stepped up as I felt as Secretary, it was my role to keep things going for a few months.”

Remarkably, Liz was still leading the club 32 years later. With over 50 members and 25 volunteers, the club has become a life line for many people. Stroke survivors have said it’s a place they can find empathy and mutual support as well as stimulating activities including speech therapy, group outings, craft workshops and physiotherapy sessions.

Liz said: “One of the things that made the group such a success is that we didn’t look at people as stroke survivors but as people who enjoyed being together but just happened to have strokes. We would help our members have a go at things and in turn they could start living again.”

Liz retired from the organiser role in 2017 after over three decades but still maintains a close association to the club as one its Trustees.

As if managing a hugely successful stroke club wasn’t enough, in 2014 Liz also became a committee member for the UK Stroke Forum, a coalition of 30 organisations committed to improving stroke care in the UK. The annual conference attracts over 1,400 professionals from across the whole stroke pathway.

As a member of the scientific conference committee, Liz engages with stroke survivors and carers across the UK to ensure their concerns are being heard by professionals and other decision makers. She has also worked on various projects including developing a scientific session at the Forum to showcase the importance of difficult decisions at the end of life and how vital it is to engage carers.

Throughout her work, Liz has become fascinated with the brain and the priceless value of research especially in the field of vascular dementia, a condition often associated with stroke.

Liz said: “Working with professionals at the top of their game was a bit scary at first but everyone was very welcoming. Unfortunately, the resources just aren’t there to do everything we want to do. There isn’t enough provision for rehabilitation but things have changed a lot thanks to the work of the Stroke Association, they have put stroke on the map but there is still a lot of work to do.”

This year’s UKSF will be the last one for Liz who is the Lead Service User representative and the longest standing member on the committee.

Tony Banks who is head of Stroke Association conferences and events said: “This is our last year with Liz at the forefront of volunteering which will be such a huge loss to the stroke community. Everyone that has worked with Liz comments on how dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate she is – they can’t quite imagine the stroke world without her. We would like to wish her well with her retirement and hope she enjoys some well-earned downtime with her devoted husband Colin.”

Elizabeth, who presented Liz with her award said: “It is a real joy to be asked to give Liz this award. She is a remarkable volunteer who has so much drive and genuine determination to improve stroke care and the quality of life for stroke survivors. She is an inspiration after 40 years of loyal service to this amazing cause.”

Watch a video about Liz’s work at https://youtu.be/YoowWLhjAFI