Hear For You Spring 2020

Better access for BSL users Gloucestershire Constabulary has signed up to an excitin service that offers deaf people who use British Sign Language (BSL), easier access to the county's 101 service. The SignLive Community Directory scheme allows users to connect to an online BSL interpreter, who will then talk to a call handler and interpret back to the caller via a video link. Control Room Inspector Tim Hutchinson, who has personal experience of hearing loss, wanted to help give BSL users confidence to report incidents to the police. He felt it would demonstrate the Constabulary's commitment to the Accessibility and Accountability priority of the Police and Crime plan. The service is free of charge to the user, is simple and easy to use and does not require any pre-booking. To get started with using SignLive simply go to www.signlive.co.uk to download the app and register to start using the service. M o n t h l y C l i n i c s A group of Gloucestershire BSL users attended a tour of the county's contact centre in Quedgeley on 16th January, as part of the launch of the service. Deaf Awareness Week 2020 This year's Deaf Awareness Week will be taking place from the 4th to 10th May, and the theme this year is 'acquired hearing loss'. Over the course of the week, GDA will be sharing different stories about what it's like to lose your hearing, as well as the range of different services and support that are on offer across Gloucestershire, for those who have lost their hearing through illness or age, or gradually over time. Keep an eye on www.gda.org.uk as well as our social media platforms to see what will be happening near you. e The total is in... Over twelve months, nearly 200 people took on 100 different challenges as part of GDA's #GDATurns100 fundraising campaign to celebrate the charity's 100th anniversary. On Thursday 30th January we invited those who had taken on a challenge, to come along to The High Lord Constable of England pub in Gloucester to see just how much their fundraising efforts had raised, and we delighted to share the grand total of £37,238.82! The biggest of thanks to everyone who took on a challenge and to The Windsor Family Trust for very generously donating £10,000 to the campaign through their matched funding scheme. New hearing aid clinics We've added a number of new hearing aid clinics to our roster of clinics that take place in Gloucestershire, for people to get their NHS hearing aids cleaned and re-tubed. Additional clinics are taking place at Yorkley Community Centre Cam Parish Council Office Booking is essential for all clinics. To book your appointment, contact us on 01452 372999 or text 07875 610860. Find other clinics taking place near you at www.gda.org.uk/hearing-aid-clinics. Don't miss Volunteer with GDA GDA relies on the generous support of a team of volunteers to help us continuing providing a range of services to people living with deafness across Gloucestershire. We're always looking for new volunteers to join our team, so if you have any time to spare to assist with running our social clubs, providing general office assistance or supporting our regular hearing aid clinics, please do get in touch on 01452 372999, 07875 610860, volunteering@gda.org.uk or visit www.gda.org.uk/job-vacancies for more information. For more information about any GDA event or club, please contact event@gda.org.uk or 01452 372999, or visit www.gda.org.uk. Winchcombe Street Wellbeing Festival, Saturday 28th March, 10am to 3pm in Cheltenham. Friendship Circle spring outing on Tuesday 28th April, 10am to 2pm - enjoy a steam train journey from Cheltenham to Broadway and back again, finishing with a fish'n'chip lunch. Deaf Awareness Week, 4th to 10th May. Keep posted on the GDA website and social media platforms for stories and promotions that look at 'acquired hearing loss'. Friendship Circle summer party on Tuesday 30th June, 1pm to 3pm at GDA. Free to attend

Better Health Day GDA's Cirencester Deaf Children's Club (CDCC) has been given a new look to kick-start their 2020. The club launched their new name 'The Dalmatians Club' at their March session, where deaf children and their families came along to enjoy a morning of fun activities and games. So, why The Dalmatians Club? Did you know that deafness is very common in dalmatian dogs? Nearly 30% of dalmatians will have hearing loss in one ear, making them a perfect mascot for our new-look club. The Dalmatians Club will meet on the first Saturday of the month, 10am to 12pm at it's new venue at GDA, Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL4 3JL. The club welcomes deaf children aged 0 to 8yrs, and their families, as well as deaf parents and their children, and new members are invited to come along at anytime. To find out more about The Dalmatians Club, visit www.gda.org.uk or email us at dalmatiansclub@gda.org.uk. , , t

Hear for You WINTER / SPRING 2019 www.gda.org.uk Registered Charity in England No. 1015937 Company Limited by Guarantee 2692718

Welcome Welcome to another issue of GDA’s Hear for You newsletter. It gives me great pleasure to write to you all as the new CEO of GDA. I have had a fantastic introduction to the work of this amazing charity and have been welcomed warmly by staff, volunteers and the people we support. Jenny Hopkins has left a great legacy in terms of securing new contracts and ensuring GDA maintains its strong reputation delivering high quality services. I am keen to ensure we continue with this and develop new provision as we enter our 100th year. I would like to say a big thank you to those people who have already risen to our 100 year challenge and successfully fundraised for us. These activities will continue into 2019 in addition to an exciting centenary event in May, where we hope to be joined by a Royal visitor! It's been a very busy few months at GDA, as you'll see with all the news we have to share with you in this bumper issue, so our apologies for the delay in putting together this copy of Hear for You. May I take this opportunity to wish you and your families all the very best for the new year, and I look forward to welcoming you to GDA in the future. Best wishes, 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 A message from Jenny Hopkins Some of you may already know that after ten very happy and fulfilling years at GDA, I have decided to move on in November. Those of you who know me will understand what a tough decision this has been, but I will be going with the knowledge that I have achieved everything I could ever have hoped to do with this wonderful organisation, and I believe GDA has now reached point where I can leave the best possible legacy and let the journey continue under Sharon, as the new CEO, with all the fresh energy and vision it deserves. Thank you to everyone for the huge support you have given me over the years. Welcoming new staff to the team As GDA continues to grow with the service it provides to deaf and hard of hearing people, so too does the staff team. We are delighted to have welcomed two new members of staff to the team this year; Sarah Cook joined as a new Bookings Coordinator in April, working alongside Mary Hailes to arrange British Sign Language (BSL interpreter bookings, and Steph Blackburn, who has come on board as Equipment Services Assistant, supporting the Hard of Hearing team. You can book an appointment to see Steph at GDA on a Monday and Wednesday, when she can provide advice on the wide-range of listening aid equipment we have available to buy, or on a Tuesday and Friday for hearing-aid maintenance.

In 2019, GDA will celebrate turning 100 years old and plans are well underway for GDA's milestone anniversary celebrations. To make this a year to remem we would love for you to be part of our celebrations. Here's more about what to expect and how you can be involved: In May 2019 we will be hosting a special anniversary event at GDA - more details on this to follow in due course, but we are hoping to have a Royal visitor with us for the occasion. In addition there will be a photography exhibition from our young people following their photography workshops in January and March. To ensure the story of GDA continues for another 100 years, we have been working with Gloucestershire Archives to store our historical documents and photos. We are delighted to share with you that all the items have now been catalogued and are open for visitors to view at the Gloucestershire Hub on Clarence Row in Gloucester. One of the charity's aims in 2019 will be to collate a report that looks forward to the future of deaf and hard of hearing services in Gloucestershire. In order to do this, we will be seeking your opinions on what is currently in place and what you would like to see available going forward. A survey will be distributed in the coming months, and we would very much welcome your participation in this. We will be running focus groups for BSL users so the deaf community can provide feedback in their first language. Just prior to the celebratory event in May, we will be launching a series of social media video clips showcasing different stories about deafness in order to further educate Gloucestershire about it's like to be live with deafness. And finally, we are looking for 100 people to take on a challenge for GDA to help us raise £20,000. Turn to page xx for more information on how you can get involved in this campaign and to find out what's already been happening. Is your business deaf aware? Seven out of ten hearing aid wearers seek out businesses or services whose staff are deaf aware. Our Deaf Awareness courses will help you to communicate effectively with deaf and hard of hearing customers and clients. We run face-to-face and online deaf awareness training courses to suit individuals, companies and groups. Contact us on 01452 372999 or email sharon.bryant@gda.org.uk. BSL interpreting news for Gloucestershire deaf people Some important and much anticipated news for Gloucestershire deaf people who use sign language. As of 1st July 2018, GDA has the contract with Gloucestershire CCG to provide communications support for all your GP appointments. We are delighted about this and hope you are too, as it means we can ensure you have a joined up service across all your medical appointments. As always, you can get in touch with us via text, Facetime or Skype or just drop by the office. Lip-reading class update Starting in January 2019, the Monday lip-reading class held in Gloucester by Michael Underwood, will take place on a Tuesday from 2pm to 4pm. GDA continues to provide three other lipreading classes in Cheltenham, Cirencester and a further class in Gloucester. New members are welcome to join anytime. Classes are £4 per person. To enquire further or to book on to a class, please call 01452 372999, email admin@gda.org.uk or text 07875 610860. Dates for your diary 19th January - young people photography workshop at GDA, 10.30am to 12.30pm 15th February - Pamper Night at GDA, from 7pm 2nd March - young people photography workshop at GDA, 10.30am to 12.30pm 3rd March - Sign Yoga workshop at GDA from 10am to 11.30am 22nd March - Race Night at GDA, from 7pm 27th April - deaf restaurant at GDA from 7pm 25th June - Friendship Circle summer party at GDA, 1pm to 3pm 5th to 7th July - young people reunion, Snowdon, Wales

