PEOPLE suffering from long-term or serious illnesses often turn to the arts as a means of distraction from their pain and a group of stroke sufferers felt compelled to do just that.

Now a selection of them have just had their poems selected to be published in a book which brought Seamus Heaney, Penelope Shuttle and Michael Longley to the fore.

The Review of Contemporary Poetry follows in a great tradition of anthologies that capture the essence of contemporary poetry and now it includes a selection of poems from poets who have been affected by stroke.

The collection of poems was developed in The Stroke Association's Stroke News magazine in partnership with Bluechrome Publishing, so those affected by the condition could describe their experiences through poetry.

Poet Laureate Andrew Motion then judged the final 20 shortlisted entrants and ten of the poems were added to the Review of Contemporary Poetry.

Andrew said the Stroke News readers had given "intensely moving" poems and that choosing three poems was difficult and he described the judging process as "a deep if complicated pleasure."

He adds: "The enterprising and involving collection puts poetry where it belongs: at the centre of our lives."

The Review of Contemporary Poetry does not solely concentrate on the famous names of the day, but also includes poetry from many world poets that may well be the stars of tomorrow.

In launching the latest collection Stroke Association chief executive Jon Barrick says: "Each year 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke. The Stroke Association is constantly striving to give everyone affected by stroke a voice. The poems by stroke people within this remarkable anthology will provide readers with a powerful insight into life after stroke. I am delighted that The Stroke Association has been involved in this unique project."