PSA Yorkshire December 2024: Your Voice, Your Story

Darren Harris is a speaker, coach and facilitator who gives people in business and education the psychological skills to overcome adversity. He works with organisations that want a fun, unique and positive perspective.

He lost his sight after he was diagnosed with cancer of both eyes. But although he couldn’t regain his sight, he could unblind his mind, which meant transforming how he viewed blindness.

A dual Paralympian, Darren is best known as England’s most capped blind footballer. But he also competed at the Games in judo.

His motto is “Your eyes are useless unless you use what’s between your ears”.

From once being terrified of public speaking, Simon Day has both Toastmasters and the PSA to thank for helping him find his voice.

Simon joined the PSA in 2019 and took to the national stage in the Speaker Factor Final that year. He was then fully engaged in his demanding career of supporting school development through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic of the next few years.

After over a decade in secondary education with a distinct focus on oracy, including four years in educational leadership and coaching, and consequent to some significant personal challenges, Simon undertook a career change and founded a communications training and coaching business, training as an executive coach through the ILM Level 7 programme. He is husband to Laura (2013) and father to three children (plus an exasperated teacher to a lively, ginger spaniel puppy.) He loves to run (slowly), read and travel and is keen to bring his energy and experience to help grow PSA Yorkshire in 2026.