A GROUP supporting stroke survivors and carers across the Bradford district will have to rely on fundraising after being told it will no longer receive any direct financial support.

Shipley Stroke Group stopped receiving money from Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) after a contract for a new district-wide stroke service was awarded to Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

A spokesman for the Trust has now confirmed that although local stroke support groups will be involved in the new service, they will not receive any direct funding.

The Shipley group, which has about 40 members and meets weekly at Haworth Road Methodist Church, used to receive an annual grant of £35,000, but this was cut by half in 2011/12, and has since gradually reduced to nothing.

Despite the setback, co-chairman Helen Galtress is feeling positive about being part of a new stroke focus group organised by the Trust.

"Hopefully this will be beneficial for us, as the new focus group will involve our members and carers getting together to discuss the future for stroke survivors," she said.

"There is no actual funding, but at least the work of the group is still being recognised."

Simon Kirk, directorate manager for speciality medicine at theTrust, said: "The stroke focus group is about bringing key people together from across the care spectrum in Bradford, looking at how we can support people living with the impact of having a stroke.

"It will involve clinicians, physios, local stroke groups, and services such as our Community Stroke Nursing Team."

The Shipley Group received £6,000 from Sovereign Health Care Charitable Trust to help with running costs in November and a team at the Bradford Institute for Health Research hopes to raise at least another £1,000 by completing the 25-mile Three Peaks Challenge on June 6.

The money will be split between the Shipley group and the Stroke Association.

Team member Faye Plummer, a 27 year-old PhD student in psychology, said the stroke group had been helpful with students' research.

"When we heard they were struggling to continue, we were determined to give something back and help them," she added.

Mrs Galtress said: "Our own fundraising will now be more important than ever.

"We've had to let our tutors go and the remaining volunteers and staff are only being paid expenses.

"We're struggling through, but we need as much help as possible.

"It's going to be very difficult, but people have said we're a real lifeline to them, so we have to keep going."

Visit www.justgiving.com/teams/AUECR15 to donate to the Three Peaks trek.