Colleagues lead way to help Robert - The Malvern Observer

Colleagues lead way to help Robert

Malvern Editorial 26th Aug, 2015 Updated: 20th Oct, 2016   0

OBSERVER readers are being urged to get behind a campaign to help a wheelchair-bound Malvern man communicate with his family and friends for the first time in more than a year.

Robert Richards’ life was turned upside down when he suffered a severe stroke in August last year which left his family fearing he would not pull through.

After almost eight weeks in a coma, the 51-year-old was then told he would never walk again and struggle to talk without the support of an electronic device.

A campaign has now been launched by ABE Ledbury – a haulage firm where Robert worked for three years – in a bid to raise the £8,000 needed to purchase the machine.




And his partner, Linda Robson, told The Observer it ‘would mean the world’ to Robert, who is paralysed down his right-hand side, if he could find a way of communicating again.

“At the moment you can see that if you don’t understand what he means he does get frustrated and in the end he just sighs and gives up,” she said.


“He can say ‘yes’ and ‘no’. He tries to say other words, but you can’t understand what he is trying to say.

“He tries to communicate in other ways, so I have got to know when he wants the curtains, windows or doors closed.”

Linda said she has been thankful of his former work colleagues who stepped up their efforts to rake in the money with a charity bike ride on Saturday (August 22).

The event saw staff from the haulage company cycle 73 miles as they rode through villages in Herefordshire and Worcestershire before returning to Ledbury. They also stopped to see Robert.

And Lorraine Brooks, distribution and warehousing manager at ABE Ledbury, described him as a ‘much-liked’ and ‘kind’ man who they were determined to help.

“Rob was only 50 when the stroke came out of the blue and changed his and Linda’s lives forever,” she said.

“Linda has had to travel many miles to see him over the last 12 months as he has been moved around hospitals for different parts of his care needs, so for him to finally be back and cared for in Malvern is wonderful for them both.

“It also means more people can go and see him as he is close by, but it is very difficult and frustrating for Rob that he cannot participate in a conversation at all.

“Being unable to communicate is isolating and lonely and it makes it very hard to maintain old friendships as well as preventing making new ones.”

Cake sales, bring and buy events and barbecues have also been organised to generate money, while some staff have even donated their wages.

And Lorraine has now called on the people of Malvern to help their fund-raising bid as they also look to give him a power-assisted wheelchair.

Anyone interested in donating money should visit crowdfunding.justgiving.com/lorraine-brooks.

Cheques can also be made payable to Robert Richards Fund and sent to ABE Ledbury Limited, Bromyard Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 1LG.

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