In October, we were delighted to resume our face to face groups, giving our members the opportunity to rebuild their friendships with other TALK members, as well as being socially independent again. It has been truly wonderful to see our members enjoying the company of other people withaphasia whilst at the groups, getting involved and engaging in the sessions put together by our dedicated volunteers and guest speakers.
During the group closures in 2020-21, our staff and volunteer group leaders kept in touch with all our members, having regular phone calls, emails, facetimes and Zoom meetings and quizzes. Our Groups Coordinator also sent out weekly activity packs, which were differently themed each week, including activities such as quizzes, wordsearches, drawing activities and discussion topics. TALK will continue to support members who don’t feel ready to return to face to face groups yet, with new and exciting weekly activity packs, regular contact, and we will be constantly exploring new ways to support these members until they feel ready to return.
We have lots of exciting sessions coming up, which include music and art therapy, tabletop gardening, cartoon drawing and much more. If you would like more information about our groups, please contact ourOperations Manager, Sharon Spurdle on 07718 425 953.
Please read our latest update on how we arekeeping safe at our groups.
We continue to offer everyone affected byaphasia access to our services. This way we can continue to support people to live well withaphasia. We don’t ask the group members we support, our volunteers, or staff about their vaccination status.
But we do believe having an effective vaccine is the best way to protect the most vulnerable, our friends and our families. We therefore encourage people to attend their vaccine appointment.
Find out more about at:
Stroke and the coronavirus vaccine | Stroke Association
Carol, Trustee, and Anita, Ashford Group member, had a fantastic time at the Wellbeing and Aphasia Conference in Warwick on 14th & 15th April. It was great to see so many people with aphasia from across the country coming together. We were inspired by many of the stories and discussions. We have lots of ideas to share with all TALK members.
27th April 2024
THANK YOU to the Edward Gostling Foundation for their generous donation of £15,000 to support TALK's work.
12th April 2024
We were very sorry to say goodbye to our Fundraising Manager, Jo Matthews, at the end of 2023. Jo had been with TALK for over 9 years and did a fantastic job ensuring our financial stability.
We will miss her enthusiasm and humour. Thank you for everything, Jo, and wishing you well in your new job.
We are very pleased to report that our application for Big Lottery, Reaching Communities funding was successful. We have been awarded over £143,000 spread across 5 years. The money will go towards general running costs as well as some exciting new projects. Watch this space!
We are very pleased to welcome Phil Wellard as the new Chair of TALK. He will replace Carol Sacchett who stepped down as Chair in February 2024 after 5 years in the role. Phil will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. You can find out more about Philhere.
Paul Dunne superbly masterminded the day and with the support of the Ashford volunteers, all the pieces fell into place.
Thank you to everyone who made the time to support this event.
25th August 2023
Not only will this hopefully raise some much needed funds for our small charity, but equally as important help raise awareness about our services, helping TALK reach as many people as possible with Aphasia, who may need communication and social support at one of our groups.
26th April 2023
Thank you to Mayford’s WI, for hosting a talk by Trustees Clive Moon and Gill Simmons about TALK's important work and our support groups. We have since received feedback that the Mayford WI are very keen to help spread the word about our charity and raise awareness. We are also very grateful for their £50.00 donation to TALK.
17th April 2023
Thank you to Woking Rotary Club for hosting a talk by Clive Moon (Trustee) and Carol Sacchett (Chair) about TALK's work. There was a lot of interest in what we do and inaphasia. We are also grateful for their £50.00 donation to TALK.
We're keen to spread the word to raise awareness of TALK andaphasia. If anyone has ideas of local groups or clubs to approach, please let Jo Matthews know by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
4th April 2023
We are seeking new Trustees to help lead our charity and make a real difference to people’s lives. The Board currently consists of seven Trustees and we are looking to recruit up to four more. This is an exciting time to be joining TALK as we develop our services post-Covid to ensure we meet the needs of people withaphasia in our local community. You will be joining a friendly, committed and active Board and training will be provided. Please open the link here to see full details, thank you.
Carol Sacchett, our Chair, recently attended the Aphasia Alliance meeting on Zoom. The Aphasia Alliance is a group of UK organisations that work together to:
We are very pleased that TALK is a member of the Aphasia Alliance. It's so important to keep in touch with other similar organisations and to speak with one voice.
You can find out more about the Aphasia Alliance here
We also recently said 'Goodbye' to Alison, our Group Coordinator. She has been a fantastic member of the TALK team and all the Groups will really miss her. Here she is with some of her leaving gifts.
Thank you from all of us at TALK.
TALK is very grateful to have received the following donations:
On 26th May 2024 Carol, our Trustee and Walton Group leader, is doing the Ride London 100 mile cycle ride to raise money for TALK. She will be joined by her friend Jacqueline and her son Owen.
You can donate toCarol's JustGiving page by clickinghere.
JustGiving sends your donation straight to TALK Surrey CIO and automatically reclaims Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer, so your donation is worth even more.
Thank you for your support!
27th April 2024
Did you know that June isaphasia month?
TALK organised two Street Collections to spread the word and raise funds. At Walton we raised £324 and at Brooklands shopping centre £417!!
A huge pat on the back to our amazing volunteers, who did brilliantly in very hot conditions.
27th June 2023
The weather was kind and a big thank you to Rotary in Guildford for organising such a lovely event.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to everyone who walked, sponsored us or turned up on the day.
If you are organising your own fundraising event for TALK, please let us know so that we can support you and help publicise details of the event for you.
Please contactJo Matthews via the contact details page.
Clickhere to see what's happening at TALK?