Aspire is pleased to welcome a new corporate supporter of the Aspire Independent Living programme and to announce the continued support of the programme in Belfast, Stoke Mandeville and Stanmore. 

We are delighted to welcome Potter Rees Serious Injury Solicitors who have committed to support the AILAs for Southport, Oswestry, Cardiff, Sheffield, Salisbury and Wakefield.  We are also very grateful for the continued support of P R Hanna for Belfast’s Advisor and to Access Legal from Shoosmiths for Stanmore and Stoke Mandeville’s Advisor.  

Aspire’s Independent Living Advisors are often the first contact someone with a spinal cord injury will have with the Charity.  All of them have a spinal cord injury themselves and are therefore acutely aware of the issues and questions newly injured patients might have.  They offer practical support by signposting them towards essential services, whether they be Aspire Services or otherwise.   

Each Advisor is available in their Centre every week and patients can either book in a session with them, or just catch them for a chat.  The aim of these sessions is to ensure that the patients have greater independence when their rehabilitation is over and they leave hospital. 

“We are absolutely delighted to support Aspire and their Independent Living Advisors who provide such a magnificent service.  We know from our long experience of advising our spinal cord injured clients how invaluable Aspire and their advisors are.” Hugh Potter, Managing Partner Potter Rees

“Access Legal from Shoosmiths is delighted to continue the relationship with Aspire by supporting the Independent Living Advisor’s work at Stanmore and Stoke Mandeville.  Over the last three years, which began with our staff fundraising for a house, we have seen how Aspire’s programmes make a real difference to people with spinal cord injuries.  Supporting the Independent Living Advisor programme is an opportunity for us to give something back to a cause that, through our work on spinal injury cases, we are only too aware of.”  Chris McKinney, Partner Access Legal from Shoosmiths

“P R Hanna are delighted to sponsor Gabriel, the Aspire Independent Living Adviser at Musgrove Hospital in Belfast for a second year.   This is a vital service available to those who have been paralysed by spinal cord injury and we are pleased to be able to provide the funding for this service to continue”. Gerry Lee, Senior Partner P R Hanna 

Pictured is Physiotherapist Kim Gregg, Gerry Lee Senior Partner P R Hanna, Independent Living Advisor for Belfast Gabriel Mallon and Aspire Chief Executive Brian Carlin.