AS a child, Adam Black didn’t think the one thing that held him back would be the reason why he is thriving today.

“I have this memory of sitting in class in Primary 4. I was reading a novel and we were taking turns to read out in the class. I came to my turn and I just couldn’t say anything at all.”

Just like thousands across the country, Adam has a stammer – something that he has lived with for nearly 23 years now.

As a young boy, his stammer limited his abilities to speak with friends, in front of class or even something that seems as simple as asking for a cinema ticket. .

Through finding a therapy that worked for him at The McGuire Programme, Adam, now 30, has learned to embrace what he calls his “quirk” and now works as a teacher and campaigner for stammer awareness.

Adam, who works at Williamwood High School and lives in Eaglesham, has been educating pupils and staff alike about stammering ans how to deal with someone with a stammer as part of Stammer Awareness Day 2019.

He said: “Stuttering is just a quirk that I have that is just a part of me. I didn’t like it for a long time but when I did start to talk about it, I started to enjoy it and my life at whole a lot more.

“I think the thing is, if you’re honest with folk and honest about it then they often open up about their own issues.

“Everybody has an issue that they’re dealing with. It just so happens that ours is stammering.”

Over the past few years, Adam has seen the increase in awareness firsthand, with people often turning to popular TV shows and films such as The King’s Speech for understanding on the subject, something which he thinks is vital to raising awareness on the issue.

“When I was a child, the only people you saw stuttering was porky pig. When people ask something like “have you seen The King’s Speech?”, it’s just another opportunity to talk about it. All of these things definitely puts it in a positive light.”

Adam was even named in The Queen’s Honours List in January of this year - receiving a prestigious British Empire Medal for his activism - something which he described as an”amazing full circle moment”.

But for Adam, the issue is bigger than receiving recognition for his campaign; it’s about changing the lives of thousands of people all across the country.

“An absolute aim of mine is that stammering is a normal thing, so much so that people don’t notice it anymore.

“The big message for people is to just embrace who you are and things get easier.”