I Am Hard of Hearing cards Following on from the huge success of GDA's Deaf Patient Support cards in August 2017, GDA has now launched a 'I am hard of hearing' card for those with an acquired hearing loss. The cards offer clear and simple prompts to help a person follow a conversation. The cards are free and are available upon request from the GDA office; in writing to GDA, Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL4 3JL, by telephone on 01452 372999 or text 07875 610860. GDPR - safeguarding you and protecting your information You will have seen that new data protection laws came in to force in May 2018. Protecting your information is extremely important to us, and in order for GDA to be GDPR compliant, we have put additional security measures in place, as well as revising our Privacy Notice, which you can read on our website, www.gda.org.uk, or watch a BSL version on our Facebook page. If you have any questions about GDA and GDPR, please contact our Data Protection Officer on 01452 372999 or email dpo@gda.org.uk. Please vote for GDA to win £10,000 GDA has been shortlisted to win a whooping £10,000, but we need YOUR help. Local business Lansdown Insurance is hosting 'Lansdown Giving', an initiative that will see them award cash prizes from £150 to £10,000 to the ten charities with the most votes. Voting is now open and will remain so until 5pm on 31st January 2019 at www.lansdowninsurance.com/giving/ Please spare a few moments to vote for GDA to help give us the best possible chance of winning the greater share. A very BIG thank you Sadly this issue isn't going to be big enough to thank everyone individually, so we will offer a very BIG thank you to ALL the businesses, groups and individuals who have so generously donated to GDA in 2018. Thank you. Young people trip to London On Thursday 16th August, a group of volunteers an young people and their parents got up bright and early and headed to London for a very special day trip in the capital. Despite the initial bleary eyes, the group arrived in London raring to go and headed to The Science Museum for an experience in the Wonderlab - a scientific sensory experience that explores everything from static to gravity. This trip was an opportunity for the young people to step out of their comfort zone, to challenge themselves and make new friends. At the beginning of the trip we asked the group how they felt - most noted nerves. At the end of the day, they all commented on how much they'd enjoyed the trip and the nerves had changed to happiness. This feedback from one of the young people who came on the trip, speaks volumes: "I liked with how I can see that I'm not the only one who is deaf/hard of hearing and that there's other people who is just like me. It makes me feel I'm not alone. Just seeing that has also helped with my confidence of myself deaf just a little bit" This is the whole idea of what GDA is doing. Supporting these young people in their journey through childhood into adulthood and showing them they are not alone, increasing their self-confidence, showing them the wider world and inspiring them to be the amazing people they can be. This trip has made it clear, that providing these opportunities to our young people and families has untold benefits for them. This trip was the start of a new approach to our youth services and we have a number of future exciting opportunities coming up, including a two-part photography workshop and a 100th anniversary young people reunion that will invite them to climb Mount Snowdon in July 2019. Keep posted for more on that very soon.

Cirencester Deaf Children's Club (CDCC) have enjoyed a year full of fun activities and outings in 2019. In May, the young members and their families gathered at Roves Farm, near Swindon, for a fun-packed day on the farm. Members got a chance to enjoy a rather bumpy tractor ride to meet a very Hungry Caterpillar, as well having a go at feeding the lambs and racing the energetic sheep and goats! It was a particularly poignant session in July, a number of CDCC members graduated from the club. They will continue to be supported by our Family Support Worker and will be invited to get involved in a number of upcoming exciting opportunities. It's been an absolute joy to see the children grow into young people and we wish them all the very best for the future. And what other way is there to end the year, other then a CDCC Christmas party. Once again the members were treated to a visit from Mr Christmas himself, who very generously took time out of his busy schedule to hand out gifts to the children. None of these activities would be possible without the continued dedication of the CDC volunteers, so a big thank you to them for all hard work and creativity in continuing to come up with fun and engaging activities for the club to enjoy. Gloucester Deaf Club (GDC) have enjoyed several highlights this year including hosting the UK Deaf Sports Whist Drive Pairs in April, in which two GDC members came runners up. In August the group then enjoyed a seaside trip to Torquay where they also paid the local Deaf Club a visit, and in October they came together for a fun quiz night. Our popular Friendship Circle social activities returned in 2018 with the annual summer and Christmas gatherings. Over 140 guests joined us for the two occasions, to enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal, courtesy of Yumma Food. Once again our friends at Ecclesiastical Insurance joined us to help look after our guests. We cannot thank them enough for all their hard work and we look forward to welcomin them to GDA once more in June for the first of ou 2019 Friendship Circle gatherings. GDA's Friendship Circle is a free social group for anyone living with an acquired hearing loss. It is a friendly and welcoming opportunity to make new friends and catch up with old acquaintances. If you would like to be part of our Friendship Circle, let us know by emailing admin@gda.org.uk, and you will be invited to join us, free of charge at our twice-a-year social occasions. Free transport can be provided for anyone needing assistance getting to and from Gloucester. Our Friendship Circle summer party will be taking place at GDA on Tuesday 25th June, from 1pm to 3pm. GDA branches out in to South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire In April 2018, GDA took over the provision of BSL interpreter services at hospital appointments in Swindon and Wiltshire. Since then GDA has also begun providing weekly employment support to deaf and hard of hearing people in partnership with Disability Experts in Swindon. GDA will soon begin offering deaf people in South Gloucestershire support to those who are job seeking and those accessing education and/or training opportunities. A skilled member of the GDA team will be able to help with filling in application forms, putting together CVs, preparing for interviews and getting Access to Work funding in place. We have a proven track record in Gloucestershire where we are part of the innovative GEM project (Going the Extra Mile), providing much needed specialist employment support for deaf and hard of hearing communities. All of our employment support is delivered by excellent members of the team who are also extremely positive role models.

How we can help you Did you know that GDA offers 32-different services and support to deaf children, young people and adults living in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire? Here's just some of the ways that we can help support you and your deafness: Transport Fund - available, free of charge, to anyone with mobility issues wishing to access GDA's social activities A monthly Lunch Club for BSL users Access to a Family Support Worker One-to-one BSL employment support The provision of BSL interpreters in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Regular Friendship Circle social activities Lip-reading classes A monthly children's deaf club for children aged 0 to 9yrs, and their families Hard of hearing clubs Over 25 hearing-aid maintenance clinics across the county Installation of specialist listening-aid equipment in your home Expert and impartial advise on listening-aid equipment available to buy Family Sign Workshops We can't do it without you Every year we need over £535,0oo to ensure we can continue providing these vital and life-changing services and support to thousands of deaf and hard of hearing people living in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire. Without the kind support and generosity of local people a businesses we simply couldn't keep making t difference that we do. As we enter our 100th year, we would be delighted if you would consider supporting our charity by fundraising, making a donation, or leaving a legacy to GDA. Together we can help remove the barriers that deaf children, young people and adults face every single day and give them a chance to live confidently with their deafness. In aid of GDA Back in the summer a Gloucester based National Citizen Service (NCS) group contacted us to let us know they had chosen GDA as their charity for their planned fundraising. The group of 15 to 17yr olds organised a summer fete as part of their NCS programme, and raised a wonderful £740 for GDA. Thank you to everyone who collected 'Cash for Communities' tokens for GDA On 16th December, local opera singer, Maria Jagusz hosted a Christmas Spectacular in aid of GDA and The Willow Trust. Nearly 300 guests came along to Bingham Hall in Cirencester to enjoy performances from MJ-UK Music and Arts, as well as the Cirencester Male Voice Choir and other special guests. Our sincere thanks to Maria and everyone involved in putting on such a magical evening and for helping to raise over £1,300 for GDA. Our sincere thanks to our friends at Coventry Building Society, Cirencester, who hosted a quiz night in aid of GDA on 19th May. The evening was a huge success and raised a fantastic £800. Since our partnership with CBS began in 2015, the team and their customers at the Cirencester branch have raised a staggering £7,000 for GDA, and they're still going strong. as part of a Gloucester Round Table and Western Daily Press initiative. We managed to secure enough tokens to be rewarded with a prize of £1,485, which was presented to GDA at a presentation evening on Tuesday 4th December. Congratulations to GDA Fundraising Ambassador, Jackie Gloyn who has once again been tirelessly fundraising for GDA, and this year alone, has raised a whooping £6,458.47 - Thank you Jackie.

