Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Don't allow a stroke to cause death or long term disabilities.

At an NHS conference I attended a while back, we were told that strokes are the third biggest killer in Wiltshire.

They are now treated as 'category one' emergencies which means an ambulance should get to you within eight minutes.

A stroke is a brain attack and happens when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted. There is also a mini-stroke which has similar synptoms to a full stroke but the symptoms may only last a few minutes. Don't ignore it. A mini-stroke is an emergency and could lead to a full stroke.

The Face, Arm, Speech Test can help you recognise the symptoms which include sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body, sudden loss or blurring of vision, sudden confusion, sudden or severe headache with no apparent cause, dizziness, unsteadiness or a sudden fall.

Facial weakness - Can the person smile or has their mouth or eye drooped?

Arm weakness - Can the person raise both arms?

Speech problems- can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?

Time to call 999.