Why my name tastes like old chewing gum

MEET THE MAN WHO HAS CONDITION THAT MAKES HIS BRAIN STIMULATE MULTIPLE SENSES

- PAIGE OLDFIELD

A MAN who can TASTE words and sounds has shared his unique experience - saying his own name tastes like old chewing gum.

James Wannerton has synaesthesia, a neurological condition that causes the brain to stimulate more than one sense at the same time.

Some may see colours where they hear sounds or read words while others can experience tastes, smells, shapes or touches.

James, from Levenshulme, was just five-years-old when he experienced the condition for the first time on the London Underground. He can recall tasting rhubarb when he heard the trains screech by.

From that moment on, the phenomenon became a constant part of James' life leaving him tasting every sound or word he came across.

This included the names of his family members, with his mother's name causing a brain freeze sensation, his dad's name tasting like processed peas and his sister's name tasting like blackcurrant yoghurt.

As he entered his teenage years, the now 65-year-old said the condition massively impacted his friendships and relationships, playing a key role in who he decided to date.

"As a teenager, when I started going out with girls, the taste of their name and voice played a large part in general attraction," he told the M.E.N. "It was just as important to me as their personality and looks.