100 challenges for GDA 2019 is set to be a BIG year for GDA and we would love you to be a part of it. As you will have already read, GDA will be celebrating it's 100th anniversary next year and as part of our celebrations we are inviting 100 people to be a part of our biggest fundraiser ever - 100 people, 100 challenges. So far 83 people have pledged to take on a challenge, with 53 having already completed their challenge. Could you join our team and help us reach our team of 100? "Being part of the 24hr cycle challenge was the best thing I've ever done. It was a wonderful event and brilliant to be involved in GDA's 100th anniversary celebrations" Your challenge can be anything you want it to be - perhaps you want to give something up, or maybe do a sponsored walk, cycle or run? Or how about jumping out of a plane, holding a cake sale or making and selling a craft? Whatever your challenge, you will be helping to ensure the future of the life-transforming support and services that GDA provides to thousands of deaf and hard of hearing children, young people and adults in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire. To make this campaign even more exciting, we are delighted to share with you that The Windsor Family Trust are very generously offering matched funding for the first £100 each of our 100 participants raise, meaning GDA could stand to benefit from an extra £10,000!! We have been overwhelmed with the range of challenges and fundraising already taking place - from making little Christmas elves and hosting a sponsored silence, to running a half marathon and swimming 100 lengths on 100 different days. It's hard to single out just one challenge, but our Lands End to John O'Groats 24hr cycle challenge which took place from 19th to 20th October is definitely one of the highlight challenges so far. The challenge saw a team of nine take on the challenge to cycle 100 miles each, to make up the bulk of the 969 mile journey between the two iconic UK landmarks. The remaining 69 miles would be completed by anyone else wishing to have a go over the course of the 24hrs. What made this challenge even more challenging was the fact they were doing it on exercise bikes, at GDA! Well, not only did they do it, but they did it with two hours to spare and raised a whooping £5,585 in the process! So, if you are you up for taking on a challenge to start your New Year and think you could raise at least £100, please do get in touch on 01452 372999 or 100challenges@gda.org.uk and we can help you kick-start your #GDATurns100 challenge adventure. The biggest of thanks to the following people who have already completed their challenge for GDA and helped us on our way to reaching our £20,000 fundraising target. The very best of luck to those currently planning or taking on their challenge. Sally Gillespie Richard Fletcher Jackie Gloyn Harry Hares in Cirencester Harrison Clark Rickerby's Coventry Building Society in Cirencester Richard Sills Jenny Hopkins Neil Souter Nick Hailes Gloucester Deaf Club Mark Kirby Stephenie Blackburn Robert Blackburn Alex Turley Andy Milner Reg Cobb Esme Sills Mary Hailes NCS - Gloucester Zumba with Jane Maria Jagusz Steve Jones John Gilbert Ellen Darkes Vicki O'Connell Ali Wiltshire Sue Sewell HB Digital Michelle Douse Kevin Daws Mari Simms Lexxi-Pearl Simms Judi Hill Toby Aiken Phil Sullivan Sarah Cook Matt Preston Mark McLaughlin Michelle Nali Topaze Newman Sara Coates Amy Brown Roger Bush Gemma Sills Ecclesiastical Turn over for photos of some of the challenges that have taken place so far

2018 in numbers 150 journey's made using our Transport Fund 8,519 miles travelled by our outreach workers to visit people in their homes The number of BSL interpreters provided 888 HOMES VISITED TO INSTALL LISTENING AID EQUIPMENT the number of appointments we've hosted at our employment support workshops in Swindon from Oct to Dec in partnership with Disability Experts 2,427 324 47 lunches served at our Deaf Lunch Club 3,900 HOURS OF COMMUNICATION SUPPORT PROVIDED IN THE WORKPLACE 3,295 people attended our hearing-aid clinics

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

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.

Hear for You JANUARY 2017 www.gda.org.

Welcome Dear GDA friends and supporters The start of the calendar year is often a favourite time at GDA. Memories are still fresh from our Christmas parties held for our Friendship Circle members and also Cirencester Deaf Children’s Club (CDCC). It’s a natural time as well to reflect on the last twelve months and think how much has been achieved for deaf adults and children in Gloucestershire, which is due not just to the dedication of our staff and volunteers, but also to the wonderful support we receive from donors and from fundraisers. In many ways 2016 proved an outstanding year, and some of the reasons why are featured in this latest edition of our newsletter. We have launched a deaf friendly Forest School for children and young people; we have organised workshops, visits t police stations and created sign language films around different aspects of safety; w have visited more people at home than ever before to install listening aid equipmen we have set up regular hearing aid clinics around the county for new batteries, cleaning and re-tubing; we have launched an e-learning ‘Understand Deafness’ training programme; and we have achieved 100% fulfilment on every one of our fiv public sector contracts. As we look ahead to 2017, may I take this opportunity to thank everyone who suppo GDA in one way or another. We simply could not achieve half of what we do withou you. Wishing you all the best for the year ahead. GET IN TOUCH Telephone - 01452 372999 Text - 07875 610860 Email - admin@gda.org.uk Website - www.gda.org.uk Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL4 3JL Opening hours - Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm. Friday 9am to 4pm to we ent; ve orts out Sally s story Hi, please introduce yourself I am Sally Gillespie. I am mum to Callum who is 3 and a half. Callum was born hearing but at nine months developed bacterial menigitis. Thankfully he survived but he was left with hearing loss in both ears and as a result he now wears hearing aids. How has GDA helped you and your family? We've been attending Cirencester Deaf Children's Club (CDCC) for two years and we go every month. It’s been fantastic for me to speak to other parents and for Callum to engage with other children. The realisation that deaf children can do most things other children can do - such as go to the pantomime and enjoy music - has been very comforting. We didn’t know anything about deafness so it's been a massive learning cur and CDCC has been a fantastic support mechanism. What has been the biggest change you’ve seen in Callum as a result of the support you’ve had? His confidence has grown tremendously, and you can see him learn how to focus better and join in. I'd recommend CDCC and GDA to anyone with a deaf child. It is scary; I remember being petrified – I'd never been around deaf children before, but I've learnt no to be scared. Talking to other parents has been hugely valuable. And finally, tell us a little more about you – what’s your ideal day out in Gloucestershire? We love going to Pitville Park in Cheltenham and getting ice-cream and hot chocolates with marshmallows. We'd probably finish with a roast dinner and a trip to the pool swimming - a perfect weekend treat. New hearing-aid clinics announced GDA has launched a number of new free hearing-aid clinics across Gloucestershire. New clinics are now also taking place in Coleford, Stroud and Cam. The clinics are an opportunity for NHS hearing-aid wearers to get hearing-aids retubed, cleaned and get new batteries. Our technicians are also available to offer impartial advise on specialist listening aid equipment that can help you hear at home. Find a clinic near you at www.gda.org.uk or call 01452 372999. Booking is essential for most clinics.

GDA news The Honeyford Communication Pot In August we hosted our first ever Play Your Cards Right game night, our take on the TV show hosted by Bruce Forsyth in the 90s, and its aim was to raise fund to launch a new BSL communication service. The Honeyford Communication Pot has been set up in memory of our deaf friend and colleague, Barbara Honeyford, who sadly passed away two years ago As a much loved BSL interpreter, this fund seeme most fitting way to honour her memory and dedication to our local Deaf community. The pot of money will be used to provide Deaf people with BSL interpreters in key situations where funding isn't available. The night itself was a big success with lots of laughs and audience participation. We started off with 40 players and each of them battled their way through the rounds to compete for the £50 cash prize - huge congratulations to Steve who won the prize, and who so generously shared it with his pal, Patrick. We were absolutely delighted and honoured to have Steve, Barbara Honeyford's partner, with us for the night. It was a truly fitting way to remember Barbara and kick-start our new Honeyford Communication Pot. GDA awarded Level 2 PQASSO Quality Mark GDA has become the first user-led charity in the county to achieve the PQASSO Quality Mark at level 2, a nationally recognised accreditation that gives both users and commissioners an external valuation of the quality and credibility of an organisation. After months of evidence gathering for a desktop review of procedures, followed by a full two-day on-site inspection, GDA was given the new via a glowing report, which included the comment, “It was very apparent to the assessor that managers, staff and volunteers are inspired and motivated by being part of a well led and ambitious organisation to deliver high quality services”. PQASSO is the only kitemark endorsed by the Charity Commission as meeting the Hallmarks of an Effective Charity. rs ws rt he GDA news Police Commissioner's Fund GDA is coming towards the end of a two- year safety project funded by the Police Commissioner’s Fund. It has proved both valuable and impactful. Recent activities have included a very interesting visit from the Forest of Dean Hard of Hearing Club to Coleford Police Station, where members were treated to an afternoon talk around safety issues; a police talk also at the Cirencester Hard of Hearing Club; and a BSL film on ‘What action to take during an emergency’, which to date has attracted more than 11,000 views on GDA’s Facebook Community Page. South Gloucestershire Following the closure of South Gloucestershire Deaf Association in March 2016, GDA is now tasked with expanding a limited number of servic into South Gloucestershire. Additiona funding from South Gloucestershire commissioners will need to be urgent secured in order for GDA to provide a adequate level of support for deaf an hard of hearing people, but we are currently in consultation with South Gloucestershire Council among other and in the meantime making best use a small pot of money given to GDA by our friends at SGDA. Building changes at GDA GDA has undergone further improvements to its site in recent months, including a new pedestrian walkway from the road directly into the Community Centre that avoids walking across the car park; and also an updated and expanded office reception area. Friendship Circle Christmas party On Tuesday 22nd November we hosted our most popular Friendship Circle social event ever with over 70 guests coming from across the county to enjoy a delicious festive lunch, cooked by Yumma Food, and entertainment from the Wye Valley Singers. GDA's Friendship Circle is proving an extremely popular and valuable social club for those with an acquired hearing loss, and it was wonderful on this occasion, to welcome lots of new faces to GDA. It is free to join - for more information contact 01452 372999.

