STROKE sufferers have stepped out on a sponsored national walk to help raise funds to fight the illness.

Patients at the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, have taken part in the event as part of National Stroke Awareness Day.

They were taking part in the Step up for Stroke scheme where the patients sign up to walk a certain number of steps for sponsorship.

Based at the hospital’s Rutson Rehabilitation Unit they did it on May 12 to raise funds for the Stroke Association.

Mary Thrall, clinical lead for the unit at NHS North Yorkshire and York Community and Mental Health Services, said strokes could happen to anyone.

She said: "We have organised a sponsored step as a way to raise awareness of stroke.

"It is caused by the restriction of blood flow to the brain, usually because of a blockage or burst blood vessel damaging brain cells as they are starved of vital oxygen and nutrient supplies.

"It is important for people to recognise if someone has had a stroke and treat it as a medical emergency.

"If you suspect someone has had a stroke it is important you act quickly and call 999."

NHS North Yorkshire and York brands strokes as the third leading cause of death in the UK saying it affects 110,000 each year.

It states that strokes are the single largest cause of adult disability in England and that they affect 300,000 people.