F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6 G D A i s a C o m p a n y L i m i t e d b y G u a r a n t e e 2 6 9 2 7 1 8 a n d a Hear for You R e g i s t e r e d C h a r i t y i n E n g l a n d N o . 1 0 1 5 9 3 7 FREE HEARING-AID CLINICS CHELTENHAM HALF MARATHON CLUB UPDATES and much more... A TRAVEL STORY THROUGH THE LENS OF OBSCURA USA This newsletter has been kindly sponsored by Davis Gregory Solicitors
Welcome Welcome to GDA’s Hear for You newsletter. This issue feels like a celebration. It's so easy when you're working flat out every day and still your in-tray grows, to lose sight of all the achievements that are quietly taking place along the way. The following pages provide news for you and a reminder to us of the positive and sometimes huge impact GDA has made to the lives of deaf, deaf blind and hard of hearing people in Gloucestershire. For those of us who have the privilege of working or volunteering at GDA, it fee very special place. The traditional charity values of compassion and empathy are central to the way we treat the people we support and indeed each other. But, as you will read too, we also have a wonderful capacity for fun. Last year GDA excelled once again in the delivery of many services, from providing sign language communication support to installing listening aid equipment to keep people safe at home; from creating award-winning deaf awareness training films to putting on events for families with hearing impaired children. The feedback we receive from people who use our services is nothing short of outstanding. But the challenge remains enormous: generally speaking, people with a severe or profound hearing impairment are as active as fully hearing people, eat a similar amount of vegetables, drink less alcohol, and smoke far fewer cigarettes*. So why are they: * More likely to be overweight * Twice as likely to have high blood pressure * Four times as likely to be on the verge of diabetes * Five times as likely to develop dementia GDA has never been stronger in our belief that it is possible to transform deaf people’s lives for the better, and we have never had a clearer vision of how to achieve that simply and cost effectively. For all our achievements last year, we will strive to do even more this year and we will continue to share our stories. Thank you for your support. Jenny Hopkins, Chief Executive Jenny Hopkins, Chief Executive JOIN US ON Facebook GDAGlos Twitter @glosdeaf Linkedin Gloucestershire Deaf Association Youtube GDAGlosDeaf *2014 - Signhealth 'Sick of It' report Thanks to local law firm, Davis Gregory, for sponsoring the cost of printing this newsletter. Davis Gregory is delighted to support GDA in producing 'Hear for You'. Working with GDA we are taking steps over the coming months to improve the services we can offer Deaf and also hard of hearing people. If we can be of any assistance to you, please do get in touch on 01242 235020 or visit www.cheltenhamsolictitors.co.uk GET IN TOUCH Telephone 01452 372999 Mobile 07875 610860 Email admin@gda.org.uk Website www.gda.org.uk 2
Sam's story Two years ago Sam Bryan set up her cleaning business with the help of GDA's award-winning 'Mutton Jeffrey' project. We spoke to Sam to find out how her business is going... Hi, please introduce yourself Hi, I am Sam Bryan and I live in Gloucester. I am profoundly deaf and have been deaf since birth. I am married to Patrick and have two children. What is your business? I offer cleaning, laundry and ironing services to people in Gloucestershire. I c offer collection so people don’t have to travel to GDA to collect their laundry. How has GDA helped you with your business? I used to advertise my business by putting a notice in my front room window for people walking by and with that, I got about 4 or 5 jobs a year. Now, with GDA’s support, I have developed a full-time job. In fact, I am now considering bringing some deaf people under my wing. GDA offers support with any problems that I may have, including helping me with accountancy and communication support with customers. What would you like your business to be in doing in two years? I dream of having my own business and I want my family to be proud of me. In two years’ time, I would like to hire an office and have a team of five working for me using a fleet of vans with my name on it. And finally, a little about you - what’s your ideal day out in Gloucestershire? Meeting deaf friends in a café followed by a pub lunch. I also enjoy walking with dogs in Wingate Park and shopping in Gloucester. For more information about Mutton Jeffrey and the services available please contact mutton.jeffrey@gda.org.uk or contact 01452 372999. GDA's Friendship Circle k the spring of 2016 we launched the GDA Friendship Circle; a group which gether the county’s hard of hearing clubs and hard of hearing individuals. The group has replaced our previous Friends of GDA scheme and while it offers the same benefits, we’re delighted to say that it is now free to join and we welcome new members at anytime to come along to one of our Circle events. Future Friendship Circle dates are Tuesday 21st June for the Summer Party and Tuesday 22nd November for the Christmas party. If you would like to attend either of the Friendship Circle social events and need transport assistance please let us know and we will arrange transport for you using our 'Transport Fund' For more information about the Friendship Circle or to join please contact Gemma on 01452 372999 or email gemma.sills@gda.org.uk
