BRUCE Galleway is perhaps not a typical recipient of an honorary degree.

Celebrities like J K Rowling, Sir David Attenborough and Dame Judi Dench can all legitimately use the title doctor in front of their names thanks to the honorary award.

Bruce does not play such a high-profile role, however, he has had a significant impact on his community.

He received one of five honorary doctorates at Essex University for overcoming his disabilities with humour and generosity.

Bruce, from Great Bentley, does not remember anything what happened in the six weeks after he suffered a stroke in April 2000.

At the age of just 32, he had no reason to suspect he would suffer the devastating condition which happened while he was asleep.

A Cat scan at hospital showed he had suffered a cerebral bleed deep in the brain and he spent three and a half weeks in intensive care.

He was in hospital for four and a half months in total.

Initially Bruce could not recognise faces and for a year after the stroke, he couldn’t speak.

He was also left with long-lasting aphasia which leaves people unable to use language correctly.

He underwent two years of speech and language therapy, which has enabled him to converse again.

Since then he has played a significant role at the university helping to shape the service in the School of Health and Social Care, validating a new Speech and Language Therapy programme.

He has also worked tirelessly in the community raising the profile of stroke and aphasia and supporting others who have suffered brain injury.

Bruce, 50, a Barclays bank cashier, said: “It was not an easy path. From my career in the bank and my passion for sailing and diving, I have had to make huge adjustments. Through the support I have received I am now able to feel I have done something useful with my life. I have regained a sense of purpose.”

In the early days after his stroke he worked with speech and language therapists in Colchester to help re-establish his own communication skills.

It was with forethought and the ability to see Bruce’s potential the senior therapist, Maggie Cooper, began to introduce him to other groups.

Bruce began to work on a voluntary basis, using his computer skills and working with others who had lost speech and language and required computer-based help.

Bruce soon began working more widely in a voluntary capacity, starting with the Tendring Specialist Stroke Services in Clacton in 2004.

He began to expand his volunteering activity, working for Headway Suffolk in Ipswich and Headway Essex in Colchester.

In 2011, Bruce was given the National Headway Volunteer of the Year award for his services to Headway.

Essex University alumnus Annabel Hodges said Bruce had an ability to influence those with and without communication difficulties.

She said: “Bruce influenced my understanding of aphasia and my subsequent practise as a therapist. In addition to hearing and interacting with him in a university context, I was fortunate to spend time volunteering alongside him at Headway Essex.

“I observed first-hand how he gives his time and energy and his skills in teaching computer use. Alongside this, however, he also brings valuable personal experience, honesty and openness.

“He is an invaluable voice of empathy and authenticity in community support and education.”

Furthering his work in the community Bruce has volunteered for the Colne Stroke Club in Colchester for more than ten years.

He continues at Headway Essex as well as the Motor Neurone Disease Association and has been instrumental in setting up a quarterly newsletter for the north east Essex branch.

Broadening his voluntary experience further Bruce has worked for the National Trust volunteer team at Flatford Mill for several years.

Bruce is inspirational, a calming influence, and a role model for those with and without disability.

Bruce is proof of how anyone can overcome adversity to positively influence the lives of others. With characteristic modesty he said: “The worthwhile work I am now involved with has opened up my life. It has brought me the joy of friendship and belonging in a community within these special organisations.

“It is a privilege to be part of the dedication and commitment that my colleagues display, very often in very difficult situations and with families who are extremely challenged.”