Hear for You SUMMER 2017 Three Peak Challenge special www.gda.org.uk Registered Charity in England No. 1015937 Company Limited by Guarantee 2692718
Welcome GDA's highlight of the past six months is without question the magnificent Three Peak Challenge. I will leave you to whizz to page 9 to read all about it, but I can’t resist sharing the following social media message that was posted by a stranger who has no connection with our charity but who just happened to be at the base of Snowdon when our group finally finished perhaps the most gruelling 24 hours of their lives... “I watched this group whilst they celebrated being at the bottom of Snowdon with their Prosecco…I have never seen such a lovely bunch of happy people. It was amazing to watch them sign to each other and just be full of pure happiness. I was left feeling so uplifted after watching them celebrate and thank each other! Well done all on your achievement.” Jess Tierney With charities under so much pressure these days from one or two bad news stories hitting the press, it is too easy to think the only way forward is for charities to behave more like businesses. In many ways it is true that even small charities in the 21st century must be businesslike to survive; however I would argue that actually charities must always nurture that very special spirit of camaraderie, compassion and patience which sets us apart and above the business world. There are many Three Peak Challenge stories to tell, but one stands out for me. When the group were within yards of the third and final peak of Snowdon, exhausted beyond words, one of the fittest participants who had been in the lead group for all of the challenge, walked back and invited one of the people who had been struggling at the back to come forward and lead everyone to the top. That’s the spirit of GDA. That’s what the nice stranger at the bottom of Snowdon couldn’t help but be moved by. GET IN TOUCH Telephone - 01452 372999 | Text - 07875 610860 Email - admin@gda.org.uk | Website - www.gda.org.uk GDA, Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL4 3JL Opening hours - Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm and Friday 9am to 4pm
Charlotte's story 3 Hi, please introduce yourself. I'm Charlotte, I'm 19 years old and I have been going to GDA's deaf youth club, GDYZ, for nearly 12 years. What are you doing now? I'm currently studying beauty at Gloucester College. I start my final year, doing Level 3 in September 2017. What's been the best thing about GDYZ? Making new friends and having a good laugh. I've made life-long friends at GDYZ. How has GDYZ supported you? It's helped me gain confidence and it's been a great support network as there hasn't been any other young people at school with hearing loss, so I've felt a bit lost at times. I've been able to try new activities like caving, canoeing and climbing, that I would never have had the confidence to do otherwise, because I've had my GDYZ friends there with me. And finally, what's the dream - what would you like to do in the future? I'd love to be working for myself offering beauty treatments. Maybe start off as a mobile beautician and then the big dream would be to have my own salon. GDA is currently in the process of recruiting a new Youth Participation Leader, who will work with young deaf people and their families to ensure more like people Charlotte have the chance to shine. Phase three of GDA's building redevelopment. Thanks to a third grant instalment from Gloucestershire Environmental Trust (GET), GDA will soon start its final stage of building refurbishment and redevelopment at our Colin Road site in Barnwood. The forthcoming work will include much needed repairs to the roof, to give added protection from rain and snow and improve insulation, and external paintwork. We will also be reconfiguring the charity office space to incorporate a new listening aid equipment clinic. We are really excited how it will all eventually look, and hope you will bear with us during the inevitable upheaval it will cause temporarily over the summer whilst the works are completed. We will do everything we can to minimise disruption.