GDA news FREE HEARING-AID CLINICS ACROSS GLOUCESTERSHIRE GDA is now holding regular free hearing-aid clinics in large and small towns right across Gloucestershire. The clinics, which are being run on behalf of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, have been set up to provide a free hearing-aid cleaning, re-tubing and new batteries service much closer to home for people. GDA also showcases a range of listening aid and visual alert equipment, including amplifying telephones, TV listeners and doorbell alerts. Jenny Hopkins said "These new clinics mean that most people should now be able to get their hearing aids regularly cleaned and re-tubed at a clinic closer to home. GDA has always provided these services, but with the support of the Trust we hope thousands more people will benefit from the increased number of regular local clinics." A full list of clinic venues and times is available on our website at www.gda.org.uk or by calling 01452 372999. Another award for GDA Over the years GDA has collected a number of awards and our most recent trophy comes from the Gloucestershire Business Show where we were handed the 'Best Social Enterprise' award for our innovative Mutton Jeffrey project which helps Deaf people set up their own businesses. Chief Executive Jenny Hopkins, 'Mutton Jeffrey' Project Developer Reg Cobb and BSL interpreters James Banks and Hannah Ede represented GDA at the prestigious event, held at the Cheltenham Racecourse back in May last year. Jenny Hopkins said "We are absolutely delighted to have been given this award and to receive recognition for such an important project. This award is a big step forward for Deaf people in gaining greater access to employment. It’s fantastic to be recognised in this way by mainstream businesses." For more information about our Mutton Jeffrey services visit www.gda.org.uk or call 01452 372999. 4 GDA goes viral It's not often a charity can claim to go viral but we now can! Our very own TV star, Project Developer Reg Cobb has been hosting regular BSL video newsletters for a while now, informing deaf and hearing people alike of news within the deaf world. The videos have always been well received but one particular video in November really took the online world by storm. Reg's video about changes to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to the new Personal Independent Payment (PIP) gained over 11,500 views in just over 48 hours. The video reached far beyond Gloucestershire, attractin comments from Deaf peo from all parts of the UK, proving just how popular and effective GDA is in sharing important information with the Deaf Community through social media (We have been award winners for that too!)
Deaf talent showcased in 'Hands Up' festival In 2015 GDA hosted our first ever 'Hands Up' festival, which brought Deaf talent from around the country to Gloucester. The first event in March welcomed well-known Deaf comedian John Smith, whose sharp observations and wit had everyone in stitches. In June that was followed by the madcap team of Improv Comedy who took great delight in enticing on to the stage the very brave representative from event sponsor Western Power Distribution. And then, to top a sell-out festival, we were thrilled to welcome Deaf sailing legend Gerry Hughes to our charity for a very special one-off evening. Everyone in the audience was captivated by this remarkable man, as he shared tales about being the first Deaf person ever to sail solo around the world. All three shows provided a great platform to showcase Deaf British talent and it was great to bring those talents to Gloucestershire. Special thanks to Western Power Distribution for their sponsorship of the Improv Comedy show. A new look GDA Community Centre A huge thanks to Gloucester Quays Rotary Club and our very own GDA volunteers who came together one very grey and wet day last November to give our Community Centre hall a much needed lick of paint after all the recent building works. DA's Community Centre, which dates back to the late 19th century, boasts a stunning beamed roof. Not surprisingly, it has become a popular venue of choice for external hirers as well as our own Deaf and hard of hearing groups, and we take a lot lot of pride in keeping the decor fresh. This year as well, we have added some striking black and white portrait pictures of people in the local deaf community. To hire either the GDA Hall or Ruby Room do get in touch with us on 01452 372999 or visit www.gda.org.uk. 5
