InterAct Stroke Support, Unit 303. 3 Almond Studios, Drummond Road, London (2026)

InterAct Stroke Support is an award-winning charity aiding stroke recovery by bringing professional actors into hospitals and community spaces to deliver live, interactive readings to stroke survivors. InterAct Stroke Support is an award-winning charity aiding stroke recovery by using professional actors to deliver hospital readings & community projects to stroke survivors. Stroke is now the second biggest killer in England and Wales and the main cause of serious disability in the U.K. A stroke can affect anyone of any age from any background and rehabilitation can be a long and difficult process. It is during hospital recuperation that InterAct makes the difference as early interventions with stroke survivors are a tremendous boost to the recovery process. There is now a growing body of evidence that stimulation through reading and conversational interaction can help the brain find new neural pathways, a phenomenon known as "adaptive rewiring." InterAct encourages adaptive rewiring, work which has been shown to improve patients' mood and motivation, alleviating depression and boredom as well as increasing confidence as patients are able to practise their new-found communcation skills in a non-judgemental environment. InterAct Stroke Support works to improve the rate and quality of an individual's recovery from a stroke by:

improving mood
alleviating post-stroke depression
increasing self-esteem
boosting communication confidence
stimulating the brain
providing entertainment

We currently read in 21 hospitals and over 50 stroke clubs in the UK.

08/10/2026

04/09/2026

There is still time 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Sign up and run the on 27th of September with our CEO to help raise money for InterAct Stroke Support!

Whether you’re an avid runner and already signed up for the race, or ready to try your first 10k - we’d love to hear from you.
To run the Vitality 10K for InterAct, with individual fundraising goals of only £150, please email [email protected] and we we will explain the next steps!

InterAct Stroke Support is one of the UK's key charities dedicated to those who have survived stroke. We receive no statutory funding and the demand for InterAct's service, and its benefits, currently far outweighs our financial capacity to deliver.

20/07/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Short Story Competition Winner…

At the end of June, InterAct proudly celebrated the 10th Ruth Rendell Short Story Competition — our biennial short story competition raising vital funds for InterAct readings across the UK.

The evening featured animated performances by InterAct actors Sophie Morris-Sheppard and Charlotte Pyke, InterAct ambassador Rula Lenska with the final judging by Dame Margaret Drabble, our Head Judge.

Congratulations to Deborah Mantle, winner of the 2026 competition, for her story Sandra Smartens Up!

A huge well done also to shortlisted writers Sue Turbett and Katie John for their stories Sweet Peas and Teamwork.

Our biennial short story competition invites the public to submit an original story of up to 1,000 words, suitable for reading in a hospital setting. Every £15 entry helps fund interactive storytelling sessions, delivered by a professional actor to stroke survivors during their recovery, bringing moments of connection, comfort and imagination when they are needed most.

Interested in entering our next competition? Sign up for our newsletter or follow us on social media for the latest news and competition updates.

14/05/2026

The Ruth Rendell Short Story Competition Finalists, 2026.

Thank you for all the brilliant short story submissions. With such a high standard of writing, whittling it down to a shortlist was incredibly difficult.

We are proud to announce the first of our three shortlisted stories:
Sweet Peas, by Sue Turbett.

"Pigtails flying and scabby-knee’d, I cycled country lanes bordered by tangled hedgerows of hawthorn and brambles, draped in creamy soft honeysuckle and shot through with purple foxglove spikes."

The three shortlisted stories will be performed as part of an awards ceremony later this year. The winning writer, announced at the awards night, will also be commissioned to write a further four stories for InterAct Stroke Support and recieve £1,000 in payment.

Huge congratulations to Sue and the other finalists who will be revealed over the coming week.

09/05/2026

Meet our InterActors

"As an actor I have always believed in the power of telling stories and having personal experience of stroke in my
family, I felt particularly
connected to the work." - Kirsty

At the centre of InterAct you can find our brilliant actors putting their heart and soul into delivering live, stimulating readings on the stroke ward, in stroke clubs and via our remote service. We are proud of every talented actor we work with and would love to show you who could be reading to you or your loved one.

Actor: Kirsty Cox

Address

Unit 303. 3 Almond Studios, Drummond Road
London
SE164DG

Telephone

+442038861028

Website

http://www.interactstrokesupport.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when InterAct Stroke Support posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to InterAct Stroke Support:

InterAct Stroke Support