GDA news Going the Extra Mile (GEM) project 4 Congratulations to the deaf participants who completed their hearing awareness workshop in April. The workshop provided an opportunity to practise with the trainees how to use networking situations. With such an emphasis on effective communication, this can be particularly daunting for deaf job seeke Under the guidance of project developer and d role model, Reg Cobb, shortly after the worksh participant obtained a job offer and another completed a job interview. A third participant has gained a voluntary work placement and the fourth achieved a work placement at a prestigious local car showroom. The GEM Project supports individuals in Gloucestershire who, at the start of their journey, may feel a long way from ever achieving a place in education, training, employment or self employment, or volunteering. Using support which is personcentered and most importantly specialist, it seeks to overcome barriers. The GEM programme is a unique partnership of specialist community based organisations, including GDA, which is managed by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council. The project is jointly funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the European Social Fund. For more information, please visit glosgem.org Deaf Awareness Talk At the end of May, GDA's Jenny Hopkins and Emma Jenkins gave an 'Understanding Deafness' talk to the Gloucester U3A group. More than 60 people attended and learned some of the different ways to meet the challenges of going deaf later in life. Many have now also made an appointment to try out our range of listening aid and visual alert equipment. Here's what one of their members, Ann Williams, later wrote to us: "Thank you both for such a helpful and useful day last Friday. All of our members I've seen since then found it so useful and helpful and we're truly grateful to you for the information with which you provided us." If you'd like to know more about the different equipment available that could help you at home, give us a call on 01452 372999.
YouChoose Hearing aid clinics YouChoose is an innovative peersupport service which enables anyone living with significant deafness to receive support from a personal assistant who is also deaf. It has been working highly successfully in the Midlands and GDA is now helping to bring it to Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. Whether you are a sign language user, or someone who has become deaf over time and speaks but doesn’t hear, the only criteria is that you feel you would benefit from the regular companionship of someone who understands you perfectly. Our deaf personal assistants are all warm, kind people who are selected on the basis that they have more confidence to manage everyday challenges better and can help you do the same. That may be to help you meet new friends, get fit or simply enjoy shopping trips together. For information about how YouChoose works, please contact the GDA office. 5 GDA has recently added two new venues to its list of more than 20 clinics around Gloucestershire where you can have your aids cleaned and re-tubed: Cheltenham East Community Fire and Rescue Station, Keynesham Road, GL53 7PX on the 3rd Tuesday of every month between 10am and 12pm. Please note that for September only, this clinic will take place on the 3rd Friday (15th September) between 10am and 12pm. Fresh Ground Cafe, 26 Westward Road, Stroud, GL5 4JQ on the 4th Thursday of every month between 10am and 12pm. To find your local clinic or to book onto any of our hearing-aid clinics, please contact the GDA office on 01452 372999 or text 07875 610860. Friendship Circle Summer Party On Tuesday 27th June, over 70 guests came to GDA for the Friendship Circle summer party. This is a free event for anyone with an acquired hearing loss; it's a chance to meet new friends and catch up with old ones, while enjoying a delicious lunch, which this year was provided by Yumma Food. Our thanks to Jacky, Becky, Lorraine, Louise and Jane from our corporate partner, Ecclesiastical, who volunteered their time to support the event and ensure everyone was well looked after. The Friendship Circle will return with its Christmas party on Tuesday 28th November - hope to see you there.
Club updates 6 CDCC (Cirencester Deaf Children's Club) is continuing to thrive, welcoming between 16-24 children each session. The Easter party was great fun, we had an Easter Egg Hunt and the craft was chicks in baskets and painting. The weather was lovely and all the children went outside to find the eggs. In May we made bracelets and necklaces with flowe and bells to celebrate May Day, we also m tissue paper tassels in card tubes. Again good weather and everyone went outside to play parachute games. I would like to thank all the volunteers and parents for all their help in making the Club a success. Nic Hewlett, CDCC leader Since our last newsletter in January, the Greenways Forest School has hosted a further three fun-filled outdoor activity sessions. The gang have enjoyed getting stuck in to, literally and figuratively, all the activities the forest offers. We don't normally like the rain but thanks to a few wet months the Forest School has been thriving in mud, and we all know when you're young, mud means fun! As well as getting coated in mud, they've been learning to cook on an open fire, making forest crafts, whittling, making dens and enjoying interactive stories, all the while in a safe and total communication environment. Whether a child speaks or prefers to use sign language to communicate, they can enjoy every part of each activity. Booking are now being taken for the summer holidays sessions on Tuesday 25th July, Tuesday 15th August, Wednesday 16th August, Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th August. To book or for more information contact the GDA office on 01452 372999 or email admin@gda.org.uk.