GDA welcomes new faces We've welcomed a few new faces to GDA recently; * Chris Gardner joined the Board of Trustees late 2013 but in November 2015 was elected as the new Chair, taking over from Chris Averiss. * Jonathan Moffitt is another new face on the Board of Trustees, having joined in November 2013. * Lucy Lea came onto the Board of Trustees in November 2015. Lucy is the Equality and Diversity Manager at Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust. * Peter Maynard also joined the Board in November 2015. He is also a solicitor at local law firm Davis Gregory. * Christina Snell is another new trustee, having joined the Board in November 2015. Christina is a former Age UK Gloucestershire chief executive and now runs her own community celebrant business. * Mike Sadler is a familiar face at GDA, having previously been on the Board a few years back as well as being a prominent figure within the Deaf Community. Mike rejoined the Board back in November 2015. * Sue Sewell is the latest member of the GDA team. Sue came to GDA from Q-Care so already has a wealth of experience supporting Deaf people. Sue will be playing a key role in the GDA office supporting Mary, Emma and Sam in their roles. Deaf awareness video named in top 100 NHS Stories Back in 2014 we were approached by Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust to produce a video which would aid their mission for the Trust 'to connect with and provide kinder, more empathetic services to patients with hearing loss.' Working with Lucy Lea and Katie Parker from Gloucestershire Care Services, we produced a powerful and authentic film featuring a number of our hard of hearing services users, which is now being used as a training tool for the organisation's staff and volunteers. In addition to the film being extremely well received by NHS colleagues, on Thursday 4th February our video was featured as one of the top 100 NHS 100 stories as compiled by Listening into Action. Lucy Lea said "Working with GDA has been a hugely positive experience: the team brought real depth of knowledge and great creativity to produce a film that touches hearts and changes minds about how we work with people with a hearing impairment. The film is already having great success in our organisation. Colleagues say it has given them an excellent insight into what life is like for people they know who are deaf and hard of hearing, and that this will change how they care for and work with people with hearing loss" The whole process of putting this film together with the team at Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust has been an extremely exciting one for GDA, and one that is now opening many more doors for the charity. If you know of any businesses of organisations who might be interested in being more deaf aware and making their business accessible to people with hearing loss, then please do put them our way - we'd love to speak with them. 6
Coventry Building Society choose GDA Coventry Building Society’s Cirencester branch has put a focus on better communication with disadvantaged people by selecting GDA as its new community partner. The partnership, which launched in June 2015, has already seen the branch team host raffle draws and coffee and cake mornings, as well as volunteering to jump out of a plane (with parachute!) in aid of GDA - more about that on page 14 Tracy Ellis from the Coventry Building Society branch said, “We were looking for a new charity partner locally and GDA felt like a very good match. Deaf people, whether they are pre-lingual deaf or become deaf later in life, often need help with communication. Keeping things simple, easy, transparent and safe for our customers is what we do best and it’s exactly what people with hearing impairment need from their local Building Society." Here's a picture of GDA's Jenny Hopkins with Cirencester Deaf Children's Club (CDCC) member Scott Chivers and Tracy Ellis from Coventry Building Society. New cafe opens at GDA It's not every day a new cafe opens up in Barnwood but we are VERY excited about the arrival of Yumma Cafe at GDA. Set up thanks to funding from Gloucester City Council, the cafe aims to provide a welcoming place to meet up or simply relax, enjoying the warm hospitality of GDA and seeing another Mutton Jeffrey success story. Yumma Cafe offers an array of deliciously tasty treats, all lovingly handmade by aspiring professional cook, Yvonne Cobb and her wonderful team, a mix of Deaf sign language users and hearing volunteers. The regularity of Yumma Cafe sessions is determined b demand in Barnwood, so if you like the idea of popping for tea/coffee, cake and a chat, get in touch with us by phone, email or text (see page 2) and find out details o the next opening time,
