Hear for You WINTER 2017 www.gda.org.uk Registered Charity in England No. 1015937 Company Limited by Guarantee 2692718
Welcome We are at the end of another exciting and rewarding year at GDA and once again we have struggled to cram in all the news we would love to share with you. The following pages pick out some of our best highlights, and I hope you enjoy catching up with our news. In terms of impact, I have to point to our ‘I am Deaf’ patient cards which you may have seen featured on BBC Points West in November (see page 4). Simple and yet so very effective, they are now attracting attention from hospital trusts all over the UK, and are an excellent example of what can be achieved when there is strong partnership working between the public and voluntary sector in Gloucestershire. GDA prides itself on the relationships we build with other organisations, and one of our strongest bonds is with The Gloucestershire Environmental Trust. If you have yet to visit our newly refurbished facilities at Colin Road, Barnwood in Gloucester, I urge you to do so, especially to take advantage of our new listening aid equipment room. The transformation of our building interior is in large part due to the funding support we have received from GET. As we look ahead to 2018, we do so with a spirit of confidence about the social impact we are achieving, and a feeling of pride in the exceptional feedback we receive about our services. Like all charities, we work ever harder for funding to continue the vital work we do for Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people, so please keep supporting us with your donations and you can be sure we will be here for you and your family. Happy Christmas and New Year from us all at GDA. 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
GDA news 3 New! Listening Aid Showroom GDA has undergone a bit of a transformation recently and the results are, even if we do say so ourselves, amazing. We owe our thanks to the Gloucestershire Environmental Trust (GET) for awarding GDA a third grant in as many years so that we could complete the major refurbishment of our Colin Road office and community centre building. The work enables GDA to be fit for purpose as our charity grows to meet a huge increase in demand for our services. The most important change for the hundreds of people who visit us to try out and buy listening aids and visual alerts has to be our new beautiful, light and comfortable equipment showroom. The new display cabinets allow everyone to see instantly the full range of amplifying telephones, personal listeners, TV listeners, and doorbell alerts that we have available, and of course you can still depend on GDA for expert and impartial advice when making a choice. We've been delighted with the early feedback about the welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. Please book ahead if you would like to make an appointment. Other improvements we have been able to undertake include a new, enlarged reception; a reconfigured main office to create a more inclusive environment for our mix of deaf and hearing staff; a new consulting/meeting room upstairs; major roof repairs (which thankfully were completed just ahead of the December snow); and finally treating and repainting of all our external paintwork - our thanks to a team of volunteers from TSB (pictured) for lending a hand with the decorating. Grants for infrastructure improvement such as we have received from GET are vital; the best bit about all the repair and refurbishment of our old Victorian building is that we have achieved it without taking any money away from our important frontline services, and it has made a huge difference already in how we can deliver that work.
I Am Deaf - patient support cards New ‘I am Deaf’ hospital patient support cards ar for British sign language users are making such an impact that there are now calls from deaf people across England and Wales for similar cards to be made available elsewhere in the UK. GDA’s social media posts to promote the cards have reached more than 80,000 people within a few weeks. In the first three months since they we introduced, there has been a 22% drop in wasted cancelled hospital appointments involving Deaf patients who use sign language. 4 The ‘I am Deaf’ cards are the result of positive partnership working between GDA and Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The cards allow patients to identify themselves to medical and non-medical staff as a sign language user, as well as offering instructions on the back on how to book a BSL interpreter. GDA’s Chief Executive, Jenny Hopkins, said, “We are grateful to Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for putting their trust at last in deaf patients themselves to know what works for them. Initial objections to the cards centred around the idea that a support card somehow stigmatises the deaf patient, but this is not how many deaf patients see it. “Deaf people feel no stigma about being deaf. However, because it is so easy to mistake deafness for other conditions, including dementia or learning difficulties, vital time can be lost. In an emergency medical situation, it is vital deafness is recognised immediately and communication support is put in place promptly.” New Hard of Hearing Patient Support cards now available... Following the hugely successful launch of the Deaf Patient Support cards, we are now launching a similar communication support card for those living with an acquired hearing loss. The cards offer a simple and concise explanation to medical professionals as to how best to communicate with someone who is hard of hearing. These cards are free to all and are available by contacting the GDA office on 01452 372999 or emailing admin@gda.org.uk.