GDA news Going the Extra Mile (GEM) GDA is delighted to have been selected as one of nearly forty delivery partners on a major new European Funded project in Gloucestershire. It's called GEM (which stands for 'Going the Extra Mile') and its aim is to engage with and support Gloucestershire's hardest-to-reach, most vulnerable unemployed and financiallyexcluded people, who face multiple barriers to work. GDA's role will be to work with participants who are deaf or hard of hearing, who m also be facing other challenges and to help move them closer towards education, training, volunteering or work, including self-employment. This project is a partnership of community focused organisations, managed by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council. The GEM Project is jointly funded by the Big Lo and European Social Fund. As a delivery partner, GDA is now inviting anyone who is deaf and looking for help towards further education, training, volunteering, employment or self employment to get in touch with us. Please note this project has a strict eligibility criteria - this will be discussed with you upon inquiry. Want to know more? Contact Reg Cobb on reg.cobb@gda.org.uk, on Skype as gda-reg.cobb or on FaceTime as admin@gda.org.uk. Sad news about John Yates It's with great sadness that we pass on the news that John Yates passed away on Saturday 27th August. John was a long time friend of GDA and to the local Deaf Community. As a local man, John’s association with GDA goes back many years. He was a member of the GDA Council of Management at various times during the 1990s and early years of the 21st century. John was also a member of the Hard of Hearing Forum. John’s concern and compassion for Deaf and hard of hearing people continued to the end. He will be greatly missed by everyone at GDA. a may He Club updates CDCC (Cirencester Deaf Children's Club) kicked off their new term in September with something new for the grown-ups. While the children have enjoyed visits from hedgehogs and the local police, and doing crafts and music, parents and carers have been invited to join GDA in a separate room for Family Support Sessions. Each session has focused on a different area of interest, but always related to deafness, including Family Sign lessons. In the future we’ll be hosting sessions on behaviour and identity, as well as inviting other parents of deaf children to come and share their experience. CDCC ended 2016 with their annual Christmas party where the children decorated Christmas trees which were kindly donated by GWP Group. During the summer holidays we launched the Deaf-friendly Forest School; a unique opportunity for youn people with hearing loss to experience the great outdoors in the enchanting wooded surroundings at Hartpury College. To date 24 children and ten adults, all with varying levels of deafne have taken part in a variety of activitie including nature art, mud painting, de building (and waterproof testing!), wa play, bug hunting and toasting marshmallows, deaf-friendly hide and seek and much more. The school not only offers participants the chance to explore nature but to do so in a safe a total communication environment, Whether a child communicates orally or using BSL, t be assured tha they will be included in all activities. For future school dates call GDA on 01452 372999. GDA's Lunch Club continues to be a very popular club with 42 people, on average, a month coming to enjoy a home cooked lunch, provided by volunteers Kim and Yvonne, helped by Sandra and Natasha. In August the group ventured to Weston Super Mare where the sunny weather allowed them to stroll the promenade and savour the fresh sea air.

Club updates Gloucestershire Deafened and Cochlear Implant Support Group (GDCISG) have enjoyed a range of activities over the last few months. During the summer months they enjoyed a guided tour of Tewkesbury Abbey, a summer garden party, a 5 mile walk round the Sculpture Trail in the Forest of Dean and a social event with a buffe lunch at GDA. More recently they hosted a Technology Day. It was organized by the National Cochlear Implant Users Association (NCIUA) and the day consisted of presentations by each of the three Cochlear Implant manufacturers about their late speech processors and accessories. In the afternoon everyone had the opportunity speak to the reps individually, to ask questions and try out equipment. Their membership continues to grow and two more members have recently received thei CI's and are making good progress. If you would like to know more about GDCISG please email cathnkiln@izat.myzen.co.uk or contact GDA on 01452 372999. Gloucester Deaf Club (GDC) enjoyed a day trip to Weymouth back in July. Thankfully the weather was kind to them and they were able to enjoy the beautiful seaside surroundings. In September the club welcomed Bridgwater Deaf Club to Gloucester. The two clubs spent a fun evening playing bingo and others games, while catching up with friends. It's been another busy few months wi Gloucestershire Hard of Hearing club The Gloucester club in particular has welcomed a number of new members their group, as has the Cheltenham club. Speakers including Brockworth Hedgehog Rescue and Reverend Stev Morris, among others, have attended club meetings across the county to share tales about their work. In addit the clubs have been on various outin including an idyllic boat trip from Gloucester to Saul in August. New members are always welcome, a anyone wishing to join is invited to contact the GDA office on 01452 3729 or email admin@gda.org.uk to find ou more. et he test y to eir with bs. s rs to ve d tion, ngs and 999 out A thank you from us to you VOLUNTEERS Chris Averiss Jenny Beadle Richard Busby Sandra Chandler Yvonne Cobb Catherine Cook Hannah Ede Kim Fletcher Richard Fletcher Chris Gardner Emily Gill Jackie Gloyn Natasha Griffey Catherine Harkness Rory Haynes Nic Hewlett Graham Howell Lucy Lea Peter Maynard Jonathan Moffitt Fran Morgan Rosemary Morgan Caitlin Nolan Justine Norman Charlotte O'Connor Lesley Reeve Michael Sadler Christina Snell Sandra Silk Marita Westgate Judy Wood Thanks to the anonymous donors and volunteers who regularly give their time and money to GDA. FUNDRAISERS Toby Aiken Claire Beeley Jim Beeley Megan Brunton Gemma Buckley Yvonne Cobb Kate Davies Hannah Ede Tracy Ellis Kim Fletcher Chris Gardner Jackie Gloyn Emma Jenkins Jonathan Moffitt Richard Sills Jim Thomson Thanks to ALL who donate to GDA. There ar too many to mention, but we are continuous grateful for their generosity. CORPORATE DONORS Barnwood General Works Coventry Building Society Ecclesiastical Endsleigh Insurance GWP Group HB Digital JSM Promotional Gifts Kingscott Dix M&S and BP Garages Red Apple Garage Red Lemon St James Place Wealth TSB Head Office, Barnwood

Happy New Year from the GDA family

In aid of GDA It's been a busy season of half marathons at GDA recently with supporters taking on the Cheltenham, Oxford and Stroud Half Marathons during September and October. Gemma Buckley, Richard Sills and Jim Thomson took on the 13.1 mile courses and between them they have raised over £1,400 for GDA. Huge thanks and congratulations to each of our runners on their fantastic achievements. We are very excited to have been announced as the charity partner of TSB's Gloucestershire Head Office in Barnwood. Over the coming year, TSB partners will be carrying out a whole host of fundraising activities including a Christmas market, quiz nights and sweepstakes. Debbie Waterland at TSB Barnwood, said: “GDA is a local cause that’s close to people hearts here in Barnwood and we are delighted to welcome them as our new Local Charity Partner. We’re busy planning lots of fundraising activities for the coming months and can’t wait to build our partnership with GDA and support the vital work that they do for our local community." The partners at TSB will be hoping to raise £3,500 for GDA during the year's partnership. On 22nd October, GDA and a team players from Gloucester Deaf Footb Club headed to the New Lawn Stadium, home of Forest Green Rovers (FGR), for the book launch o 'The Rise of Forest Green Rovers; The Road to Wembley' which has been written by GDA Chair Chris Gardne in aid of GDA. The day was a huge success with book sales totalling ov £1,200, plus an additional £300 kin donated by FGR supporters. To dat the book has raised nearly £4,000 f GDA. Thanks to Chris for such a generous gesture; to Gloucester De FC for their support at the launch, a to FGR for their help in promoting the book. Copies for £12.99 are available at GDA. m of tball of e er, ver ndly ate for eaf and A shout out to the following groups and businesses who have recently donated to GDA. Our sincere thanks to: Jim Beeley who, as Sheriff of Gloucester 2015/2016, raised £3,154.60 for GDA. St James' Place Wealth who donated £300 towards the work of Cirencester Dea Children's Club (CDCC). Newent Community School for raising £108 at a student and teacher collection An anonymous donor who kindly gave £3,500. The money has been requested to support our new YOUChoose service and children's activities. Endsleigh Insurance and Zurich Community Trust who donated £100 following a staff vote. Red Apple Garage who have been collecting for GDA and to date have raised over £658 for GDA. Zumba with Jane who raised £220 following a raffle draw during which GDA wa chosen as the winning charity. Brockhampton Village Hall who raised £300 at an open day. Team GDA's next fundraising challenge We've done triathlons, we run half marathons and we've jumped out of planes. So, what next? Why, the Three Peak Challenge of course. On Friday 19th May 2017 a tea of GDA supporters and staff will be making their way to Scotland to take on the firs of the three tallest peaks in the UK, Ben Nevis in Scotland. They'll then be attempti Scafell in England and Snowdon in Wales. And what's more, they'll be hoping to complete the challenge in 24 hours! The team of twelve is made up of Deaf and hearing brave adventurers and over the next few months they'll be putting in hours of training and lots of fundraising effort with initiatives including car washes, quiz nights and a photoshoot. They've already topped the £1,400 fundraising total so they're well on target to making this our biggest fundraising challenge to date. If you'd like to give our heroic adventurers a boost you can donate to their challenge at www.justgiving.com/gda.