'Dave the Signer' is a hit Last year we launched a series of deaf awareness videos each, of which looked at a different issue that deaf and hard of hearing people face on a daily basis, from accessing buildings with an intercom entry system to the lack of text contact facilities. 'Dave the Signer' emphasises the importance of having a fully qualified British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter present at key appointments. The video starred GDA's Reg Cobb, James Banks and Hannah Ede and to this day continues to be a hit. Since its launch back in January 2015 it has been viewed over 6,500 times!! Along the way it has attracted the attention of Gloucester born-and-bred TV chef Tom Kerridge, as we as the local media and politicians. James is still recognised in public as 'Dave'. Needless to say, the response to the video has been fantastic, prompting comments including: "Best deaf awareness video I've seen to date" "Good stuff. So sad to think this really does happen though" "This video had me in stitches! But seriously, it's not funny when it happens to you. Well done Reg and co for producing this fantastic video" Each video features the style of humour and creativity that's become a trademark of GDA, whilst still portraying a very important and serious point. You can view 'Dave the Signer' and other GDA videos on our Youtube channel at www.youtube.com/GDAGlosDeaf. lping you find the right listening aid equipment he right listening aid equipment can really transform your life, and as a not-for-profit organisation GDA guarantees to give you impartial and expert advice. Our highly trained team, Emma Jenkins, Sam Quinson and Sue Sewell specialise in supporting people with all levels of hearing loss, and are happy to ensure you have the time to test different devices until you find what suits you best. Featured here is our amplifying DORO 100W PhoneEasy DECT phone To book an appointment to try this phone and other items please contact the GDA office on 01452 372999 8
Club updates Gloucester Deaf Club (GDC) meets every Saturday at GDA, where 40 to 50 Deaf BSL users come together to enjoy a range of activities. We caught up with Kim Fletcher, Chairperson of the club, about what they’ve been up to over the last few months... "Hi, I'm Kim Fletcher of Gloucester Deaf Club. We have had a busy year during 2015; we have been on a coach trip to the Hippodrome in Bristol to watch ‘Riverdance’, it was so mesmerising. We have also been to the Harry Potter Studios which was amazing and we enjoyed a lovely meal on the way home. The club took a trip to Bath and visited Bath Deaf Club in the evening back in November which was great fun and more recently we went to Café Rene in Gloucester for our members Christmas meal and the foods were so delicious! We play Bingo every fortnight and we’re looking forward to more coach trips next year. I would like to say a big thank you to my fantastic committee who worked so hard to keep our club running and enjoyable." Kim Fletcher, GDC Chairperson GDA's popular lip-reading classes continue to meet weekly. Here's the venues and times for 2016: Gloucester at GDA, Barnwood (Michael Underwood) - Monday, 10am-12pm Cirencester at The Waterloo, (Michael Underwood) - Tuesday, 10am-12pm Cheltenham at St Luke's Church Hall (Tanya Harper) - Tuesday, 12pm-4pm Stroud at St Albans Church Hall (Michael Underwood) - Tuesday, 1.30pm-3.30pm Gloucester at GDA, Barnwood (Tanya Harper) - Tuesdays, 11am-1pm New members welcome to join any time. Contact 01452 372999 to book your place. It's been a busy year for Gloucestershire's Hard of Hearing clubs. Sue Eldridge, Chair of Gloucester HOH Club shared "We've enjoyed some wonderful days out this year; Prinknash really stood out as a great day, and we've also welcomed poetry readers and singing groups to our meetings. New members are welcome to join any time, so we look forward to seeing some new faces in 2016" For dates and times when the hard of hearing clubs meet please refer to the GDA website or call 01452 372999. Gloucester Deafened & Cochlear Implant Support Group's (GDCISG) Cathy Hopkins shares with us what the group has been up to recently. "GDCISG celebrated their 10th anniversary in November with a very enjoyable party at GDA. Over 40 people attended including some visitors from other CI groups. We had a wonderful BBQ and a walk up May Hill in September: a walk and a pub lunch in the Forest of Dean in October and lunch at Robert Raikes House in Gloucester in January. We continue to meet once a month and welcome all deafened adults to our meetings. Please email Cathy Hopkins - cathnkiln@izat.myzen.co.uk for further information."
