- After Dinner Speakers
- Conference Speakers
Topics:
- Inspirational
- Motivation & Teamwork
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Steve Cunningham
An truly inspirational person, Steve Cunningham has been speaking to audiences around the world. His ability to motivate through his own story means he is in regualr demand as both a conference and after dinner speaker
“…I have been lucky in life and have enjoyed success at both a personal and professional level. Through my career I have met and played with some of the greatest players the game of football has produced. Great characters and strong personalities, people such as my old friend and skipper, Bobby Moore and International legends like Pele and the “Kaiser” Franz Beckanbeur.
I can honestly say hand on heart though that nobody has inspired me in the same way as England International, Steve Cunningham. His story is an inspiration and his personal drive and ambition quite outstanding. A great motivational speaker, Steve Cunningham is a hero in every sense of the word…”
Sir Geoff Hurst MBE
When the world changed one day
The world disappeared from Steve Cunningham’s view one sunny day when the green and picturesque Malvern Hills became shrouded in a sinister, creeping grey mist that clouded out his vision.
What little had been left of his failing eyesight was now terminally obliterated. He was totally, irreversibly and permanently blind. Aged 12, lonely, confused, and housed in the Lickey Grange School for the Blind in Worcester, all he could see was one long black tunnel.
One of five children from a working class family whose parents were in the throes of a distressing divorce, Steve found himself in a black world. Never again would he see the Malvern Hills, but even more horrifying for him, his days as a promising junior footballer with Aston Villa were over, blacked out as effectively as were all the visual delights of a youngster growing up.
Surely all of this would be a recipe for a one-dimensional existence of assisted meals, radio, TV and talking books, or as he puts it “making baskets and selling matches”.
Change
But Steve Cunningham has never made a basket or sold a match. After a traumatic period of readjustment he simply set about getting on with his life without the luxury of eyesight. To him that meant tackling virtually everything that a sighted person could undertake, and succeeding with a panache that makes him a role model for other similarly or lesser-affected.
Steve offers his message of an uplifting tale of triumph over the cruellest of adversity, and even more exhilarating and uplifting because it is neither fictional nor far-fetched.
When the wretched despairing aftermath of the fretful day had eased, Steve set about exploiting his remaining four senses of sound, smell, touch and taste to the full, while adding a few abstract qualities to his repertoire, including faith, instinct, self belief, a sense of humour (especially a sense of humour) and a get-up-and-go courage that has seen him surmount seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Sport, Business & Life
In tandem with his pursuit of sporting achievement he also passed all his examinations at Business College, made impressive progress in his career with Barclays Bank and has raised sums of money for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Far more importantly he produced two beautiful daughters, Megan and Katie, whom he has never been able to feast a pair of admiring eyes.
“Your candid presentation was greatly appreciated and was the talk of the company for a good while. Its amazing what you can do when you decide you wanted to do it”
Simon Ralphs, Powwowwater
"Steve's motivational messages are a constant reminder that every day we can make a difference, if we set ourselves stretching objectives. Steve's achievements are truly awe inspiring and I have no hesitation in recommending him."
Martin Leuw, Group Chief Executive, Iris Group Limited
“You made us look at our lives in a totally different light. Our guests were impressed by a very impressive man”.
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
“ You have never yet let me down. Your audience, my clients, cannot wait to put your thoughts into practice. You inspire through your courage and your persoanlity"
MCA Directors Ltd