7 Our Deaf Lunch Club members have been enjoying more tasty home-cooked meals thanks to volunteers Yvonne, Kim and Natasha. It's continuing to thrive as a popular club among members, and they’re now looking forward to their summer trip to the Black Country Living Museum in August. Lunch Club normally takes place on the first Thursday of every month, at GDA, between 11am and 2pm. The next Lunch Club meeting after the August day trip will be on Thursday 7th September. Gloucester Deaf Club (GDC) have appointed a number of new committee members recently and the club are now looking forward to an exciting calendar of events coming up. GDC meets at GDA every Saturday evening from 7pm. They enjoy social evenings, outings as well as the old favourite, BINGO. For more information about GDC, text 07875 610860. Gloucestershire Hard of Hearing clubs have enjoyed a range of speakers and visitors over the last few months. Cirencester HOH club hosted a tea party with musical entertainment by Terry Cox and the ukulele players. After lunch members took on some Lego building as part of a project to build a model of St Mary's Abbey which stood in Cirencester 900 years ago until it was destroyed on the orders of King Henry VIII. The completed model will have over 70,000 Lego bricks, of which their small wall and window took just 250. Thanks to Barnwood Trust for sponsoring the Cirencester HOH club's involvement. There are hard of hearing clubs in different areas of Gloucestershire and new members are always welcome. Anyone wishing to join is invited to contact the GDA office on 01452 372999 or email admin@gda.org.uk to find out more. GDA’s lip-reading classes take a break over the summer, but you can book now for when classes start again in September in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Cirencester. We will also look to re-start a class in Stroud as soon as we have enough people to make it worthwhile in terms of tutor and venue hire. So, if you or someone you know is struggling with hearing loss and could benefit from learning this essential life skill in a supportive atmosphere, please contact us on 01452 372999 or email admin@gda.org.uk for more information. Classes are just £4.00 per session
In aid of GDA 8 On Sunday 14th May, supporters Josie and Matt Preston took on the Tewkesbury Half Marathon in aid of GDA. Their daughter Myla was born deaf and has been attending Cirencester Deaf Children's Club (CDCC).Josie said "When Myla was six weeks old she was diagnosed as profoundly deaf, and with no information on childhood deafness it was a very scary time for us. It is so important for children to connect with other deaf children; to know that they are not alone and also for families of deaf children to connect and to be able to share their experiences and support each other." Together they have raised £755 for GDA which is a wonderful achievement. Huge congratulations and thank you to them both for supporting GDA. GDA Fundraising Ambassador and Trustee, Jackie Gloyn has had another busy few months hosting a Safari Dinner in February and a Bring & Buy Sale in May, in aid of GDA. Together her fundraising efforts have raised over £2,200 for GDA. A massive thank you and well done to Jackie and everyone who helped bring both events together. A shout out to the following groups and businesses which have recently donated to GDA. Our sincere thanks to: TSB Barnwood which donated £1,420 as part of our year-long charity partnership with them. Red Apple Garage which continues to support GDA through money tins in their shop in Cheltenham. Cotteswold Masonic Lodge which donated £600 towards lip-reading classes and Cirencester Deaf Children's Club (CDCC). Gloucester Round Table which donated £500. Unite Gloucester which donated £300. Gloucestershire Independent Network (GIN) which donated £300 towards GDA's Three Peak Challenge. Zetland Masonic Lodge of Instruction which donated £250. Gloucester Masonic Charity Association which donated £2,000
