Ciarán Hinds and Adrian Dunbar among actors supporting stroke patients

Ciarán Hinds says there is a real connection with the people he is reading to

Ciarán Hinds and Adrian Dunbar are among NI actors lending their talents to a stroke charity.

InterAct Stroke Support has worked across the UK for 20 years and has launched in Northern Ireland with the help of patron Hinds.

Whiteabbey Hospital runs a stroke rehabilitation unit and is working with the charity, which brings professional actors to hospitals.

The actors read for and interact with stroke patients.

Thousands of people are admitted to hospital in Northern Ireland every year after suffering a stroke.

Eight local actors have been working at Whiteabbey, in County Antrim, performing poems and excerpts from plays and books.

Adrian Dunbar is one of the stars involved InterAct Stroke Support

Stroke support is important - Dunbar

The charity says the interactions between actors and stroke survivors improve mood and stimulate the brain.

Hinds, Dunbar and Tara Mackie are the Northern Ireland Ambassadors for InterAct Stroke Support.

Line of Duty star Dunbar said the support for stroke survivors is incredibly important.

"It would be a huge loss if they (InterAct Stroke Support) don't retain a presence in Northern Ireland," the Enniskillen man said.

Game of Thrones and Harry Potter actor Ciarán Hinds told BBC News NI he was delighted to be involved with the organisation.

"When they're stuck physically the brain is so active and so alive, and I imagine they suffer as well from mental anguish," said the Belfast-born actor, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the film Belfast.

Belfast-born actor Hinds with stroke survivor Sam Davidson

"This kind of alleviates that, it stirs the imagination, engages the mind.

"It's very human and it's eye-to-eye contact. It's not like, just switch on the radio and listen to that. It's very human and connected."

'Mesmerising, brilliant'

Stroke survivor Jacqueline Matthews enjoys listening to actor Adrian Bridle read to her.

"I can't see very well so he comes in and he reads to me," she told BBC News NI.

"He does lots of things with his hands as he reads. I really love it. I can get in to the book and imagine what's going on. I've loved reading since I was a young girl. It's mesmerising, brilliant."

Jacqueline Matthews with actor Adrian Bridle in Whiteabbey Hospital

InterAct Stroke Support officially launched in Northern Ireland this month but has been providing a twice-weekly service for the rehabilitation ward in Whiteabbey Hospital since May 2023.

The charity, which has teams working in more than 20 hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales, has funding for this project for one year but hopes to eventually expand across Northern Ireland.

The service was set up with the support of the ward's multi-discipline team.

Stroke patient Penny Donavan with Game of Thrones star Hinds

The charity said weekends are the best time for actors to engage with patients as other therapies are less likely to be taking place.

"The work that we do stimulates memory, stimulates language and alleviates the depression that is so often associated with stroke," said Nirjay Mahindru from InterAct Stroke Support.

"One of the feedbacks we constantly get from occupational and speech therapists is that patients are far more likely to engage in other hospital activities after an Interact reader has been with a stroke survivor.

"That helps the therapists but it also helps the patient speed up their rehabilitation."

If you suspect that you or someone else are having a stroke, call emergency services - 999 in the UK - immediately and ask for an ambulance.

The main symptoms of stroke can be remembered with the word FAST:

Face - drooping

Arms - unable to lift both and keep them there.

Speech - slurred, garbled or unresponsive

Time - dial 999 immediately