y y, GDA Trustee Jackie Gloyn is inviting people to win a chance to stay in Normandy in her annual raffle draw. The lucky winners will get to stay in a typical French house, situated in the small town of Lessay which is just ten minutes away from the miles o sandy Normandy beaches. The accommodation sleeps six and has a walled garden with terrace. To enter simply send £5 in an envelope to GDA, Colin Road, Barnwood Gloucester, GL4 3JL by Tuesday 14th February 2017. Please remember to include yo name, address, contact number, email and quote NORMANDY5. The winner will be selected at random and notified shortly afterwards. The winners will be responsible for arranging their own transport to and from Lessay and bookings will be subject t the owners availability. Christmas Pantomime trip Every year we host a trip to the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham to see a special BSL pantomime performance. This year, we send our sincere thanks to Mrs Bamber for her generous donation of £550 which she has made in memory of her husband, towards the cost of the trip. In a few weeks time, children and adults will head to the theatre to enjoy the hilarious 'Jack and the Beanstalk' starring GDA favourite, Tweedy the Clown. We'll share pictures from the trip in our next issue. DATES FOR YOUR DIARY JANUARY 2017 * Saturday 7th - 'Jack and the Beanstalk' Pantomime trip. FEBRUARY * Friday 10th - Pamper evening at GDA, from 7pm * Tuesday 14th - Normandy holiday raffle draw deadline. MARCH * Friday 3rd - quiz night at GDA, 7pm MAY * Saturday 13th - car wash and coffee and cake morning at GDA, 9am to 1pm * Friday 19th to Sunday 21st - Three Peak Challenge. JUNE * Tuesday 27th - Friendship Circle Summer party at GDA 1pm to 3pm. n , of n od, our be le to m Listening aid equipment to help you at home Introducing the Signolux Visual Alert System - £53.94 including P&P Signolux (pronounced ‘Sig – no – lux’) An exciting new addition to our range of equipment, the all-singing, all-dancing Signolux visual signal system. This versatile and compact system, with a range of up to 200 metres can be used as an alert for the doorbell, smoke alarm and telephone. It's portable and wireless so you can take it anywhere in the home, including the garden The flashing light and picture on the receiver will alert you if something is happening even you're wearing headphones or you're on the loop. Don't just take our word for it... "The Signolux has improved my life so much. It has stopped me worrying about not hearing people coming to the door and missing them." Mr Ash, Gloucestershire HEALTH COMMUNICATION AND CARE CARD Get your Signolux at www.gda.org.uk or call 01452 372999. We have devised a useful form to help ensure you receive the correct communication support at your doctor and hospital appointments. You can download the form on the GDA website at www.gda.org.uk or pick up a copy at any of our free hearing-aid clinics. Once you've filled your form in, hand it in to your doctors surgery for them to update your records.

2016 - and the impact we made we served meals at our deaf lunch club 20,661 The miles gda travelled to support deaf people in their homes or close to home 1,287 Times we provided BSL communication support 24 6 children and their families attended this year's Deaf Children's Club Christmas party We successfully launched the Deaf-friendly Forest School with pilot sessions. * results for 2 weeks in December are estimates based on trends. 2,595 851 room hire bookings at th GDA Community Cent We have re-tubed and cleaned hearing aids f people at our hearing aid clini Number of people we visited at their homes to install specialist listening aid equipment 1,012 1,735 drop-in visits for advice and suppor 528 r rt the ntre for ics

E n g l a n d N o . Hear for You J U L Y 2 0 1 6 Jumping out of a plane EU Referendum Friendship Circle Summer Party and much more... G D A i s a R e g i s t e r e d C h a r i t y i n 1 0 1 5 9 3 7 a n d 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 www.gda.org.uk

Welcome Dear GDA friends and supporters, Some days in the GDA office it feels as though there is barely time even to catch our breath. First we say hi to David and Sam B, who have already been busy for an hour setting up the community centre and making everywhere shipshape. Then it's grab a quick coffee or tea, whilst Mary and Sue are checking messages and taking the first of what could be fifty calls in a single day; Gem gets busy on social media and nurturing our ever growing number of supporters; by 9.15am Emma is sprinting off to do her morning visits to install listening aid equipment; Sam Q is rushing to her first hearing-aid re-tubing clinic; Reg is taking a Skype call or enjoying the first of his several snacks of the day (how DOES he stay so slim, given how much he eats?!); James and Hannah are busy too on BSL interpreting assignments; and I am invariably getting ready for my first meeting of the day or settling down to write the next grant application. The kind of workload we manage each week can be colossal. And yet there are very special moments too when you realise what makes it all worthwhile. I can think of two recent ones. The first was a beautiful thank you letter we received from someone after she had been rushed into hospital with suspected meningitis and we had been able to provide a BSL interpreter in double-quick time to be by her side as she underwent not one but four lumbar puncture tests, which thankfully revealed she had a less serious form of the disease. The second was when GDA was selected as one of three finalists for the first ever Charity Governance Awards and I and two GDA Board members enjoyed a trip to London for what proved to be a very prestigious event - more about that further on in the newsletter. Enjoy reading this latest newsletter from GDA, and thank you for continuing to support the important work we do. Best wishes, Jenny Jenny Hopkins, Chief Executive JOIN US ON Facebook GDAGlos Twitter @glosdeaf Linkedin Gloucestershire Deaf Association Youtube GDAGlosDeaf GET IN TOUCH Telephone 01452 372999 Mobile GDA is open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm and Friday 9am to 4pm Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL4 3JL 07875 610860 Email admin@gda.org.uk Website www.gda.org.uk 2 Oshane's story Hi, please introduce yourself I was born in Jamaica and came to Gloucester in 2009 with my mother, brother and sister. I am 22 years old and profoundly deaf. I use both BSL (British Sign Language) and ASL (American Sign Language) when I communicate. Do you have a job? I work in the café at Robinwood Hill Country Park in Gloucester owne by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. I went to National Star College to le the trick of the catering trade and to be qualified to work in the cateri industry. How has GDA helped you at work? GDA has helped me with PLUSS, to get a job in the café where I am n continue to help me to work well with colleagues and customers. GDA provides communication professionals and job coaching. GDA has also set up the new Gloucestershire deaf football team with SoFab and Active Gloucestershire, enabling me to be happy playing with other deaf people What would you like to be in doing in two years? I am not sure what will happen; I would like a full-time job and make more friends. If I save up a lot, I could buy a nice car, a BMW or an Audi, and have a nice home and possibly move back to Jamaica where I know a lot of deaf people there. And finally, tell us a little more about you - what’s your ideal day out in Gloucestershire? It is difficult for me to enjoy a day out in Gloucestershire due to lack of accessibility for me, but I enjoy going to the gym near Barton Street, because it’s a nice small and friendly place, and playing football with other deaf people. GDA shortlisted for Charity Governance Award Earlier this year GDA was delighted to learn we had been sh for a national Charity Governance Award, which recognised organisation's huge achievement in paying off a crippling pension deficit without cutting a single service for our client On May 12th our CEO, Jenny, together with former GDA Chair Chris Averiss and retired treasurer, Roger Tovey, attended a glittering award ceremony at Dunster Court in the City of London. For a small charity to be recognised in this way felt a huge honour. Congratulations to all GDA trustees, staff and volunteers.

GDA news Friendship Circle Summer Party On Tuesday 21st June guests from across the county came together for another of GDA's Friendship Circle social activities. The theme for our June gathering was 'Vintage Afternoon Tea' and thanks once again, to a wonderful team of volunteers from Ecclesiastical Insurance who came dressed up and 'wigged' especially, the afternoon had a swinging 50's feel. Food was provided by Yumma Cafe which led by deaf entrepreneur Yvonne Cobb, and guests were trea entertainment from a local singer. If you would like to join th Friendship Circle and come along to our popular social activ hear from you - it's free to join and being a Friend brings many benefits. Simply drop us a line on 01452 372999 or gemma.sills@gda.org.uk. Gloucestershire Business Show GDA was delighted to be part of this year's Gloucestershire Business Show held at Cheltenham Racecourse on 18th and 19th May. The show, which brings together businesses from across the county, was an opportunity for GDA to showcase its new Deaf Awareness training films. Working in partnership with other key Gloucestershire training providers, including Gloucestershire Enterprise Ltd and National Star College, we presented our training as part of the Training & Development Hub. GDA's Deaf Awareness Training has now expanded to include films as part of an e-learning package. This is cost effective as well as a convenient way for businesses to understand better how to make their services more accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. For more details please visit www.gda.learnupon.com or call 01452 372999. Building works As part of our continued commitment and need to improve our Colin Road facilities, the GDA building will be undergoing some additional building work during the week commencing the 25th July. Planned work includes: * Creating a separate meeting space at the end of the hall. The new room will be named the 'Honeyford Room' in memory of our dear colleague Barbara Honeyford who sadly passed away in 2014 * Creating a pedestrian walkway directly from Barnwood Road. * Resolve damp problem in the hall and Ruby Room. * Creating a safer main entrance, including installing a speed bump and painting in a pedestrian walkway. We will of course do our best to minimise disruption and thank you in advance for your understanding and tolerance during the week when the works are being carried out. If you have any questions regarding the building works please contact us at admin@gda.org.uk. 4 FREE HEARING-AID CLINICS AC New Deaf-friendly Forest School GDYZ volunteer leader Rosemary Morgan is behind an exciting new outdoor initiative taking place during this summer, which is especially for deaf and hard of hearing children and young adults, along with any hearing siblings or best friends. The Deaf-friendly Forest School offers quite an exceptional opportunity for young people to develop their relationship with the outdoors and natural environment, and within a total communication environment. Activities across the four days will include den building, bug hunting, cooking on an open fire and much more. The Deaf-friendly Forest School will take place on four dates: 28th July, 4th August, 18th August and 31st August. The cost is £20 per child/young adult per day, and this includes transport to and from the venue, with pick-up points in Cirencester and at GDA, all materials, and of course covers the tailored programme of activities under trained and qualified staff. (Subsidised places are also available, so please do ask if you feel your family might qualify for funding support). We anticipate high demand and there are a limited number of places. If you are interested, please contact GDA as soon as possible for more information on 01452 372999 or email admin@gda.org.uk. EU Referendum On Thursday 9th June, GDA invited our deaf community to attend a special BSL information session about June's EU Referendum. Responding to calls from the deaf community, GDA put on the event for 45 people who came along to find out more about the arguments for and against the Leave and Remain campaigns. Hosted by GDA's Project Developer, Reg Cobb, the afternoon looked at the pros and cons for each side on a number of different topics including economy, disability rights, travel and immigration. Reg said "The response to our EU referendum event was extremely positive with a good turnout. This was a particularly tricky topic to present because clear information wasn't readily available for anyone but this just proved how particularly isolated the deaf community are when it comes to accessing mainstream information." YouChoose In June, GDA invited commissioners from across health and social care to the launch of our new YOUChoose peer support personal assistant service. This new service is designed to match deaf and hard of hearing clients with personal assistants who may themselves be deaf or hard of hearing and so are uniquely well qualified and understanding to their needs, especially around communication. YOUChoose has been a great success already in the Midlands under another deaf charity, Action Deafness. GDA is delighted to have been selected as one of four partners which Action Deafness has now chosen to help roll out the service across the UK. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and would like information about becoming either a client or a personal assistant, please get in touch with the GDA office using any of the contact details at the beginning of this newsletter. 5