Team GDA's epic Three Peak Challenge Our team of seventeen brave souls set of for Scotla on Friday 19th May, ready to start our epic Three Peak Challenge in aid of GDA. The weather forecast for the weekend was looking, well, wet across all three mountains, but that didn't dampen any spirits. 9 We started our challenge on the morning of the 20th May, with the imposing Ben Nevis; the first an toughest peak we were going to tackle. Despite star off in the rain, the cloud lifted and revealed stunning scenery as we ascended higher, although by the summit was snowing! The foot-deep snow at the top was a bit of a treat, as well as challenging to walk through, but it provided much entertainment on the way down! Top tip- the quickest way to get down a mountain; slide on your bottom on the snow! With the tallest mountain successfully climbed, it was a quick turn-around to set off on a seven-hour coach drive down to Yorkshire to attempt Scafell Pike - in the dark. The very uneven and rocky terrain under foot made it particularly tricky, and the strong winds at the summit made it even more precarious. Coming down the mountain brought its own challenges too, with steep slippy rocks to contend with. There were a few falls at this point but nothing was going to stop us from finishing. And finish it we did, ready to move onto the final mountain; Snowdon in Wales. We'd been promised a slightly 'easier' mountain with Snowdon. We'd take the steeper and 'quicker' Pyg track up and come down the Miners track, the longer but more gradual of the two. The earlier rain had made the rocks slippy and tricky to navigate. Steep rocky steps and low energy levels, made the final ascent the hardest part yet. We arrived at the summit of Snowdon in the same way we had reached the previous two summits, with thick cloud blocking any view. But, we had done it! We had climbed all three mountains in 24 hours!! With knees, feet and legs really beginning to ache and energy levels completely zapped, we hobbled down the Railway Track; a longer route but it meant not having to negotiate our way back down the rocks we'd already suffered going up. Not the route we'd expected to take but much more sensible given the state our bodies were in at that point! All seventeen of us made it to our finish point in Llanberis where we
were greeted by supporters who'd made the journey up to welcome us back. The bubbles were popped open and our celebrations began. We'd completed our challenge! It was tough; the toughest thing any of us had ever done. It pushed us to our limited and at some points, it broke us, but we always, always smiled. 10 Our team was a mix of all ages; men and women, all abilities, and of deaf and hearing people. We proved that whatever you feel your limitations are, when you are with team mates who will share, support and laugh through the challenge with you, you can do anything you set your mind to. I am so proud of what we achieved; not just over the weekend but over the last seven months preparing for this challenge. Together we have raised an incredible £13,291.59, making this GDA's BIGGEST fundraiser EVER! Thank you to everyone who supported our challenge along the way. Gemma Sills, GDA's Event and Communication Officer
11 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY JULY * Tuesday 25th - Forest School, 10am to 2pm. * Saturday 29th - Colorvibe 5k, Bristol. Could you join our team? AUGUST * Tuesday 15th, Wednesday 16th, Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th - Forest School, 10am to 2pm. OCTOBER * Sunday 1st - Cheltenham Half Marathon. Could you join our team? NOVEMBER * Tuesday 28th - Friendship Circle Christmas party at GDA, 1pm to 3pm. DECEMBER * Saturday 16th - Pantomime at Everyman Theatre, 2pm.
Listening aid equipment to help you at home We have a wide range of listening aid equipment that can help you at home. If you're struggling to hear the phone, doorbell or television there is a piece of equipment that could help. At GDA, we offer an impartial and informative service to help you find the most suitable listening aid, including: TV amplifiers Personal listeners Personal alarms Amplified telephones Loop systems Why buy from GDA? When you come to GDA for your listening aid equipment, you get more than a great choice. Our equipment specialists are well trained, completely impartial in their advice, and will give you all the time you need to try out different products. We will also come and install the equipment at your home for a small extra charge. We cannot guarantee to match the price you would pay online for the same product. However in supporting our charity and the extra value we provide, you help ensure this service will be available for you and others in the future. Want to know more? Book an appointment to see one of our friendly and impartial colleagues by calling 01452 372999 or text 07875 610860.
1 Publizr