THE dowager Duchess of Bedford paid a flying visit to Tavistock last week to receive a cheque from students at Kelly College on behalf of the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia. The Duchess?s husband, Robin, the 14th Duke of Bedford, suffered a stroke in 1988 which severely affected his speech in a manner known as aphasia. As a result of his experience, he founded the Tavistock Trust to raise money to help other sufferers access vital speech and language therapists. Mark Steed, headmaster at Kelly, said the trust was the school?s nominated charity for 2003/04. ?The money was raised throughout the year ? there were charity discos, mufti days, chapel collections etc,? he said. ?The Duke of Bedford originally gave the land for the college and in 2002, the Duke officially opened Russell House here, so we said at that time we would like to support his charity.? The Duchess said she was delighted to accept the £3,250 cheque on behalf of the trust. ?My husband felt very strongly that he would like to be able to do something to help other people who had suffered in the same way. ?Aphasia is not losing comprehension, it?s a problem with the ability to acccess language and it?s something most people know nothing about,? said the Duchess. She said following the trust?s inception, it had held a symposium with other charities involved with the condition to form an aphasia alliance, aimed at heightening public awareness. ?I think it?s going to be a big step for the future,? she said. The trust is currently working towards a £2-million fundraising target with the aim of establishing research and teaching clinics across the country.