An update from GDYZ Leader, Rosemary Morgan on what the GDYZ gang have been up to recently. "GDYZ kick-started 2015 with a trip to Clearwell Caves in January. It was such an inspiring day; I was so proud of how all the young people handled the challenges and overcame fears that caving presented them with. Over the year we've also enjoyed trips to Cranham and Longleat as well as going canoeing and ice-skating - it was quite a busy year! To see how each GDYZ member tackles each activity and to see them grow in confidence makes all the hours truly worthwhile". open to young people aged 8 to 21yrs with any level of hearing siblings are also welcome. The group meets every other Friday between 7pm to 9pm at GDA. It's been a busy year for Cirencester Deaf Children's Club (CDCC) too, Kim Fletcher, volunteer at CDCC, shares all the fun activities they enjoyed in 2015. "We had a great year; we had a fun beach day in July when all the children enjoyed paddling in the pools and playing in the sandpits. We also had a great Christmas party where Santa made a special appearance. But our highlight of 2015 was an amazing trip to Fly2Help in Kemble in April where the children were treated to flights in the plane and sitting in police cars - everyone had a fantastic time and left with lots of really special memories" CDCC meets on the first Saturday of the month at the Youth Opportunity Centre, Beeches Rd, Cirencester between 10am-12pm GDA's Lunch Club for Deaf BSL users is proving to be more popular than ever with at least 40 guests coming along each month to enjoy a delicious home-cooked lunch at GDA. The Club which meets at GDA once a month on a Thursday is being run under the expert hands of new head chefs, Yvonne Cobb and Kim Fletcher, who have been producing mouthwatering lunches since October last year. Lunch Club usually takes place on the first Thursday of the month and new members are welcome at any time. Text Mary on 07875 610860, email admin@gda.org.uk or fax 01452 372288 10
Deaf friendly Gloucestershire This new feature in the Hear for You newsletter is our way of celebrating local businesses which have made steps towards becoming deaf friendly. We're delighted to kick-start the feature with Western Power Distribution (WPD). You may recall has been supporting GDA for some time now - most recently when they sponsored the Improv Comedy event back in June. We spoke to Michael Clarke at WPD about steps they are taking to make their business more accessible to deaf and hard of hearing customers. "We are thrilled to be announced as the first ‘Hear for You’ deaf friendly company. We have been working with the GDA for around three years now and have built a great relationship with them. We are keen to support the work that the GDA does and have been fortunate to experience first-hand the valuable work they do to provide care and services to the Gloucestershire deaf community. We pride ourselves on providing the best service possible to all customers. As such, WPD holds the nationally recognised Louder than Words Charter Mark accreditation for businesses offering excellent levels of service and accessibility for customers and employees who are deaf or have a hearing loss. Our latest initiative has been to produce a power cut advice leaflet specifically for the hearing impaired community, which provides specific guidance and contact information. In situations like a power cut it can be particularly worrying for some and so we offer a priority service to customers who are hearing impaired so that they can contact us quickly and easily. Please register your details with us and we will enter you on the Priority Service Register so that you receive additional support in a power cut. Further details can be found on our website www.westernpower.co.uk or by calling 0800 917 7953 (You can use Text Relay by dialling 18001 first with your text phone). We look forward to maintaining our links with the GDA and provide further help and support to them in the future so that they can continue their good work." 11
In aid of GDA GDA supporters have been going to town with fundraising over the last twelve months. The Cheltenham Half Marathon, Last Night of the Proms, Auction of Promises and quiz nights have made up just a few of the activities that have taken place in aid of GDA. Here's more about what's be hi Auction of Promises Friday 6th November saw GDA host their first ever Auction of Promises fundraiser. The evening, which took place at Stroud Auction Rooms was attended by over 60 people and raised a fabulous £7,100 for GDA - a record amount for any GDA fundraiser. Hopeful bidders tried to get their hands on items including signed sports memorabilia, holidays in France and Spain, meals at local eateries, driving experiences and original railway memorabilia. s included the