Club updates This term GDYZ have had a Valentine’s Day Bake-Off and made many foods including: cupcakes and shortbread. Sam won the best-tasting category and Caitlin won the best themed cake. Everyone really enjoyed the evening, especially the adults who were the judges. During the half term, we spent a morning bouncing at Jumptastic. was called “amazing”, “awesome” and “tiring”. We were especial pleased to go to KFC afterwards because we were starving! We have also welcomed Connor to our group and he has bewilder outstanding card tricks. We are looking forward to our end of term BBQ and our half term trip tubing. We are also excited about sharing our opinions about what it is like for us to grow up as young deaf people in Gloucestershire. RM. GDYZ leader Cirencester Deaf Children's Club (CDCC) is a growing club, with upwards of 20 children regularly attending our monthly meetings. The group meets at the Youth Opportunity Group Play Centre in Cirencester on the first Saturday of the month where we always have a themed morning. Recently we have celebrated Mothering Sunday, the Queen's birthday - everyone loves dressing up and wearing crowns - and our next session in July is 'At the Seaside' when we'll be keeping fingers crossed for some sunny weather to enjoy the big sandpit, paddling pools out and lots of bubbles ending with a picnic. JG. CDCC volunteer The children were extremely fortunate to have 'The Owl Man' visit them in May when an adorable Barn Owl entertained the children and their families. Here is CDCC member, Summer Fletcher with The Owl Man and the star of the show. In April the Gloucestershire Deafened and Cochlear Implant Support Group (GDCISG) held its AGM at GDA. This was followed by a presentation from the National Association for Deaf People (NADP) informing us of their work to raise awareness of deaf issues both nationally and locally. During our monthly meetings we have enjoyed pub lunches in Gloucester and Westbury-on-Severn and visited Nature in Art. Three members of the group have received Cochlear Implants during the last six months, two are making very good prgress while the third is patiently waiting for 'Switch-on' Day. CH. GDCISG member If you would like more information about the group please email Cathy Hopkins on cathnkiln@izat.myzen.co.uk. Gloucestershire's Hard of Hearing clubs have been as busy as ever over the last few months. Here, Jackie Gloyn from Cirencester HOH and Sue Eldridge from Gloucester HOH, share what their respective groups have been doing. Jackie said "We have had some great meetings recently and the club has grown in size. Malcolm from Heritage Matters came with museum artifacts and we had a team competition deciding what the objects might have been used for. Ceilidh-jo has been and organised a sing-along which is most popular with members, whilst Malcolm Lewis spoke to us one night about operettas and their stars. Our summer outing in July is a steam train ride from Cheltenham Racecourse to Toddington where we will have a cream tea." Sue said "The club's highlight of the last few months has to be a visit from Maurice, a RAF war veteran who came to share his experiences. captured everyone in the audience. We're always looking for new members so please do get in touch if you'd like to join our supportive group." If you'd like to join your local hard of hearing club please contact the GDA office on 01452 372999 for more details. Gloucester Deaf Club (GDC) have been a busy bunch over the last few months. They've enjoyed a number of bingo evenings and most recently, they came together to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday. At the club's AGM in May, Laurence Hayes was announced as the new Chairperson, taking over from Kim Fletcher who held the post for three and a half years. Well done to Kim for all her hard work as Chair and all the best to Laurence in his new role. GDA's popular Lunch Club has been going from strength to strength in 2016 with, on average, 40 people coming along to the monthly lunches held at GDA in Barnwood. Volunteers Kim Fletcher and Yvonne Cobb cook up a delicious two-course meal which guests enjoy along with a game or two of bingo and a raffle draw. Recently one or two members have been worrying about their reduced mobility and wondering how long they might be able to continue attending the lunches. This is a serious issue because for many it's their only opportunity to catch up with lifelong friends and relax among other sign language users. Happily, thanks to the money we raise for our Transport Fund, GDA has been able to reassure Lunch Club members that we can provide a taxi service for those who are no longer able to drive or use public transport. For more info about Lunch Club please contact GDA office on 01452 372999 or 07865 610860. 7

Deaf-friendly Gloucestershire For a number of years now The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham has been supporting deaf and hard of hearing people in Gloucestershire by regularly providing deaf-friendly performances. In our second 'Deaf-friendly Gloucestershire' instalment, we are delighted to give the Everyman a shout-out. The Everyman Theatre is committed to providing access performances as it’s important to us that everyone can enjoy live theatre. We offer Audio Descriptions and Touch Tours for the Visually Impaired; Relaxed Performan for individuals with an Autistic Spectrum Condition and learning disabilities anyone who would benefit from a more informal environment) and we also o British Sign Language Interpreted Performances and Captioned Performanc with hearing loss. We’re thrilled to be able to offer both these options for our deaf & hard of hearing audience members. Highlights from our schedule for the new season: * Finders Keepers on Wednesday 5th October at 2pm & 6pm - devised and performed by Hot Coals Theatre, Finders Keepers is a show about two twits, one junkyard and an unexpected surprise. Using music, puppetry and comic happenings and absolutely no dialogue, it's a show that's accessible to both Deaf and hearing audiences in a shared experience. (Suitable for age 8+) * Captioned performance for A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens on Wednesday 16th November at 7.45pm Dickens considered his novel, A Tale Of Two Cities the best story he had ever written. Interweaving one family’s intensely personal drama with the terror and chaos of the French Revolution, it is an epic story of love, sacrifice and redemption amidst horrific violence and world changing events. * British Sign Language Interpreted Performance of Jack & The Beanstalk on Saturday 7th January at 2pm. The Everyman Theatre proudly presents a GIANT of a pantomime this Christmas – Jack and the Beanstalk, with plenty of magic and music and featuring the return of Tweedy the Clown for more mischief and mayhem! This family-friendly show promises to be packed with songs, laughs, slapstick, a giant, a hero, a beautiful girl or two, plenty of fairy dust, a handful of magic beans and even a comedy cow! Magical fun for all ages; very interactive and very uplifting - we guarantee the adults will enjoy it as much as the children! We offer performances designed to enable everyone to enjoy our productions - I hope we can welcome you all in the new season! Please contact us if you would like any further information or to discuss your individual needs: sally-ann.rhodes@everymantheatre.org.uk. S-A RHODES, EVERYMAN THEATRE 11 In aid of GDA GDA fundraisers have been busy bees again, jumping out of planes, hosting five-course dinners, coffee mornings and much more. Here's a little snippet with what our wonderful supporters have been up to... Tandem skydive On Saturday 4th June a gang of dare-devils headed to Old Sarum Airfield near Salisbury with the intention of leaping 10,000ft out of a plane to raise money for GDA. Unfortunately due to bad weather conditions the gang wer disappointingly unable to jump. However, cakes and bante spirits high as we clung onto the hope that the weather mi for the better. Thankfully the sun shone on the Sunday an jumpers were able to make the leap. So far six of our eight have been able to complete the challenge, and we're hoping the last two are able to do so in the coming weeks. Over the last few months the group have hosted a whole feast of fundraising activities including a Finger Spellathon, a five-course dinner and raffle draws. In total their fundraising efforts have raised a fantastic £3,000 for GDA which will specifically support our Transport Fund; a pot of money which allows GDA to cover the transport costs for isolated deaf and hard of hearing people getting to and from the charity's social activities and services. Huge congratulations and thanks to all our daredevils so far, your bravery has been inspiring. Photo credit to Nigel Dodd. Charitable staff raise £2,300 for GDA Back in June last year Coventry Building Society's Cirencester branch selected GDA as their charity partner. Since then the team have been tirelessly fundraising by hosting raffle draws and coffee and cake mornings as well as applying for a grant on GDA's behalf. On Thursday 7th April, the team presented GDA's Jenny Hopkins with a cheque for £2,300. Jenny said "Tracy said 'we have a little gift for you'. I was expecting £40 or thereabout... my jaw dropped when I saw the cheque." Cirencester Branch Manager Tracy Ellis, said: "We were really pleased to raise that much money over the past year. We're going to keep raising money and keep building a good relationship." 9

