Teenager overcomes stammer to speak on radio phone-in

A young Shrewsbury Town fan with a stammer has said taking part in a radio football phone-in had given him the confidence to speak more fluently.

Ben, 14, has worked with speech therapists over the years and said in the past he had struggled in school, avoiding putting up his hand in class.

However, along with his father and two brothers, he is a season ticket holder at the Croud Meadow, and has a good knowledge of football. He said speaking on the subject had helped reduce his stammer.

Just before Christmas, he called BBC Radio Shropshire's post-match phone-in The Verdict, after the club's 1-0 home loss to Chesterfield. Although and said while he had been nervous, taking part had given him a sense of "relief".

"I just spoke with the flow and kept on going and once I put the phone down, I was proud of myself really," he said.

"I didn't think that from where I was a few years ago, not being able to form sentences properly that I'd be sat here on a radio station."

He said while taking part had been a "no brainer", it had felt "a bit weird" to hear himself on the radio.

"With how I have had problems with my speech in the past, it is good to hear me speak fluently in front of a large group of people," he said.

"It is strange, your voice sounds a lot different to how you think it sounds like, so that's the biggest thing.

"I enjoy listening to the radio and I felt like it was the right time to for me."

Following the show, his father Martin contacted the radio station to explain how the phone-in had really helped his son.

"It is difficult as a parent, when you have young children and you want everything to be as a smooth as it can be," he said.

"It is something that is going to be there probably forever, but him going through his therapy and learning to deal with it, his mum and myself are incredibly proud."

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.