Supporting Deaf people Friendship Cricle GDA is one of a number delivery partners on a major project around employment. GEM (Going the Extra Mile) has just celebrated it's first year and its going from strength to strength. In the last year, we have supported eight people move successfully into employment and one into full time education. One young deaf lady we have helped, was depressed in her job and after talks, she left. She went to college and has now set up as a self-employed painter and decorator. We work differently from most employment agencies- we take a very proactive approach to job hunting; creating the right career pathway for each individual. GEM is a £3.3m project funded by European Social Funded and is part of Gloucestershire County Council's 'Building Better Opportunities' initiative. YOUChoose is a specialised care service for deaf and hard of hearing people which matches a personal assistant (PA) with the right communication skills to assist each client towards managing their lives more independently. One new client has said that she looks forward to Tuesdays when her PA visits her and takes her out so she can do her shopping and manage her affairs. Without support, she says she would feel isolated and struggle to do everyday tasks. GDA already has 8 freelance YOUChoose staff, all ready for work. If this support could help you, please do get in touch. 5 Our Friendship Circle socials regularly attract a sell-out crowd, and our Christmas party on 28th November was no exception. 70 guests joined us for a festive get-together, and once again a group of volunteers from Ecclesiastical came along to lend a hand. We cannot express just how appreciative we are for their help - our Friendship Circle simply wouldn't happen without them. A tasty lunch was provided by Yumma Food and entertainment from the Wide Valley Singers helped to kick-start the festive season. The Friendship Circle welcomes all with acquired hearing loss, and events are free. If you'd like to join us, contact 01452 37299 Bishop of Gloucester becomes GDA's first patron GDA is delighted to announce that the Bishop of Gloucester, the Right Revd Rachel Treweek has become our patron. Bishop Rachel said of the appointment "It was an honour to have been asked to be patron of GDA. They provide incredible practical and emotional support for deaf people in Gloucestershire and I am passionate about their work to break down communication barriers for deaf sign language users and those with significant hearing loss, so they are able to participate more fully in their communities.”
6 Introducing GDA's new Youth Participation Leader We are delighted to have welcomed a new Youth Participation Leader to the team. Gilson Sly (pictured) joined GDA in August and is working with our GDYZ and CDCC groups, as well as Teachers of the Deaf to ensure local deaf children and their families get the right support. Gilson is himself deaf since birth and is equally fluent in sign and speech which makes him ideal to work with both hearing and deaf families. Gilson has experience of leading youth groups and his obvious connection with members of our youth group, GDYZ, who attended the second stage interview will make him an extremely positive role model. It's been 8 years since GDA had a Youth Leader on its staff, so the appointment of Gilson is an exciting one for the charity and the future of its children and youth people services. The Silent Child film comes to GDA On Friday 27th October we were very honoured to welcome the award-winning film, The Silent Child to GDA for a special screening. The film stars Maisie (pictured right), who attends GDA's CDCC and Forest School clubs. In the film, Libby is a fouryear-old profoundly deaf girl, who is born into a midd class family and lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her the gift of communication. The film's collection of awards from the international film festival circuit, means it is now up for a BAFTA and OSCAR nomination. Fellow actor and director, Rachel Shenton (pictured right) was also at the screening and shared her motivation behind making the film with the audience of local teachers, Advisory Teachers and Councillors and urged them all to champion deaf inclusion, especially in schools.
Club updates 7 The highlight of the CDCC (Cirencester Deaf Children's Club) calendar has to be Gifford Circus, and this year was no exception. The circus once again wowed the CDCC crowd. As well as enjoying high-flying acrobats and dancing horses, the CDCC gang has got stuck in with a 'sausage sizzle' themed meeting in October and an art morning i November. New members are welcome t come along to the sessions, which norma place on the first Saturday of the month. Its just £2.50 per family and hearing children and best friends are also invited to join in the fun. For more information contact Gilson on gilson.sly@gda.org.uk. After a summer of fun at the GDA at Greenways Forest School, the popular outdoor sessions will return for a festive get-together on Monday 18th December, this time at brand new premises in Hartpury. Forest School offers a schooling experience like no other, allowing the children and young people to explore and learn on their own terms in a safe environment. What makes the GDA at Greenways Forest School so special is its total communication environment - whether a child is a BSL user or hearing, they will have the opportunity to take part in all the activities, from playing hide'n'seek and bug hunting, to story-telling and cooking marshmallows on the open fire. Future Forest School dates for 2018 will be announced very soon, so do keep an eye out for those coming via our Facebook page and website, www.gda.org.uk. For more information please contact contact Gilson on gilson.sly@gda.org.uk or call 01452 372999.
