Nottingham self help group, 1986-2006, and beyond
By David Preece

"Why don't you start a self help group, I'm sure you could do it," said my speech and language therapist Carolyn DesForges, twenty years ago.

I liked the idea - if only for the fact that several of us from a previous therapy evening group were looking for an opportunity to practice slow prolonged speech technique as a spin-off from one-to-one therapy.

But me? Set up a group...? I'd never organised anything in my life, always preferring to stay on the fringe of the crowd because of a severe stammer. However, buoyed by some success in therapy and improving confidence, I agreed.

I was fortunate at the outset to discover Self Help Nottingham, a unique organisation offering advice to people starting new support groups. An inspirational meeting with the then leader of the team, Judy Wilson, was to prove crucial. With her know-how and Carolyn's support, the group was quickly formed and developed.

Our focus for the first few years was on practicing a speech technique. After a while it became clear that we needed a new direction with more time spent on problem solving in speech and sharing experiences, and less of an emphasis on fluency techniques - in essence, a true self help group.

As a direct result, we probably lost several members, but gained more as time went by through producing a quarterly programme of varied topics and the occasional guest speaker. During this next phase, members became involved in local and regional media, newspaper features, radio and TV interviews. This activity continues, most recently with several of us being recorded for BBC Radio Nottingham's breakfast show last November. We also organised three open days which were well received by the large audiences who attended.

A real highlight for us was being asked by the former BSA director, Peter Cartwright, to be the local organising committee for the first national conference, held at Swanwick on the Notts./Derbyshire border in 1995.

We accepted the challenge with great enthusiasm and, building on our open day experience, provided a week-end template for future conferences.

We are very grateful to Carolyn DesForges and her colleagues for support, and to the ideas, input, humour and experiences of members, to whom the biggest debt of gratitude must go. Continuity of support and encouragement remains a core value for members old and new.

At the recent Telford conference, members Matthew Slade, Norman Tomlinson and I presented a workshop on self help groups to an interested audience who, hopefully, will go on to start new groups or give fresh ideas to existing ones.

More information: Nottingham self-help group details