A GOLFER and former electrician who suffered a sudden stroke is urging others to support the charity which helped him.

John Manning, of Abergele, is aiming to help stroke survivors to become more active in their community.

John was left unable to work. The stroke affected both his speech and movement in July 2017.

This year, the 65-year-old joined the Stroke Community Steps golfing sessions.

As a result, John - who wasn't expected to walk again or regain his any of his speech - has made new friends and become supportive of others with disabilities.

He said: "Going to the golf sessions is fantastic. I didn’t think I would ever play again, but the pro has been great and now I go back to my old club.

"Also it’s about being with other people who understand, and when I meet with people who are finding things hard after a stroke, I want to see what I can do to help them.

"I’m looking forward to putting up the Christmas decorations again this year, because I know how lucky I have been.”

Anne Manning, John's wife, added: “After John’s stroke, he couldn’t return to work and didn’t feel like he could ever play golf again. It’s not just about hitting the ball - he felt self-conscious about going to the club to meet friends because of his speech difficulties.

"He joined the Stroke Community Steps golfing sessions and his confidence improved so much.

"His consultant is astonished at how well John has recovered, his brain scan showed huge amounts of damage and John wasn’t expected to be able to walk again, or regain so much speech.”

Carol Bott, director of the Stroke Association in Wales, said: "We aren’t yet able to reach everyone who needs our help and that’s why our Christmas Appeal, ‘I am more than my stroke’ is raising essential funds so that we can be there for more people like John."