8 Deaf Lunch Club ventured over to the Black Country Living Museum for their summer outing in August, and enjoyed their festive meal at The Wagon & Horses on 7th December. When the gang aren't on trips, they're treated to a tasty lunch prepared by a team volunteers - big thanks to Yvonne, Natasha, Alison, Kim and Sandra who work so hard cooking each month. September saw Gloucester Deaf Club's (GDC) autumn events kicking off with the usual bingo and social nights along with a quiz night which was a huge success. October hosted a First Aid Defibrillator demonstration by a member of the NHS First Responder team and a "Play Your Cards Right" evening, while in November they held their first "Games Night". Next year's calendar is looking as busy, and they look forward to welcoming new members to their Saturday meetings. Once again, the Gloucestershire Hard of Hearing clubs have been enjoying a jam-packed schedule of activities. Sadly Cheltenham Hard of Hearing b closed its doors in November due windling numbers. We would be delighted to re-start the club, so if you're in Cheltenham and would like to come on board with starting a new club there, we'd love for you to get in touch. GDA’s lip-reading classes will be taking a break over the festive period, but will return for another term in January 2018. Classes are just £4.00 per session and are held in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Cirencester. New members are always welcome to the hard of hearing clubs and lipreading classes. To find out more about either groups, please contact the GDA office on 01452 372999 or email admin@gda.org.uk. After a short break at the beginning of the year, GDA's youth group, GDYZ re-started with a trip to watch fireworks at Birdlip in November. The young members then got into the festive spirit with a Christmas buffet and games night. Young people with any level of hearing loss are welcome to join GDYZ - contact Gilson on gilson.sly@gda.org.uk for more information.
Our year in photos 9
In aid of GDA 10 On Sunday 1st October, GDA supporter, Alison Thomas joined thousands of other runners for the 2017 Cheltenham Half Marathon. Alison's fundraising efforts meant she raised over £520 for GDA. Before starting her training for the half marathon, Alison had never run before, not even a 5k, so to complete the 13.1 mile course in a time of 2hr 11 minutes was a fantastic achievement. Thank you and congratulations to Alison. After a hugely successful debut book launch in October 2016, GDA Trustee, Chris Gardner has launched a second book following the footballing achievements of Forest Green Rovers FC. This time, Chris reflects on the team's journey to Wembley and their ultimate success at bringing the trophy home. Once again, Chris is donating all proceeds from the sale of the book to GDA and has already raised in the region of £1,000 . We thank Chris for his continued support. The book 'Triumph at Wembley' is available to buy for £13.99 from GDA. Thanks also to fellow GDA Trustee, Jackie Gloyn who hosted a car boot sale and raised £182, and who also donated items to a Christmas raffle which raised £700. A shout out to the following groups and businesses which have recently donated to GDA. Our sincere thanks to: Robert Hall Business Equipment Ltd who donated £100 as part of their Christmas giving. Red Apple Garage in Cheltenham, who have raised a further £119.93 through their money tin collection. Ecclesiastical staff who have chosen GDA as their charity, and collectively donated £2,000. BP Oil UK Limited who donated £1,935.60. St James's Place Wealth who donated £300 to our Cirencester Deaf Children's Club (CDCC). The Honourable Company of Gloucestershire Charitable Trust who have donated £1,968. BIG thanks to all who donated to our Front Door Appeal. After the July flood, our front door was badly damaged, but thanks to our supporters generosity we were able to replace the door.
Congratulations to GDA supporter, Marie Wright who took part in the 'Road to Glory' challenge on Saturday 18th November and raised a fantastic £446.86 for GDA. Thank you and congratulations again to Marie. After a year long partnership with TBS's Gloucester head office, we were delighted to be told that the partners had raised a fantastic £2,747.53 for GDA! This is an incredible amount and we are very grateful to everyone there for their support over the last year. 2018 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY FEBRUARY * Friday 23rd - Quiz Night at GDA, Barnwood MARCH * Saturday 3rd - charity Skydive. Could you join our team? MAY * Friday 18th to Sunday 20th - Three Peak Challenge. Are you up for it? JUNE * Tuesday 26th - Friendship Circle Summer party One very wet and windy evening in September, GDA and its corporate partner Coventry Building Society (CBS) Cirencester branch (pictured below, Tracy Ellis and Kimberely Eve from the branch), headed to the National Star College for an evening of glitz and glamour, in the hope of winning a Local Business Charity Award. Following branch colleague, Kimberley Eve's involvement in our Three Peaks Challenge in May of this year, GDA nominated CBS for the Jelf Award to recognise our incredibly positive relationship with the Cirencester team - and we're delighted to say that the judges agreed and CBS were awarded the title. As well as coming away with the award, GDA received a donation of £1,000 toward its work support Deaf children and adults. 11
GDA IN 2017... £13,300 is how much we raised on our biggest ever fundraising challenge 14,958 miles travelled by our outreach workers 2,557 32 children and young people who enjoy our regular clubs 22 LONG TERM OR NEVER UNEMPLOYED WE HAVE HELPED INTO JOBS £480,000 is how much income we need each year to run our 32 services 2,654 home visits we made to install listening aid equipment 1,502 times we provided BSL interpreter support people attended our hearing aid clinics
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