'I feared I'd never play piano again after strokes'

Bill Booth has played piano since he was 11 but had stopped after having two strokes

A pianist who thought he would never play the instrument again after having two strokes has credited staff at a community centre with getting him back on the keys.

Bill Booth, 77, from Chorley, Lancashire, has played piano since he was 11 but he thought his playing days were over for good when he had two strokes in just over a year.

A baby grand piano in the home he shares with wife Vivien lay untouched for nearly two years until he was persuaded to start attending weekly music sessions at the Inspire Youth Zone in the town.

Mr Booth said: "Viv says when I come home from playing with the band I'm buzzing."

"I didn't go near the piano for nearly two years - I wouldn't listen to piano music and I just didn't want to know," he said.

"I even thought about selling it."

Mrs Booth said that his social prescriber healthcare worker, Julie Bennison "badgered him" to visit the centre to see if he liked the music sessions and after a few visits he rediscovered his love of playing.

"Julie got me out of the chair with a crowbar and persuaded me to give it a go," Mr Booth joked.

The classically-trained pianist, who reached grade eight, now attends weekly sessions, where he plays alongside fellow musicians including guitarists and drummers, describing staff there as "absolutely wonderful".

"They treat me like royalty at Inspire. There's a cup of tea waiting, which is everything for me," he said.

'Life is wonderful'

Asked to explain his enduring love of the piano, retired engineer, Mr Booth, said said: "I'm in a world of my own when I'm playing.

"I used to come in from work after a busy day and just go on the piano and that was it."

He joked that the piano was "the only thing I have ever stuck to in my life, apart from my wife".

"For me, life is absolutely wonderful. It couldn't be better," he said.

"He just looks forward to every Friday. They have done so much at Inspire to encourage him," said Mrs Booth.

Bill Booth, pictured with his wife Vivien, thought he would never play piano again after suffering two strokes

Mr Booth said when he had his first stroke on holiday in France in June 2023 he did not have any obvious signs but he realised something was wrong when he got behind the wheel and could not drive.

He said this was not picked up until he had a second stroke in August 2024, which affected his mobility and also changed his personality, making him "a lot more sociable".

He then underwent treatment in the stroke clinic at the Royal Preston Hospital.

Mr Booth has gone on to perform with the band at a concert at the centre in February.