Sheriff of oucester, Jim Beeley, Stroud MP Neil Carmichael and Chairman of Stroud District Council, Councillor Mark Rees. The evening wouldn't have been possible without the advice and upport of Stroud Auctions, ur sincere thanks to them. Cheltenham Half Marathon Back in April of last year a few GDA staff thought it would be a good idea to set themselves a challenge. So, it was decided the Cheltenham Half Marathon on 27th would be the perfect challenge to undertake. Over the coming months our little team of four cracked on with preparing for the big day and over time we picked up a further seven wannabe runners, taking our team up to 11 and setting ourselves a target of raising £5,000 for GDA. After months of clocking up hundred of miles during training the 27th September soon arrived and in the glorious autumn sunshine the team took to the start line ready to tackle the 13.1 mile course around Cheltenham. Despite the horrendously steep hills in the Racecourse all of our runners successfully completed the course in very respectable times and, thanks to Emma Jenkins and Sam Quinson, enjoyed a well-earned Pimms picnic in Pittville Park afterwards - the perfect opportunity to reflect on their achievements, bask in the sunshine and celebrate. To top off their fine achievements on the day, I am delighted to say that the team in fact smashed their £5,000 target and in total raised over £5,500 for GDA. 12
Jackie's fundraising extravaganza Jackie Gloyn, until recently a GDA trustee, has long been a fundraising star for GDA and this year was no exception. Since April last year Jackie has hosted five fundraisers in aid of GDA as well as being an instrumental part of the Auction of Promises planning party. Jackie started off her fundraising mission with a Bring & Buy sale which raised a fantastic £1,126.70. Following that there was a hugely successful Quiz Night at The Plough Inn in August which saw over 70 people come along to test their brains in a bid to be the winning team. The evening raised £890. As if that wasn't enough Jackie then hosted a car-boot sale, a Last Night of the Proms evening which streamed the Proms live from the Royal Albert Hall, and a dinner at Le Beaujolais in Cirencester on 8th October - collectively they raised £4,315.20. In total Jackie's fundraising efforts have raised £6,349.95 for GDA - congratulations and huge thanks to Jackie for being such a wonderful supporter. 13
Get involved There are lots of ways to get involved with GDA - come along to one of our events maybe. Or check out below others ways in which we'd welcome your support. MARCH Friday 11th March, 7pm onwards - Race Night at GDA. Tickets £10 per person includes hot supper JUNE Saturday 4th June - Tandem Skydive challenge at Sarum Airfield, Salisbury in aid of GDA Tuesday 14th June from 10.30am onwards - Coffee morning in aid of GDA at The Old Rectory, Colesbourne Tuesday 21st June, 1pm to 3pm - Friendship Circle summer party at GDA SEPTEMBER Sunday 25th September - Cheltenham Half Marathon If you'd like more information about any of the events noted please contact the GDA office on 01452 372999, email gemma.sills@gda.org.uk or visit www.gda.org.uk NOVEMBER Tuesday 22nd November, 1pm to 3pm - Friendship Christmas GDA Visual alerter campaign - working alongside a group of hard-ofhearing club members, GDA is driving forward a campaign to encourage all hospital wards, GP surgeries and medical centres to install visual alerts. At present quite unnecesssary anxiety is caused to waiting patients who don't hear well and fear missing their name being called out. If you'd like to get on board with this campaign please do get in touch. Fundraise - GDA relies on the generous support of local people and businesses to continue our life-transforming services. If you've been inspired by our wonderful supporters in this newsletter and would like to support GDA, then drop us a line to find out how we can help you. Whether it's holding a cake sale, raffle draw or running a half marathon we're here to lend you a hand to help you reach your goal. Shop online - did you know that that every time you shop online using EasyFundraising.org.uk you could be raising money for GDA. At NO extra cost to you, your purchases will raise much needed pennies for GDA. Volunteering - extra hands make light work as they say. We're always on the look out for volunteers to help out at our events. Whether it's helping to serve guests, setting-up or cheering on our supporters, there's always a job for a willing volunteer. If you'd like to get involved with any of the ideas suggested above, or perhaps you have your own way to help make a difference, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us on 01452 372999 or email gemma.sills@gda.org.uk. 14
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