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You are in: Home > Volunteering > Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Video Script

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Video Script

Voiceover: Loraine Kelly

Almost everyone knows someone affected by Chest heart and stroke illness. CHSS, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, helps through a variety of projects aimed at saving lives and improving life for survivors and their families.

Ours is one of the largest charity-funded programmes of medical research in Scotland, worth more than £1 million. We support more than 30 major projects in many of our top hospitals and medical schools, raising the necessary money to fund their research.

We also make sure that anyone affected by Chest heart and stroke illness can get advice and information from our own nurses in the community. We also run an Advice Line offering confidential advice not just to those with illness but also to their families, carers and health professionals. Enquiries can be made by phone, textphone, letter, fax, email or through the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland website. All questions are dealt with by experienced, registered nurses. We also have a variety of informational and self help leaflets which can be ordered by phone, letter or from the website.

We also offer support through dedicated help groups. The Glasgow Airways group, for example, helps people with chronic lung disease.

Robert Henry, Group Member

I find the guidance and support given by the group absolutely fabulous. I'm, still asking questions two and a half years..she's got something in her bag for me just now. It's essential to my recovery.

Voiceover

Our Volunteer Stroke Service helps people who've had a stroke, particularly those who are left with communication difficulty. It also helps families and carers to understand and cope with the effects.

Ciara Van Vogt, VSS Volunteer

The job that I do is very exciting but it didn't offer me... there was part of my life that was missing something and that was to be caring for people, to be looking after, to add value in some way. And I really enjoyed it. I feel quite part of this group and they're very passionate about what they do and I can get involved with them. It's great fun.

Kathleen Jack VSS Group Coordinator

In this group in particular, the young group, there are people who have certain specific difficulties and in order for them to maximise their experience of the group it's very important to have sometimes one to one for scribing purposes, or for explaining or to help them participate. Of course a charity like ours wouldn't function as effectively without the goodwill, the input, the support and the professionalism of our volunteer base.

Mary Craigie, Carer

It gives you an insight into other people's problems as well as your own so the feeling of isolation that you felt originally, it helps to subdue that a wee bit, and you realise that if I have a problem, well if they can't solve it then they can put me in touch with someone who probably could.

Voiceover

To do all of this we have to raise money and this we do in a variety of ways: through fundraising events like white water rafting, abseils, driving challenges; through activities in schools such as Playground Games and aerobics which also help tackle lack of exercise and obesity in children; and through our Inverness coffee shop and charity clothes shops.

Margaret Watson, Shop Volunteer

The volunteers themselves are wonderful and I've made many friends since I started there.

Christina McKenzie, Shop Manager

A lot of the money raised in the shop is actually spent on services in the local community so it makes volunteers feel that they're actually offering an important contribution to the community which is just great.

Pam Marrs, Coffee Shop Manager

We have so many volunteers help us in the coffee shop here and we really couldn't do our work without them. We have ladies who are obviously paid in the coffee shop but the volunteers come in and give us a number of hours of their own time and of course that time makes more money for the Chest heart and stroke charity.

Voiceover

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is about working together to make life better for everyone directly or indirectly affected by chest heart and stroke related conditions. Could you help us by giving us some of your time as a volunteer? It's a great way to help others and to meet new friends. You'll be trained, you'll enjoy it, and most of all you'll be valued and appreciated. To find out more please call us or pick up a leaflet here today.