Living with Aphasia: 'It's a magnificent shock - it's like something being cut off'

• ITV News' Verity Wishart went along to the Aphasia conversation group in Longwell Green

A man from Bristol living with Aphasia has said the condition has been 'a magnificent shock'.

Tim, who attends an Aphasia Conversation Group in Longwell Green has been struggling with his speech after suffering from a stroke six months ago.

"It's a magnificent shock, it's a shock - what happened to me, it's like something being cut off", he said.

"But then it can slowly come back again, it's been six months now - so quite good."

"Speaking is the great answer. It's opening my eyes."

Aphasia is a complex language disorder affecting peoples ability to understand, read, write and speak.

It is caused by damage to the brain often as a result of a stroke, cancer or head trauma due to damage within the language centres inside the brain.

Across South Gloucestershire, around 4,000 people suffer with Aphasia with 350,000 people living with the condition in the UK.

Bristol After Stroke (BAS) is a charity funding community sessions in Longwell Green and across the city, offering a safe space for those living with the condition to meet and share their experiences.

One attendee, Rachel says the group as been "excellent" .

"It's the first time I met other people who've had a stroke after I had my stroke, and it was so friendly and warm so you don't feel embarrassed about the lost words."

Sarah Woodward is a speech and language therapist running the sessions.

"It's great to be surrounded by other people just like them - and who understand, who can give them the time and the patience.

"They can share their experiences, which although each experience is very individual - there's still a lot of mutual understanding."

Hazel Hammond was a poet but has had to navigate being no longer able to read or write after suffering from a stroke.

"It makes me feel pretty awful that I can open a book of my old poetry and I can't understand it.

"I joined a similar group that was doing all sorts of arts and I began to speak because I began to sing again.

"I think it's the only way forward actually - it's good to have your family around you but not everyone has a good family like that."

Rebecca Sheehy, chief executive officer at Bristol After Stroke, said funding is critical.

She said: "We are funded in South Gloucestershire by the local authority which we are extremely grateful for to make these things happen, for people and get the support to people at the right time and for as long as they may need it."

June is Aphasia awareness month and the #RockingAphasia campaign hopes to raise awareness of the disorder.

As part of the campaign people have been painting ‘#RockingAphasia’ on a pebble and hiding it somewhere, posting a photo of the pebble on Twitter and Facebook and placing it somewhere where it can be found to symbolise it is a 'hidden disability'.