Wigan stroke charity Think Ahead joins forces with building services firm

The partnership with HE Simm, which will promote stroke prevention and identification across the firm’s national workforce, will include a schedule of engaging activities, such as presentations to staff and combined social media content.

Stroke is the number one cause of disability in the UK, yet many people are unaware of the causes, symptoms or what they can do to help reduce their risk of experiencing the condition.

HE Simm first connected with Think Ahead after signing-up to the charity’s annual Dragon Boat Racing Day in 2018 on Pennington Flash.

The company now attends the event every year, and took home the coveted 2019 dragon boat champion’s trophy last September.

HE Simm also donated specialist mechanical engineering support to Think Ahead Stroke last year, as part of the ongoing refurbishment of the Stroke Information Centre in Ince.

Think Ahead Stroke’s Executive Manager Carol Sankey, said: “This is our newest relationship with a local business, so we’re delighted that a company of HM Simm’s stature has been so keen to come on board.

“Our ambition is that over the coming months, Think Ahead and HE Simm can work in partnership to raise awareness of stroke, particularly amongst its staff.

“Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the UK, with around a 1,000 people having a stroke in Wigan every year, so the more people who can sot the signs and react quickly by calling 999 the better.

“We look forward to running a successful campaign with the team at HE Simm, and also hope to form other mutually beneficial partnerships with other local likeminded businesses.”

Carol concluded: “I’d also like to thank the HE Simm team for all the work they did at the Stroke Information Centre last year, we are incredibly grateful for their help.”

HE Simm’s HR Manager, Victoria Simm, said: “We’re really pleased to have Think Ahead on board to help us raise awareness of stroke.

“We take the health and wellbeing of colleagues very seriously, and having read statistics on how pervasive stroke is, we knew it was something that we needed to tackle head on.”

Victoria concludes: “The Think Ahead team are a pleasure to work with. They’re incredibly helpful and professional, and they have come up with an engaging and informative package of activity that will educate our workforce about stroke, help us to meet our corporate social responsibility objectives, and increase engagement right across the business.”

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