News and Events Newsletters June Newsletter 2026 Hello and thank you for taking time to read our newsletter. We'd first like to share some words from a member with aphasia: “It’s like watching a film out of sync, it takes a while for the words to catch up.” Janine North, Hayling Island Support Group Leader Our work is always to ensure that nobody faces aphasia alone. Over the past few months we have celebrated new groups, community awards, fundraising successes and inspiring stories from both our members and volunteers across the UK. NEW GROUPS Hemel Hempstead: 📅 1st Friday of every month 🕚 11am–1pm Read more:Hemel Hempstead group article Bromsgrove: 📅 1st and 3rd Friday of every month 🕥 9:30am–11:30am Read more:Bromsgrove group page REMINDER: Online drop-in group📅 Every Wednesday 🕥10amJoin the Zoom group PRESS Our Burgess Hill group received a donation from Town Mayor Stuart Condie and Councillor Mathew Goldsmith. The £500 cheque was presented at the Burgess Hill Say Aphasia group. Read more: Mid Sussex Times article The BBC recently highlighted the importance of communication support for people living with aphasia. Stories like Anette’s help more people understand aphasia and why connection, confidence, and community matter so much. Read the BBC article “My Memory Diary” - A wonderful feature sharing the warm welcome and support offered through our Say Aphasia groups. Read the article Podcast feature: Our ambassador Hanka Mayhew appeared on The Tip of my Tongue podcast. Listen to the podcast Our Barnstaple group has created a communication sanctuary! Read more NETWORKING Upcoming Parliament visit - We are excited to be visiting Parliament in June to continue raising awareness of Say Aphasia and communication accessibility. Pete inspires - Our Darlington Peer Leader, Pete, has been speaking to Speech and Language Therapy students about living with aphasia. The students from York St John University described Pete as: “Inspiring” “Positive” “Powerful” “Incredibly informative” His talks are helping future clinicians better understand the real-life impact of aphasia. Thank you Pete! FUNDRAISING Darlington Lions Club: A huge thank you to Darlington Lions Club, who funded a special day out for our Darlington group members. Katie's Edinburgh Marathon: Katie's Dad, Ronnie, has a stroke in February and is now living with aphasia which has taken away his ability to communicate. Katie ran the Edinburgh Marathon at the end of May and has raised a total of £1,892 so far, thank you Katie! See Katie's Fundraising page here: https://www.sayaphasia.org/fundraisers/katies-sayaphasia-fundraising-page GRANTS We are grateful for support from: Somerset Community Foundation - £3000 Woodroffe Benton Foundation - £1600 Burgess Hill Town Council - £300 Worcester City Council - £250 Thank you for helping our groups continue. GROUP UPDATES Winchester: Won the Mayor of Winchester’s Community Award for service to the local community. This recognition celebrates the incredible support, friendship, and communication confidence built within the group. Bromsgrove: The Bromsgrove group enjoyed a special visit from a therapy dog, bringing smiles, calm, and confidence to the room. Animals can be wonderful conversation starters and help everyone feel relaxed and connected. Bournemouth: Members took part in an art workshop where they explored painting with acrylics during a creative workshop led by a local artist. The session encouraged self-expression through colour, creativity, and conversation. Chichester: Took a ‘trip to to Japan’ The Chichester group explored Japanese culture during a themed session filled with quizzes, food tasting, and conversation. Members tried Japanese noodles, rice, and chicken teriyaki and learned that KFC is a popular Christmas tradition in Japan! Darlington: Afternoon tea at a museum Fully funded by the Lion’s group! Pete did a presentation with the Lions group and they are now supporting us by funding a day trip once a year. Woodingdean: Busy bee’s! A friend of one of the group's members came in to talk to the group about beekeeping! You spoke, we listened! Our I Have Aphasia support cards now include space on the back for emergency contact details. Order here! HANKA'S HOUR What has our ambassador Hanka Mayhew been up to? She met the president of the Aphasia State Association, André Laqua, in Germany and went to his drop-in group. HOW DO PEOPLE WITH APHASIA FEEL ABOUT OUR SUPPORT GROUPS? We asked members how much they agreed with this statement: “I like having somewhere to meet others with aphasia.” ⭐ Average score: 9.77 out of 10 The social connection and friendship within our groups continue to be one of the most valued parts of Say Aphasia. If you would like to share feedback, please contact us by email, WhatsApp, or phone: Colin Lyall 📞 07796 143118 SUPPORT SAY APHASIA Can you donate £5 a month to help our groups thrive? Your support helps people living with aphasia find friendship, confidence, and communication support. You can also support us through: One Lottery Give As You Live Easy Fundraising Thank you We would also like to thank our amazing volunteers and peer leaders for their dedication, kindness and support. Missed out on the last newsletter? Click here to discover more. Manage Cookie Preferences