Hello!

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. I'm walking a 22 Km section of the Thames Path Challenge from Hampton to Runnymede on 14 September to support 50 Million Voices - www.50millionvoices.org - helping to transform the world of work for people who stammer and for everyone. I am proud to be a Trustee.

Some 50 million people of employable age stammer across the globe, hence our name.

Misconceptions, prejudice, ignoring or simply not even seeing talents and strengths...these are some of the reasons why people who stammer are at least twice as likely to be unemployed and often under-perform at work, partly as a result of staying silent or not being heard, when inside they have plenty to contribute.

It does not need to be this way.

A lot hangs on job interviews which often create major barriers. Your support will help fund and continue our proven flagship online practice interviews programme.

This brings together people who stammer and people who don’t, with briefing sessions and workshops as well as the interviews themselves.

Our practice interviews:

* Help interviewees approach an interview confidently with a stammer

* Help develop listening and other relevant skills in interviewers

* Enable learning through experience in a safe space and on a topic rarely talked about

* Build valuable - and sometimes ongoing - relationships

* Have directly led to some people getting a coveted job or a promotion

As a linguist and someone who doesn’t stammer, this is important to me. I have always been interested in spoken language and human interaction, but I never really gave stammering and its impact on speakers and listeners much thought. I almost certainly have taken my own fluency for granted. What I've discovered has been a revelation about talent, communication, stammered speech and more.

My involvement with 50 Million Voices has made me think a lot about our listening behaviour and interaction more generally. How we all show up in the round can help or hinder others, and affect what they do or don’t say and how they feel - and not just at work.

We can all play a part by being curious, reflective and open and by making different and more enriching conversations possible. Your support means a lot. By making a donation, however big or small, you will make a very real difference to people’s lives.

Thank you!

If you'd like to take part we'd love you to join us. More info on how to do that on our website www.50millionvoices.org or email events@50millionvoices.org

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.