THE daughter of a woman who suffered a severe stroke is selling a Valley Parade seat to raise funds for the Bradford Royal Infirmary ward her mother was placed in.

Last year, Rowena Sutcliffe and five-year-old daughter Isobel were in total shock when Madeleine Sutcliffe, who worked at the BRI for 43 years as a orthoptist, was struck by a stroke.

To make matters even worse, the Shipley woman had been diagnosed with lung cancer in the May.

The stroke which occurred on Tuesday, August 10 left the 74-year-old speechless whilst emergency services took 40 minutes to come to her care.

"It was all hands on deck, even the neighbour came round," Rowena said.

"It was a massive shock. It was an awful time and it really stressed the entire family out.

"She still can't talk and is not herself anymore.

"She managed to maintain her memory but can only communicate by writing.

"It was a huge shock, she is just taking one step at the time."

Thanks to the great care of Stroke & Neurology - Ward 6 in the BRI, Madeleine returned home weeks later.

In January, Madeleine started attending a support group at Cafe West in Allerton three times a week.

She meets other people who have had strokes and this has given her hope that one day she may make a full recovery.

Rowena feels indebted to the unit. It was in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic that her mother was in hospital, meaning communication could only take place through online methods.

At the time, the ward only had one tablet to make this possible, so Rowena hopes by selling the JCT600 Stand Seat 107 funds can be raised to buy at least another one.

Her husband Joe and friend Craig bought eight individual seats in 2021 when the club were making replacements in their main stand.

Rowena has lived in Bristol since 2003. Therefore is hoping whoever buys the seat can come and collect it when the Bantams visit Rovers on April 2.

She has only just began the bidding for it on Ebay, with a starting bid of £175. If you're interested in the seat, click here.

Mel Pickup, chief executive of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, tweeted: "Come on Bradford City superfans bag yourself a little piece of football history and help Rowena raise money to support our patients in @ward6strokeunit."