Charity walk raises awareness about stammering

The chair of the UK's stammering charity is walking the length of Britain to raise awareness about the condition.

He will be doing the whole distance of 1,000 miles unaided and inviting people to join him in a conversation about stammering along the way.

Tim Fell, xhair of the British Stammering Association, is doing the mammoth distance over two months to raise awareness of the condition that affects 700,000 people across the UK.

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Despite media attention over recent years with films such as the King’s Speech and celebrities like Ed Sheeran, Ed Balls and Kelly Brown talking openly about their difficulties, stammering is still poorly understood and people who stammer are openly discriminated against.

Tim said: “Stammering affects hundreds of thousands of people regardless of background, profession, race, religion or politics. People who stammer often say that their speech makes them feel isolated and ashamed. This is why I’m walking the length of the country and talking to people who stammer along the way.

“We need to change the conversation around stammering from one of awkwardness to one of confidence. It’s only by talking about stuttering openly, by all of us, that society will understand the issues around it.”

This event will be the first of its kind to bring the stammering community together, and to share information with anyone who is interested in learning more.

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Last weekend Tim walked from Pontefract to Doncaster where he was met by international performance artists who stammer at an event hosted by Doncaster Stammering Association (DSA), in collaboration with Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals’ specialist Speech and Language Therapy service, at The Point.

Bob Adams, chair of DSA, says: “It is wonderful that this event is getting people talking about stammering, and is raising awareness of both the British Stammering Association and the excellent support that is available locally.”

People who want to join Tim on the walk or be part of the conversation can follow Tim’s progress on the map on the BSA website www.stammering.org/stamwalk. Anyone can join the walk at any stage for as long or a short as you like. Tim will be fundraising for the BSA and will be walking until September 21.