This is a guest post by Jack Dinsley from Kirkham, founder of the Be Kind Stammer Campaign. If you’d like to write a guest post for Blog Preston, email contactus@blogpreston.co.uk.

2021 hasn’t started off the way that we wanted it to. We’re back in another lockdown but that doesn’t mean that it has to stop us from working towards our goals.

I’m focusing on my goals for my stammer campaign and working towards raising more awareness.

In January 2020, I initially launched the Be Kind Stammer Campaign which would see me visiting primary schools and working with pupils and teachers into raising more awareness for those who stammer. The visits aren’t just for schools that have students who stammer but for schools that wish to learn about stammering. After addressing and working with over 500 pupils and teachers we entered the first lockdown.

Over the course of the year, I have worked in contacting schools, promoting the Be Kind brand and working at raising funds for the campaign.

Now a year on the campaign has grown from strength to strength. I have gone onto appear on BBC Radio Lancashire and BBC Newsbeat in October 2020 for International Stammering Awareness Day.

Read more: Living with a stammer: Why I won’t be silenced this International Stammering Awareness Day

I now have three amazing Stam-Activists (stammer activists) of Alanna, Georgie and Erin on the team which is just fabulous.

I’ve even been asked to work with universities – beginning with Birmingham City University from February. If you’re a university and you want to find a way of me working with Speech and Language students, please email bekindstammer@gmail.com.

It’s been a year of success for stammering and the awareness that it brings. However, I know how difficult it has been for those of us who stammer. So here are some tips for you if you are having a bad stammer day.

1) Try and find ways to calm yourself. If you’re nervous or stressed it can make your stammer much worse on that day
2) When you’re at the shop wearing your mask, it can be very difficult for other people to sometimes realise that you have a stammer. Take your time whilst talking and don’t feel like you have to rush yourself
3) Be kind to yourself. It’s a hard time for everyone and even more so if you’re putting pressure on yourself to be perfect

Read more: Mental Health Family Hour relaunched to benefit young people struggling due to Covid-19 restrictions

Any donations via my Be Kind Stammering Campaign GoFundMe would be so appreciated and help with the school visits and creating much needed awareness.

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines

What do you think of Jack’s campaign? Let us know in the comments.