On the 20th June, I’ll be walking 50km to raise money for STAMMA – the UK charity supporting people who stammer.

I’ve stammered since I was four years old. For most of my life, I hid it. I felt ashamed of being different and spent years trying to make sure no one noticed. My stammer shaped many of my life choices – I avoided situations where I might have to speak, missed opportunities, lost friendships, and lived with constant anxiety about being “found out.”

For a long time, I thought these experiences were uniquely mine.

Then in 2021, everything changed when I discovered STAMMA. For the first time in my life, I met other people who stammered. I heard stories that sounded just like my own. Suddenly I wasn’t alone anymore.

Since then, I’ve become involved in as many ways as I can – volunteering on the helpline and supporting other services. Today, I’m incredibly lucky to work for STAMMA, meeting people who stammer every day and supporting them as they make changes in their lives.

STAMMA’s work changes lives. It certainly changed mine.

But charities like this rely on funding and grants to continue supporting people who stammer, running services, and building a community where no one has to feel alone.

So this 50km walk is my small way of giving something back.

If you’re able to donate anything at all, it would mean a lot – and it will help STAMMA continue their important work supporting people who stammer across the UK.

Thank you so much for your support.