"Read all about it!!"

Journalists are becoming my new best friends this week! On Sunday night I went to see ‘The Feeling’ in Newcastle and got talking to a trainee journalist there (from a North East regional newspaper). Always keen to Give Voice, I told him about Speech and Language Therapy and the campaign. I also told him that I am joining other SLTs in London next week to talk to our MPs (can’t believe it’s only a week to go!!). He was interested in what I had to say and we exchanged contact details. I don’t know if anything will come of it, but it’s always good to have another contact! J

Our Ashington Extra arrived with a thud today and I decided to have a flick through it to see what exciting things have been happening in Ashington over the last week! I was delighted to see that there was a short piece about the talk I did with Liz in Newbiggin last Tuesday. The journalist I contacted last week was interested in hearing more about my campaigning (he is impressed with how proactive and enthusiastic I am!) and I’m glad he got another short piece printed in The Extra. I was pleased to see he published the GV web address, and he also printed my email in case any other groups would like a similar talk. I think the over 50’s really enjoyed the talk and I’d love to Give Voice to other groups too.

The journalist also asked me to report back how it goes with Ian Lavery next week J so hopefully some further publicity will follow.

Ashington Extra - Wednesday 12th October

A Quiz, some chocolate and a Ukulele!

This afternoon I attended an Over 50’s Club in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, with another SLT (Liz Panton) to talk about Giving Voice, and Speech and Language Therapy.  Before I got there I was a little nervous, as the prospect of talking to a group of pensioners was a little daunting. However, they welcomed us with open arms and I soon got into my stride!

I shared my Giving Voice poem (How would you feel?)  which everyone seemed to enjoy. I thought this was a nice introduction to what Speech and Language Therapy is about.  I asked the group (of about 40 people) if anyone had heard of Speech and Language Therapy before today and only 2 people raised their hands. I talked about the work we do and about why it is important.  I also talked about Giving Voice, my campaigning and the work of the campaign so far. I told them that two weeks today (!!) I will be talking to our MP Ian Lavery in Westminster as part of a mass mobilisation J I talked for about 10-15 minutes and then Liz very kindly played her ukulele song (fantastic!)

I gave everyone some chocolates to eat as they were completing the quiz, and everyone received a pen and a leaflet. The winning quiz team were rewarded in chocolate (which went down well!) I asked everyone to pass on the leaflet and tell someone one thing they learnt today to help Give Voice a little further!

I asked everyone to complete a speech bubble but not many people did. I asked one lady what communication means to her and she said “what does it mean to me? Well it’s everything!” Which I thought was very well said!

At the end of the talk one of the group members told us that her late husband had a stroke which left him with significant communication difficulties. Following his stroke he received speech and language therapy, which she says was fantastic.   For the last 8 and a half years of his life, she spent every afternoon using an old type writer to communicate with her husband, typing a message and patiently waiting for him to type his response.  

One of the people attending the group this afternoon works in a care home (and was accompanying one of the residents to the group). She took some leaflets and posters to take back to work with her and said she thinks the care home may be interested in me talking there. I gave her my email address in case she would like to get in touch (watch this space!)

I have contacted 2 local newspapers about this afternoon, so fingers crossed I will hear something back J

I had a lovely afternoon and would thoroughly recommend other people contacting local groups such as this to Give Voice!

Liz and I after the talk

Me and the Winning Quiz team

Talking is what I do best...

Yesterday afternoon I made a phone call and arranged to attend a local over 50’s club to talk to the members there about Giving Voice and Speech and Language Therapy.

Those of you who know me personally know how much I like to talk, and as you may be aware, I am passionate about the Giving Voice campaign and the profession, so being given the opportunity to go and talk about it for about an hour is almost a dream come true!

I have arranged the talk for Tuesday 4^th October at 1pm. This is slightly sooner than I would have liked but as the group only meets once a fortnight it would have been the beginning of November if I didn’t go on October 4^th (as I will be in London on October 18^th for Mass Mobilisation – it’s not too late to sign up, here!)

The prospect of keeping 60 people of the older generation interested and engaged in what I have to say, for up to an hour is slightly daunting and feels like a bit of a challenge. However, I am always up for a challenge and feel this is an opportunity not to be missed! Who knows who could be sitting in the audience or who they may know?!

I am planning on having a little Speech and Language related quiz towards the end of the session, to keep them entertained and to see if they’ve been listening :-) I am also hoping that some people will complete a speech bubble to show their support of the campaign.

If anyone has any ideas they’d like to share with me that they think will appeal to the older generation then please do get in touch with me J I want the session to be as interactive and as positive as possible in the hope that as least one person will go on to tell someone else about the campaign and the important work of a Speech and Language Therapist!

