Discover a brief history of our charity from inception in 1899, as the National Association for the Prevention of Consumption and other forms of Tuberculosis, to the internationally recognised Stroke Association that we are today.
Read our full history as written by independent historian Dr Anna Ritchie, OBE, BA, PhD, FSA, Hon FSA Scot, by downloading the following documents:
- Stroke Association: historical perspective 1898 - 2012 part 1.
- Stroke Association: historical perspective 1898 - 2012 part 2.
1899 - 1930s
1899: The National Association for the Prevention of Consumption and other forms of Tuberculosis was founded. The first international Congress on Tuberculosis was held in Berlin.
1903: By-law against spitting in public came into force in London. This along with a leaflet produced by the Association was designed to help prevent the spread of tuberculosis.
1922: Name changed to the National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis (NAPT).
1930s: Early on in this decade, the first research project undertaken by NAPT. F C S Bradbury was commissioned to look into whether poverty and tuberculosis were interlinked.
1948 - 1974
1948: Birth of the National Health Service Act. Tuberculosis Dispensaries became Chest Clinics.
1959: Name changed from National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis to The Chest and Heart Association.
1961: The British Heart Foundation (BHF) was set up by the British Cardiac Society with considerable help from the Chest and Heart Association (CHA), including financial contributions for research into heart diseases.
1974: Stroke was added to the Association's title and The Chest, Heart and Stroke Association was born.
1985 - 1999
1985: Major appeal for stroke was initiated and a working party set up to refine the research objective in stroke work.
1990: First Family Support Organiser started work, based in Sefton on Merseyside and Salford.
1992: The Chest, Heart and Stroke Association had become 'The Stroke Association'.
1999: Celebrated one hundred years of caring' the logo for the Stroke Association had a special strap-line to reflect this.
2005 - present
2005: Introduced the Stroke is a Medical Emergency campaigns, which led to the FAST stroke prevention campaign.
2015: Speakability, the national charity that supports people with aphasia to overcome communication barriers, merges with the Stroke Association.