Thank you for visiting my fundraising page! I’m running the half marathon for the very first time, to raise money for the British Stammering Association (BSA) (www.stammering.org), the only UK charity which provides relief and support to all whose lives are affected by stammering.
I am doing this run because I have lived with a stammer almost all my life and I want to help raise awareness of the much valued and appreciated work of the BSA.
Around 800,000 people in the UK are affected by stammering; every year, 80,000 families in the UK will discover that their child has a stammer. This news can cause many feelings among parents, from fear and disbelief to helplessness and guilt.
Stammering usually occurs in early childhood – between the ages of 2-4. If a child is not referred to a speech therapist and not provided appropriate therapy, the child will develop a chronic stammer and face many difficulties in their adult lives, such as educational under achievement, loss of employment and social isolation. These negative feelings have even led to some stammerers (in severe cases) to suicide.

The money that I raise will help the BSA to continue to provide parents, whose child stammers, or anyone else concerned about stammering, unbiased information on stammering and local speech therapy services. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of early-intervention speech therapy for children under 5. In addition, adults will be able to access information on relevant speech therapy courses and employment and discrimination issues.

Please donate generously and help the BSA to continue to change the lives of thousands of people for the better.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: the BSA will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Daniel Rankin