Celebrating 10 years of NETA

On Tuesday I went along to The Mansion House in Newcastle for afternoon tea to celebrate the North East Trust for Aphasia’s 10^th Anniversary. It was a great afternoon and I met some lovely people.  I was wearing my Giving Voice badge and was able to have a few Giving Voice related conversations with the people sat at the same table as me.

For those of you who don’t know, the North East Trust for Aphasia (NETA) is an independent registered charity which is self funded. Aphasia often arises after stroke or other brain trauma and it means difficulties with communication (speaking, understanding, reading, writing). Aphasia has a sudden and profound effect on the person, their family and friends. It impacts on the individual’s confidence, personal relationships, employment and social life.

NETA supports people who have Aphasia in the North East, and their families as well as raising awareness of Aphasia.

Tuesday afternoon was lovely, it was great to meet lots of people who benefit directly from NETA as well as listening to the inspiring speeches from, Janet Speight (chair of NETA), Professor David Howard and the Lord Mayor of Newcastle.

In Janet’s speech she mentioned how happy everyone always is when attending NETA. She said that you might expect the people there to be sad but everyone is always happy. I was really inspired by the sheer determination of the individuals who have aphasia and how they don’t let this stop them communicating to the best of their ability.

It was also lovely to hear so many people talk about how much NETA, and Speech and Language Therapy has helped them and their families since their stroke.

NETA is a brilliant charity and I was delighted I could be part of the 10 year celebration. Keep up the great work NETA and here’s to the next 10 years! Why not go and check out NETA’s lovely new website?! http://www.neta.org.uk  

Speech and Language Therapy Transforms Lives