Runner taking on the London marathon to help Wigan stroke survivors like his mum

Alex Yoxall, 23, started working for Wigan charity Think Ahead Stroke in 2019 as activities and engagement officer after seeing first-hand the challenges faced by people who have strokes and their loved ones.

His mum Amanda Yoxall has epilepsy and after finding the right balance of medication, she was looking forward to retraining as a midwife in 2014. But she then had a stroke, which turned her life upside-down.

Alex and his dad Stephen cared for Amanda and it was that experience that led to him working for the charity and wanting to improve the lives of people who had strokes.

Now, keen runner Alex has turned his attention to clocking up the miles as he trains for Sunday’s London marathon.

He is aiming to raise money to develop the charity’s digital media hub at its stroke information centre in Ince.

The importance of the hub for helping stroke survivors and their carers was highlighted during the coronavirus pandemic, as many support services became virtual or remote.

But that revealed the issues faced by stroke survivors who wanted to use the internet for tasks such as shopping.

And while work with local organisations such as Wigan Council helped people to get online, there are still problems with digital exclusion in the borough.

Alex hopes his fund-raising effort will help to make a difference.

To sponsor him, go to www.think-ahead.org.uk/Appeal/the-london-marathon-2021

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