A TEACHER who was once held back by a stammer has been awarded a British Empire Medal for his efforts to help others battling the condition.

Adam Black, from Eaglesham, teaches at Eastmuir Primary School in the Balornock area of Glasgow, fulfilling a dream which once seemed completely out of his grasp.

The dad-of-two suffered with a stammer when he was young, and went through years of unsuccessful speech therapy and elocution lessons in a bid to move past it.

After struggling to overcome the problem, Mr Black was eventually helped through the McGuire Programme, an emotionally-charged residential course run by former stammerers which encourages people to take ownership of their stammer and not hide from it.

Now Mr Black has put much of his time into raising awareness of stammering and helping others to overcome its challenges.

Earlier this year, he teamed up with BBC The Social to produce a short film entitled ‘Embracing My Stutter: Adam’s Story.’

The three-minute video saw Mr Black discuss how he used to change his name to John as it was easier to say but has now grown confidence to give speeches at his own wedding and as a best man.

The video can be viewed by going to www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06d9d3z.