Branch Network: Opening the door to long-term support

Across the UK, there's a huge demand for long-term provision to support people with Aphasia and their carers.
In fact, this past year alone, Aphasia Support experienced a 90% increase in referrals compared to the same period in 2023. This figure is only reflective of the Yorkshire region, but every single day, we receive enquiries from people across the UK in search of support.
In October 2024, we launched a survey for members of the public. Here's what we found:
- 66% of respondents were based outside of Yorkshire, which is where Aphasia Support currently operates
- 82% of respondents said 'yes' when asked: Did you want NHS Speech & Language Therapy to continue when it ended?
- 47% of respondents reported receiving less than 3 months speech and language therapy support at home.
- 95% of respondents said they still have communication goals they would like to work on today.
- 40% answered 'yes' to being interested in working with us to create Aphasia Support in your area.
This further evidenced the need to expand our services across the UK.
We're thrilled to share that this plan is fully in motion with the implementation of a Branch Network, giving people the opportunity to set up an Aphasia Support branch in their region.
The initiative was successfully piloted in South Yorkshire, with large Aphasia Cafe group sessions actively running in both Barnsley and Doncaster. We are now in the primary stages of setting up branches in Lancashire and the West Midlands, alongside exploring opportunities in Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Cheshire and Wales.
So, what should you know about our branch network?
A branch of Aphasia Support can be created by anyone who identifies a need for support in their local area - a gap the branch would help to fill.
Each branch needs to operate a voluntary committee with a minimum of 3 members. Activity is overseen by Aphasia Support's management team and governed by the central charity's Board of Trustees. Branches can be set up regionally, operating sub-groups in local towns and cities. For example, the South Yorkshire branch operates Aphasia Cafe's in Barnsley and Doncaster. Our new Lancashire branch will operate Aphasia Cafe's in Preston and Blackburn.
Each branch is unique, and can choose to focus on 1:1 speech and language therapy, group-support through Aphasia Cafe's, or a mixture of both. This will influence the branch fundraising target which the committee will be responsible for achieving.
Central to every branch is a group of committed and dedicated volunteers with a true passion to make a meaningful difference to the lives of people with Aphasia, and their carers.
If you're interested in creating a branch in your area, you'll follow the simple step-by-step process shown below. You'll be part of the Aphasia Support family, which means we'll always be there to offer support, advice and guidance.
Use our handy tool - click here and simply enter your postcode. If we're not up and running in your area, we'll invite you to create a branch!
We're confident this new model will help us achieve our mission to create a world where every person with Aphasia has access to support, and can communicate with confidence.