Record-breaking Race Night GDA's Race Nights are always a popular and this year's event was our biggest one yet - record breaking in fact! Held on Friday 11th March at the GDA Community Centre, guests were treated to a delicious home-cooked meal thanks to GDA colleagues Mary Hailes and Emma Jenkins. Entertainment came courtesy of the ever charismatic Reg Cobb, who, along with Gemma Sills, donned fitting costumes for the evening.The night smashed all previous Race Night records by raising a fabulous £1,508. he money the event raised will go towards GDA's Transport Fund which assists isolated deaf and hard of hearing people access the charity's services and social activities. Thanks to local businesses HB Digitial, Endsleigh Insurance, Kingscott Dix and Barnwood General Works who kindly sponsored the costs of the evening. Charity coffee morning You'll notice the name Jackie Gloyn pops up a lot in this section of the newsletter - that's because Jackie just keeps on giving her time and energy to raise money for GDA. Jackie's latest fundraising venture was a coffee morning at The Old Rectory in Colesbourne on 14th June. Over 80 guests came along to grab a bargain and sample the delicious cake - thanks to the generosity and efforts of Jackie and her loyal helpers, the event raised over £1,600 for GDA. And not forgetting... We couldn't possibly not give a shout out to other local businesses and organisations which have been busy fundraising for GDA over the last few months. So, BIG thanks to: * Beaudesert Park School which raised £365.47 at a hot chocolate sale. * Kingham Plough pub which raised £133 at their February pub quiz. * M&S / BP garages across the county who raised £289 during April by hosting money tins in stores. * Jonathan Moffitt, GDA trustee who hosted a summer garden party and raised £469. Mayor's Charity Ball On Friday 20th May, GDA staff put on their finest attire and headed to Kingsholm Rugby Club to enjoy an evening that celebrated our organisation as the Sheriff of Gloucester's chosen charity. The evening played host to a silent auction, live auction and raffle draw, all of which were raising money for GDA and additional, the Mayor's chosen charity. We're just awaiting the final amount raised but the money will help fund the support and services GDA provides to young people living with hearing loss. Cllr Jim Beeley said "It's been a pleasure to support a great local cause and I'm delighted the money will help young deaf people in Gloucestershire." 10 Get involved SHOP ONLINE When you shop online using EasyFundraising you could be raising money for GDA. At NO extra cost to you, your purchases could raise much needed pennies and pounds. Shop from over 2,000 popular retailers including Tesco, John Lewis and Argos. Find out more at www.easyfundraising.org.uk. VOLUNTEERING We're always on the CAMPAIGNING GDA is driving forward a campaign to encourage all hospital wards, GP surgeries and medical centres to install visual alerts but we need your help to make an impact. 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. FUNDRAISING GDA relies on the generous support of local people and businesses to continue our lifetransforming services. If you've been inspired by our wonderful supporters and would like to support GDA, then drop us a line to find out how we can help you kick start your fundraising. 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. DONATE Whatever amount you can spare, a donation to GDA will help ensure the future of the services and support we offer to thousands of deaf and hard of hearing people in Gloucestershire. A FEW DATES FOR YOUR DIARY JULY * Tuesday 19th - Yumma Cafe, 10am - 2pm at GDA AUGUST * Friday 19th - 'Play Your Cards Right' from 7pm at GDA. Tickets £5 per person SEPTEMBER * Tuesday 13th - Yumma Cafe, 10am - 2pm at GDA * Wednesday 14th - Cirencester Police visit, 2pm * Sunday 25th - Cheltenham Half Marathon * Sunday 25th - Kingham Plough pub quiz, 7pm OCTOBER * Tuesday 11th - Yumma Cafe, 10am - 2pm at GDA * Sunday 9th - Oxford Half Marathon NOVEMBER * Tuesday 16th - Yumma Cafe, 10am - 2pm at GDA * Tuesday 22nd - Friendship Circle Christmas party JANUARY 2017 * Saturday 7th - BSL panto at the Everyman Theatre ,Cheltenham 11

Listening aid equipment to help you at home GDA's Listening-aid Equipment Shop offers a wide range of specialist listening-aid equipment which can help you around the home. From vibrating alarms to TV amplifiers and amplified telephones, we can support you to regain independence and security in the place you should feel safest, your home. ARTONE 3 MAX Just slip this handy little gadget on each day and you will be amazed at how well it helps you hear better during a mobile phone conversation or listening to music. Jenny, our CEO and Chris r, GDA's Chair, are h huge fans and say it ally is a transforming piece of equipment. Why not pop along to the GDA office and try it for yourself. You need to be a hearing aid wearer and your ds needs to have a T tch. £107.87 inc P&P HAPPY CUSTOMER It is always lovely to receive positive feedback from our service users, and these lovely comments from a gentleman we helped recently with our listening-aid equipment service is testament to the high level support anyone can expect to receive from GDA. "I just want to say what a great service I have received from your team. Not only did I receive good advice, I also had a home visit in no time at all. A letter was even sent to me in the post when you could not get me over the phone. During the home visit I was provided with an Echo MiniTech+. I am delighted with the product that already has very clearly made such a difference for me. I can't wait to use it in the car when my disabled son is with me. It will enable me to hear him again when I'm driving. A GOD SEND. Your team member was so polite and professional, the same for when we met her at my GP surgery recently. You are all a credit to the service and people you support. Top marks. Thank you so much, credit where it's due." SM. MITCHELDEAN. Contact us today on 01452 372999 or admin@gda.org.uk to find out how we can help. COST £107.96 inc P&P AMPLICOMMS TV LISTENER This popular device is ideal for anyone who struggles to hear the TV, but at the same time doesn't want to make others uncomfortable by making the TV volume too loud. Working with T-switch on your hearing aid, the listener creates your own personal hearing loop, and users tell us how much it helps them get better clarity as well as sound. A big plus, it's so easy to use. The Amplicomms TV Listener is a top selling product at GDA.

WELCOME TO CIRENCESTER DEAF CHILDREN'S CLUB

Dear Families, Welcome to Cirencester Deaf Children’s Club (CDCC)! CDCC plays a very important role in the work of Gloucestershire Deaf Association (GDA), which is the only not-for-profit organisation in our county dedicated solely to supporting adults and children with all levels of hearing impairment. I am delighted to tell you that in recent years the work we do has been recognised both at local and national level, including in 2016 an award for ‘Best Campaign Film’ (Stroud Community TV Awards), and being shortlisted for a national Charity Governance Award. GDA’s work around families where there is a deaf child centres around the CDCC sessions held on the first Saturday of each month, where your child can enjoy a range of craft activities and outings in a truly supportive atmosphere. As a user-led organisation, our experienced and wonderful volunteers understand fully the communication challenges your child may be experiencing at home, at school and just out and about, and we are here to help in a no-pressure way but with our personal knowledge and expertise. Above all, CDCC is about having fun, but you will see the difference from any ordinary playgroup. To begin with we use a total communication environment of both speaking and sign language, so that you and your child can choose whichever way you want to develop your language with each other, but develop it as successfully as possible. We also are mindful that your child will rely more on visual cues and may have a greater need to feel safe in their personal space, perhaps sitting or standing where others cannot surprise them from behind. You and your child will feel a warmth of spirit at CDCC that I hope gives you a sense of the support that GDA is willing to give you for many years to come, as your child grows and takes on new challenges. We forward to getting to know you and to sharing that journey with you. Jenny and Gem GDA is a Registered charity no. 1015937. Company limited by guarantee no. 2692718. www.gda.org.uk Who we are Hi, I'm Jackie Gloyn. I set up CDCC back in 2011 when I noticed that Deaf children in the area needed support locally. Up till 2015 I was a trustee of GDA and now proudly hold the title of GDA Ambassador. I used to run a playgroup many many years ago - I am now a grandmother, and still love children. I have severe hearing loss and in 2012 I had a cochle implant fitted. , I'm Kim Fletcher. I am profoundly Deaf from birth. From age of three I went to for the Deaf in Exeter and then at six my parents moved to Gloucestershire and I went into mainstream schooling. I did struggle with my education, but at 16 I went back to Exeter for further education and discovered BSL. I am a mum of three and all my children are hearing. I am married to Richard who also Deaf. My youngest comes to CDCC and loves it! Hi, I'm Judy Wood.I am married with two daughters and four grandchildren. I often help with my younger daughter’s nursery in Cirencester. I was invited to join the team of volunteers to help run CDCC four years ago and what a pleasure it has been. To see the children playing and inter-acting with one another is just wonderful and proves how essential this club is. Hi, I'm Nicola Hewlett. I'm married to Mal, we haven’t got any children, but have two dogs and two cats. Scouting has been a big part of my life and working with children brings me great enjoyment - I find their outlook on life inspiring. I've been a CDCC volunteer almost since the start and my role is to keep track of the money and the craft stock and to have fun with the children. I have just finished my first training at BSL. I have met some really lovely people through volunteering at CDCC. Hi, I'm Justine Norman. I have been completely deaf in my left ear since I had mumps when I was four years old. I am married and we have two children and two dogs. I found out about CDCC when my niece started coming to the club. She was born in 2015 with moderate hearing loss. I love volunteering for CDCC, helping the children with crafts, seeing them enjoying themselves and having fun.

What we do We welcome children 0-9 years of age with any level of hearing impairment, as well as parents or carers, and hearing siblings and best friends. We also welcome any families who want to become deaf aware. We meet on the first Saturday of the month from 10am to 12pm at the Opportunity Playgroup, Beeches Road, Cirencester. We will make you very welcome at our club and we always like to hear new ideas of what you would like to do. A full calendar of our upcoming sessions can be found on the GDA website at www.gda.org.uk. Each of our sessions are themed and in the past we've enjoyed m days out and much more. Here's just a small selection of photog of what we get up to... CDCC membership form If you would like your child to attend CDCC, please complete the following membership form and return to us at your earliest convenience to Gloucestershire Deaf Association, Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL4 3JL or hand in to a CDCC volunteer.

