‘My own journey,’ Tom continues, returning the glass to the table, ‘began when I was involved in a car accident and the other party involved, a man around my age, was paralyzed from the neck down. I took time off work. I struggled to get out of bed and, when I did, I’d only make it as far as the living room. Sometimes I watched television, listlessly, not really taking it in. Sometimes I’d just lie on the sofa and stare at the ceiling. I stopped seeing my friends, I stopped exercising, I ate junk food – shovelling it down without tasting it – and then I stopped sleeping. I began to dread going to bed because I was afraid of the thoughts that would whirl around my head. I’d stay on the sofa until five or six a.m., staring at the TV, only sleeping when exhaustion finally claimed me. But I wouldn’t sleep for long. I’d get three, maybe four hours sleep, tops, and then I’d be wide awake again.’

Kate spots several of the guests nodding, empathising with his story. He’s pulled them back in, his uncomfortable pause forgotten. Joy, on the end, has her elbows on her knees, her face in her hands, gazing at him adoringly.

‘One day,’ Tom continues, ‘I woke up and my left foot was numb and my calf was tight. I assumed I’d slept on it awkwardly, but the sensation remained all day. The next day I woke up with a numb right hand. I Googled my symptoms and when multiple sclerosis showed up on the first page I started to worry. I tried not to panic but, over the course of a week, my left leg became progressively weaker, collapsing under me several times a day. When I abruptly lost the vision in my right eye I made an emergency appointment to see my GP. She listened as I described my symptoms then examined me and ordered a blood test. I barely slept for the five days it took to get the test results back. I knew, from Googling, that the blood test wouldn’t diagnose MS, it was to rule out other conditions, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something seriously wrong with me. My bloods were normal, my GP told me when she finally rang, but she wanted to refer me to a neurologist. I burst into tears. I was facing an uncertain future alone with a degenerative condition. To say that was the lowest moment of my life would be an understatement.’ He pauses, his face flushed with emotion. His audience is enrapt, staring intently at him, waiting for him to continue speaking. Kate feels a swell of pride. She wrote this speech and taught him how to deliver it, how to vary the tone of his voice and the pace for maximum impact. And now he inspires trust in people within seconds of meeting them.