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| Motor neurone disease man given Yorkshire voice | Motor neurone disease man given Yorkshire voice |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man with motor neurone disease (MND) is creating a voice synthesiser with a Yorkshire accent to help him keep his identity when he can no longer speak. | A man with motor neurone disease (MND) is creating a voice synthesiser with a Yorkshire accent to help him keep his identity when he can no longer speak. |
| Jason Liversidge, 41, originally from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was diagnosed with MND in 2013 and knows one day he will not be able to talk. | Jason Liversidge, 41, originally from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, was diagnosed with MND in 2013 and knows one day he will not be able to talk. |
| The condition affects cells that control muscle activity including for walking, swallowing and talking. | The condition affects cells that control muscle activity including for walking, swallowing and talking. |
| About 30 Yorkshiremen were needed to program a voice for Mr Liversidge. | About 30 Yorkshiremen were needed to program a voice for Mr Liversidge. |
| As the condition progresses, he can use a voice synthesiser similar to the one famously used by physicist Prof Stephen Hawking - but Mr Liversidge wanted to make sure it sounded more like his own voice. | As the condition progresses, he can use a voice synthesiser similar to the one famously used by physicist Prof Stephen Hawking - but Mr Liversidge wanted to make sure it sounded more like his own voice. |
| Mr Liversidge, who now lives in Rise near Hornsea, East Yorkshire, said: "One of the worst things is my brain knows exactly what I want to say and I go to say it, because the muscles don't work as well as they used to I'm like, stuttering." | Mr Liversidge, who now lives in Rise near Hornsea, East Yorkshire, said: "One of the worst things is my brain knows exactly what I want to say and I go to say it, because the muscles don't work as well as they used to I'm like, stuttering." |
| He added: "I would like to keep a form of identity. I don't just want to be a programmed voice on a computer. Also, for the kids and Liz, I want the voice not to be a computer one." | He added: "I would like to keep a form of identity. I don't just want to be a programmed voice on a computer. Also, for the kids and Liz, I want the voice not to be a computer one." |
| He is being helped by a Edinburgh research centre the Anne Rowling Clinic, which specialises in degenerative diseases. | He is being helped by a Edinburgh research centre the Anne Rowling Clinic, which specialises in degenerative diseases. |
| The centre, set up by Harry Potter author JK Rowling whose mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, is running a project which is trying to create personal synthetic voices, called Speak:Unique. | The centre, set up by Harry Potter author JK Rowling whose mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, is running a project which is trying to create personal synthetic voices, called Speak:Unique. |
| Mr Liversidge's speech is already starting to slur, but scientists aimed to "repair" the flaws in it with the aid of donors. | |
| The process involved finding people with a similar accent to read 400 phrases on to a computer, which were then banked and broken down into sounds to recreate any word. | |
| Dr Phillipa Rewaj, who is working on the project, said: "Rather than trying to record every single word in the dictionary, we capture all those sounds so that we can use them in any other word in which they occur. | Dr Phillipa Rewaj, who is working on the project, said: "Rather than trying to record every single word in the dictionary, we capture all those sounds so that we can use them in any other word in which they occur. |
| "Your voice is as identifiable to other people as your face is, it is very unique to you, so being able to preserve that I think is very important to people." | "Your voice is as identifiable to other people as your face is, it is very unique to you, so being able to preserve that I think is very important to people." |
| She used a video of a speech Mr Liversidge made at his sister's wedding as a benchmark, and needed 20 to 30 "donors" to fill in the gaps. | She used a video of a speech Mr Liversidge made at his sister's wedding as a benchmark, and needed 20 to 30 "donors" to fill in the gaps. |
| His wife, Liz Liversidge, said they were trying as a family to ensure they do as much together now as possible, as she knows the condition is life-limiting. | His wife, Liz Liversidge, said they were trying as a family to ensure they do as much together now as possible, as she knows the condition is life-limiting. |
| "It's really important for us that we try and get out and about with the girls and make as many memories as possible," she said. | "It's really important for us that we try and get out and about with the girls and make as many memories as possible," she said. |
| "We're trying to compile as many videos and photographs as possible, so later on when Jason is no longer here they have something to remember him by." | "We're trying to compile as many videos and photographs as possible, so later on when Jason is no longer here they have something to remember him by." |
| The "new" voice created by the clinic is controlled by Mr Liversidge using eye movements, focusing on letters to type out what he wants to say. | The "new" voice created by the clinic is controlled by Mr Liversidge using eye movements, focusing on letters to type out what he wants to say. |
| The couple are trying to keep family life as "normal" as possible - Mr Liversidge is still able to drive so he can do the school run and join his family on days out. | The couple are trying to keep family life as "normal" as possible - Mr Liversidge is still able to drive so he can do the school run and join his family on days out. |
| Despite this, Mrs Liversidge said it was the "constant progression" of the condition that they have found hard. "He's not even able to pick the girls up and give them a cuddle," she said. | Despite this, Mrs Liversidge said it was the "constant progression" of the condition that they have found hard. "He's not even able to pick the girls up and give them a cuddle," she said. |
| Nearly all the voices the clinic has worked on since it opened in 2011 have been Scottish, and Mr Liversidge's is the first Yorkshire accent. | Nearly all the voices the clinic has worked on since it opened in 2011 have been Scottish, and Mr Liversidge's is the first Yorkshire accent. |