The King's Speech - New Film Could Help Stammerers

Online, October 4, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The King's Speech

After walking away with the coveted people's choice award at the recent Toronto Film Festival, a new historical film 'The King's Speech' is due for screening at the London Film Festival this month .The Oscar tipped film directed by Tom Hooper, tells the story of the man who became King George Vl (played by Colin Firth), the father of Queen Elizabeth ll. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a severe stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush). Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly continue to lead his country into war.
Speech therapist Lionel Logue's unorthodox methods, featured in the film, are today still helping hundreds of adults and young people who stammer, thanks to the work of a non profit making organisation based in Sussex.
Anne Blight founded The Starfish Project 12 years ago to help people who stammer learn a technique to control something that had been controlling them. The technique that is taught is based on the early pioneering methods that Lionel Logue used with the late King. Anne worked and developed these techniques and coupled them with other modern methods that were known to help control stammering.
It is estimated that at least 750,000 people suffer from a stammer in the UK, as well as the millions more family members of the sufferers that are affected. Unfortunately the hard pressed services of the health service can offer little help to stammerers.
The lives of many hundreds of people have been changed because of the work of The Starfish Project, enabling them now to take on what would have been impossible situations and challenges before learning control.
For the hundreds of teenagers who have attended the course, they can look forward to a much brighter future and career potential with control over their speech.
Although stammering is rarely talked about or mentioned in the media, we feel that this would be of interest to readers with the connections between a major film, the Queen's father and the fact that the methods are still helping people today. Coincidentally the films screening at the London Film Festival is on the eve of the annual International Stammering Awareness Day.
We would be delighted to talk to you about the work of the Project accompanied by person / persons who have been through the Project. We of course have DVD s of these people before they were taught the techniques. I am sure that like everyone else that sees these videos you will be staggered by the amazing difference.
As the Starfish Project is non profit making, we do not approach you with this as a sales pitch. We simply wish to improve public awareness of the problems of stammering and inform sufferers that there is hope.
We do hope that you can feature this and help to make the difference to the lives of people who stammer.

Anne Blight

The Starfish Project, Dial House, Nursery Lane, Ridgewood, TN22 5SE
Telephone: 01825 767268 Email: anne@starfishproject.co.uk
Web site: www.starfishproject.co.uk