The lady I telephoned to arrange the talk was lovely and very keen to arrange for me to attend (she even invited me to stay for a game of bingo after my talk!) If you have some spare time on your hands and know of a group that welcome guest speakers, why not see if you can go along and Give Voice?

Giving Voice, Oranges and Jelly Babies

On Sunday, I spent the day in South Shields supporting the 54,000 runners in the Great North Run.  We set up next to the 11 mile mark with a large Giving Voice banner, some Oranges and Jelly Babies. My sister and I were also wearing pink hoodies with a Giving Voice t-shirt over the top.

We had a large Giving Voice banner which was mounted onto some hardboard and a pole so that it would be visible on camera.

As the cameras came past with the elite runners I positioned the banner in view of the camera and my parents were sitting at home watching it on TV. The camera passed us  4 times and my parents report that on one of these occasions we made it to the TV J It was quite quick but a few of my family and friends text me to tell me they saw us with our banner J

As people were running past they were looking at the banner so it was potentially seen by all of the runners.

We gave out more than 100 oranges (cut into quarters) as well as 6 bags and 3 boxes of Jelly Babies (whilst wearing our Giving Voice t-shirts). Everyone was so grateful and it was so rewarding raising morale of the runners so far into the race J

All in all we had a fantastic day and got the Giving Voice logo (and message) out there to some more people. Even the rain didn’t put us off J

Me, my niece and Sister supporting the campaign

Giving Voice at the Great North Run

My brother-in-law is running in the Great North Run on Sunday and I am going along to support him. My sister lives in South Shields so we will be supporting near her house, around the 11 mile mark. I thought this would be a good opportunity to spread a little more Giving Voice awareness so I will be taking a large banner along with me. Also, my sister has been in the background on the TV coverage a few times over the years when the elite runners go past, so hopefully we can get the banner on TV! My sister and I will also be wearing T-shirts with the Giving Voice logo on.

I’m going to buy some oranges to cut into quarters to give out to the runners as they go past (just to be nice J)

I’ll be on the side lines all day and hopefully I can engage some other supporters in a Giving Voice conversation (before it starts etc).

If you are going to be supporting people at the GNR, why not take a banner, leaflets or wear a t-shirt (with GV logo, see previous blog entry) to try and spread the word a little further. If you aren’t going to the Great North Run, why not watch it on TV and see if you can spot us with the Giving Voice banner (you can let me know if I was successful!)

The Giving Voice banner might not make it to TV, but if nothing else, some more people will see the logo at the event itself. Good luck to everyone who’s running this year. Now let’s just keep our fingers crossed for a dry day!

Making a Giving Voice T-shirt

Another simple idea:

What you will need:

• Plain white t-shirt
• Computer and printer
• GV logo from the GV website
• Transfer paper (5 sheets for £2.50 from Asda)
• Iron

When I held the street fair events I did so wearing a t-shirt with the Giving Voice logo on. I printed this myself so thought I’d share this with you so others could do the same. It’s simple to do and not too expensive.

I bought some transfer paper from Asda and got 5 sheets for £2.50. These sheets are A4 in size and the logo looks good when printed onto them.

I got the logo from the Giving Voice website and made it A4 size in Microsoft word. I typed ‘Speech and Language Therapy Transforms Lives’ myself in a broader font to ensure it would iron onto the t-shirt ok.

You need to make the logo a mirror image (or select print mirror image if your printer allows) to ensure it is the right way when ironed onto the t-shirt.

Then you iron the transfer onto the front (and back?) of the t-shirt and you’re ready to go!

A simple way to get the logo noticed by more people. You never know who might see you wearing it and it can be a good conversation starter (making more opportunities to Give Voice!)

A Simple Idea..

My first entry of the month! Where is the year going?! Just over 5 weeks left until Mass Mobilisation!

I thought I’d share a simple idea with you to inspire you to spread the Giving Voice message a little bit more J For the majority of the year I have had a Giving Voice leaflet or poster in the window of the front room of our house which looks out onto a main road. The latest leaflet was becoming sun damaged so I decided to put a new poster in the window today.  As I was putting the poster in the window, a group of people walked passed and were reading the poster, spreading the message a little bit further. The poster (printed by the North of Tyne Steering Group) is also readable from across the road J

Why not put a Giving Voice leaflet in your window. Try timing it for a busy time of day so people see you putting it there and look J Even if you don’t live on a busy street you could put one in your window anyway, even if it’s only the postman that sees it, that’s spreading the message one person further J



My Front room window





Giving Voice poster