RCSLT at 80

8 pledges for 80 years

Not sure how to get involved in the anniversary? Why not try out our celebration pledges – eight ideas for actions, big and small, to make a difference to the profession and get more support for service users. Everyone is invited!

You can start these off by yourself or in collaboration with others. If you come up with an idea for an activity, why not share it and see if you can inspire others to do the same? Remember to capture your pledges in a photo or tell us your story by tagging @RCSLT and #RCSLTat80.

Download our pledges poster and see if you can tick off all eight!

• ONE. Give a talk at a local school or careers fair to promote speech and language therapy as a profession. We have tons of resources for those looking at a career in speech and language therapy as well as a toolkit for career promotion.

• TWO. Complete your member profile on the RCSLT website: this will help to build a better picture of our working lives and the people we support.

• THREE. Lobby your local council to get a communication board in your local park or communal space. You can also find out more about our influencing work.

• FOUR. Complete Communications Access UK training and share the training link with one other person – not necessarily an SLT! Visit communication-access.co.uk.

• FIVE. Lobby your MP to campaign for better resourcing for speech and language therapy: visit our campaigns page to see how RCSLT can help you to campaign.

• SIX. Host an SLTea party at your workplace or university to celebrate 80 years of the profession. Don’t forget to share your event pictures using #RCSLTat80

• SEVEN. Raise money for a charity that supports people who might need speech and language therapy, such as the Include Choir, Headway, Motor Neurone Disease Association, Stroke Association, Parkinsons UK and others.

• EIGHT. Read our guidance to help support those who are LGBTQIA+, disabled or neurodivergent. The RCSLT has partnered up with our member groups with lived experience to create guidance to help you raise awareness and promote understanding of how to be an ally, support your peers and identify your own support needs.

Picturing the profession

To mark the 80^th anniversary milestone, we commissioned photographers Cat Goryn and John Behets to capture the powerful moments—both big and small—that define the daily lives of SLTs across the UK.

Through their lens, we’ve highlighted the joy, the hard work, the challenges, the connections, and the unwavering dedication that SLTs bring to their work. These images reflect the compassion, resilience, and perseverance of those who tirelessly support people with communication and swallowing needs.

Our photographers were able to share their knowledge and lived experience through their work. John is a psychology graduate with an interest in language and speech after brain injury. He says: “I think it’s important to have an understanding of who I’m photographing in order to have an empathy with the subjects”.

Cat had speech and language therapy as a child. “I grew up shy and quiet, but not having a voice was something else. Like the ability to speak was taken away. Spending time with my SLT in a little quiet room in the depths of Addenbrookes hospital really changed my life. Being able to showcase this profession and the wonderful people in it goes a little way to repaying the impact it has had.”

You can view a selection of the images in our special 80^th anniversary edition of Bulletin (Winter 2024/25). There will also be opportunities to view the images through our pop-up exhibition which will be travelling around the country throughout our anniversary year. If you’re interested in hosting a pop-up in your organisation please contact us on info@rcslt.org for further information.

Acknowledgements

The photography exhibition could not have been possible without the staff and service users at: Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, HMP Brixton, The Include Project, Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Resources

The 80^th anniversary is not just a milestone for the organisation, but a chance for all speech and language therapists to celebrate the profession and promote what you do.

We have developed some information and materials you can use throughout the year alongside any local events and activities you develop.

Ident

We’ve created a simple ident for the 80^th anniversary that can be used by our members on any materials you produce to celebrate the anniversary.

Click on the image you want to use below to save.

Stickers

We’ve designed stickers to promote the 80^th anniversary and encourage people to find out more about speech and language therapy. Stickers are easy to print locally to suit your needs – just click the links below to download a print-ready version. We recommend printing them at approx 51mm size.

Download print file	Download print file	Download print file

Seed cards

As part of our drive to be sustainable, we’re planting seeds for the future with our ‘RCSLT at 80’ seed cards. Pick these up at our events throughout the year, or if you’re holding your own event let us know and we can send you some packets of your own. (Please note these will not be available until end of January).

Soak the card in water and plant under a thin layer of compost. Keep it damp and watch it grow flowers.

Template copy

Use the copy below and share information about what speech and language therapists do with your wider organisation, stakeholders and members of the public through your own newsletters and social media channels. Feel free to edit the text and add in as much information as you want. Speak to your organisations’ communications team who may be able to help you raise awareness of your role.

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists turns 80

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2025, and we want to use this moment to share information about the role of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in supporting people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). SLTs work in the [department(s)] alongside [any other professions you work closely with] to support [adults/children/people] with SLCN. This could be as a result of [conditions commonly treated by SLTs in your organisation]. Find out more about the work of SLTs by visiting [insert own website if appropriate and] the RCSLT website on www.rcslt.org.

Sharing the stories of our profession

Special 80th anniversary edition of Bulletin

We’re kicking off our anniversary year with a special 80th edition of Bulletin which includes our special photography feature and cover, plus lots of individual SLT stories and service user voices. The issue turns the spotlight on the SLTs of today to give a picture of the emotion, care and energy you invest in your working lives. Look out for it landing in your mailbox from 6 January or read it online.

What is speech and language therapy animation

As part of our anniversary, we’ve created a new animation to help explain to members of the public what speech and language therapy is and how it can help them. The animation follows the story of an SLT called Samira along with service users Katie and Patrick, and demonstrates the different ways in which speech and language therapy can be used to help people.

Check back soon to watch the new video.