Photo permission GDA takes privacy very seriously, and whilst we know that most of you are happy for us to take photographs of the different activities children take part in at GDA’s deaf youth and children’s clubs (GDYZ and CDCC), we ask for every parent/carer to complete this form and return it to us. With your permission, GDA will make positive use of suitable photograph/videos to promote the work of our charity. The most common uses are listed below. GDA website* (www.gda.org.uk) GDA social media pages* (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Linkedin) Printed leaflets, brochures and posters Roller banner stands (to be used at exhibitions) GDA's 'Hear for You' newsletter Local or national newspapers and/or magazines * For privacy reasons, GDA never ‘name tags’ photos on social media sites or on our website. I GIVE MY PERMISSION for my son/daughter to appear in photographs/videos which GDA staff or volunteers may take in the course of any activities which my child takes part. I understand that any photography by GDA is strictly for the purpose of promoting the work of the charity, and that at any time I may write to remove this consent. If I do this then, where possible, photographs/videos of my son/daughter in existing Facebook pages, on the website, or on printed material will be removed at the earliest opportunity. List of common uses (see above). I give consent for (please delete accordingly): All the above YES/NO Some of the above YES/NO None of the above YES/NO If you answered ‘some of the above’ please tell us where should we NOT feature your son or daughter in a photograph/video ___________________________________________________________________________________ Your child’s name _________________________________________ D.o.B ____________________ Parent/Carer Name: _________________________________________________________________ Signature: ___________________________________________ Date: ________________________ Please return your completed form to Gloucestershire Deaf Association, Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL4 3JL or hand into a CDCC volunteer. Gift aid declaration form The Government’s GiftAid scheme means that charities can reclaim tax on all gifts. By completing this form, you will make any future donations you make to the GDA go even further. And what’s even better is it’s at no extra cost to yourself, providing you are a UK tax payer. Please complete this form in CAPITALS, sign and return to GDA, Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL4 3JL YOUR DETAILS Title _______ Forename ________________________ Surname _____________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ Postcode ______________ Email _______________________________________________________ Please treat all donations I make to the Gloucestershire Deaf Association from this date forward as Gift Aid donations and donations I have made four years prior to this date. “I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations it is my responsibility to pay any difference.” Signature _____________________________________ Date _________________________________ PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING • Please inform GDA as soon as possible if: - you change your name or address - you no longer pay tax on your income and/or capital gains at least equal to the tax all charities or CASC’s reclaim. • GDA will - reclaim 28p of tax on every £1 your gave up to 5 April 2008 - reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 your give on or after 6 April 2008 • For more information about the GiftAid scheme visit www.gov.uk/donating-to-charity/gift-aid Please return this completed form to Gloucestershire Deaf Association, Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL4 3JL or hand into a CDCC volunteer. If you would like to find out more about how you can support GDA please contact us on 01452 372999 or email gemma.sills@gda.org.uk. We’d love to h f

Expectations and safety So we can all have fun in a safe environment we have some simple expectations and safety rules. 1. An adult must always attend with their child and if the child requires the responsible adult must always take them to the toilet, the leaders will not take them for Child Protection reasons. 2. If the session is particularly busy and you have more than one parent with your child, we may have to ask one of the parents to go into another room as the main room gets rather congested. This is for safety of the children. 3. If the lights flash everyone must pay attention immediately to the Leaders as this is how we attract attention for announcements and emergency situations. 4. If a child consistently misbehaves during a session, we have a timeout process where the child will be asked to sit in a separate room with their adult for a set period of time. 5. Hot drinks must always be consumed away from the main room. 6. If the lights are flashed and it is a fire drill or genuine fire emergency, then everyone must convene in the car park. 7. Parents can expect the Leaders to behave professionally and with discretion. 8. Parents can also expect their children and be kept safe during their time with th

Helping to break dow communicatio barriers for peop who are deaf hard of hearin www.gda.org

What we do GDA provides a range of support and activities for Deaf and hard of hearing people across Gloucestershire Listening aid equipment Including amplifying telephones, doorbell alerts, personal listeners and TV listeners. Whether at home or work, listening aid equipment will help keep you in touch. Hearing aid maintenance New batteries, and routine cleaning and re-tubing of your NHS aids at a clinic near you. This service is supported by the Hearing Services department of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Communications support BSL interpreting is so much more than simply translating one language to another and the communications support goes both ways, for the deaf person and the hearing professional. Deaf awareness training Award-winning training for businesses to understand deafness better. We guarantee it will transform the way you communicate with your customers and/or clients. "Colleagues say it has given them an excellent insight into what life is like for people they know who are deaf or hard of hearing, and that this will change how they care for - and work with - people with hearing loss." L.L. Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust Children, young people and families There are more than 400 deaf or hard of hearing children and young people in Gloucestershire today and our priority is to help them build confidence in a social and relaxed environment. It all starts with our two dedicated clubs, CDCC for the under 8's, and GDYZ for older children going through to young adults. Hearing siblings and friends are welcome as well. Information, advocacy and employment GDA is the only organisation in Gloucestershire able to offer support across the board for Deaf sign language users. That includes help with letter writing, making phone calls and even finding a job. In 2015, GDA was awarded 'Best Social Enterprise' at the Gloucestershire Business Show for our work around deaf employment. Community activities At GDA we pride ourselves on our strong community spirit. Whether you, or someone you know, was born deaf or has become deaf over time through age or illness, we host regular social activities from lipreading classes, hard of hearing clubs, to Deaf lunch club and our Friendship Circle. Community cent room hi GDA's community centre offe an attractive and disabled friend place to socialise or hold a meetin Recently refurbished to a hi standard and with on-site parkin

We need you... GDA relies on the generosity of individuals and businesses to ensure the future of their life-transforming services and social activities. Get involved Fundraising for charity doesn't have to mean jumping out of a plane or running a marathon. There are lots of other ways that you can help. Why not hold a coffee and cake morning host a raffle draw sell unwanted items ask your local pub to hold a quiz night in aid of GDA set yourself a challenge - maybe give something up for a month or walk a mile everyday for a two months make GDA your company's charity partner set up a monthly donation Where your money will go £10 could help pay for a housebound person to access GDA's popular social activities, like our hard of hearing and deaf clubs, using our Transport Fund. GET IN TOUCH 01452 372999 OR it could help pay for GDA’ vital drop-in support sessions, which offer help for deaf sign language user with telephone calls, writin letters and form filling. FOLLOW US ON admin@gda.org.uk GDA, Colin Road, Barnwood, Gloucester, GL4 3JL GDA is a registered charity no. 1015937. Company limited by guarantee no. 269 Howe you choo to supp GDA, we here help y ever oose port we're e to you. ’s p ers ng N 92718

Race Night returns GDA's popular Race Night returns for another fun evening of friendly competition and of cour the chance to win some BIG bucks... Welcome to GDA's very own Gold Cup Thank you for joining us at our third Race Night fundraiser. Tonight is your chance to win some cash, enjoy some tasty home-cooked food and the electric atmosphere of the races all while helping to raise some money for GDA. By being here tonight you will be helping to fund a project which enables Deaf and hard of hearing people to access GDA's life-transforming services support and social activities - more about that fur programme. Before we crack on with the evening's proceedings please join us in giving a big round of applause to our generous sponsors who have helped make tonight possible. You can find out more about each sponsor a few pages in. So, all that's left to do is to wish you all a fabulous evening, thanks again for being here to support our charity and GOOD LUCK. May the horses be on your side! Best wishes GDA Racing Times | www.gda.org.uk

Sponsors & thank yous Tonight would not have been possible without the generosity of the following businesses and individuals SPONSORS Kingscott Dix HB Digital Endsleigh Insurance Barnwood General Works And special thanks to the following for their donations: Pamela Chen Jonathan Moffitt Sainsbury's Barnwood THANK YOUS Paul Frazer Hannah Ede Mary Hailes Emma Jenkins Jenny Hopkins Graham Hopkins Roger Tovey Rich Sills Lucy Hailes Sue Sewell James Banks David Holcombe Martin Mackriell Programme of events 7pm - doors and bar opens 7.30pm - welcome and 'buy a rider' opens 7.45pm - betting for race one opens 7.55pm - race one begins 8.30pm - break for food 8.50pm - raffle draw 9pm - racing recommences 9.30pm - last race auction Rules of play Before racing begins you will be given the chance to boost your chances of winning by becoming a Rider at the cost of £2.50 per horse. The winning rider of each race will win a bottle of wine! You may be a rider for ONE horse per race (1 to 5) - if some riders are still up for grabs then you'll be invited back to buy more Prior to each race (1 to 5) beginning you will be invited up to the Tote to place your bets Tote tickets cost £1 each and you are welcome to bet as many times as you like for each race (1 to 5) Betting is on a 'Win' only basis Of the money taken from the event; 30% will go to GDA and a full 70% taken from each race makes up the winnings to be divided between the winning ticket holders Race six will be slightly different - in addition to the regular betting, guests will be invited to bid on each of the horses. The more money that's bidded the bigger the winning pot. There are eight horses up for grabs and you can bet individually or as a team And finally and most importantly, HAVE FUN! ** we'll do our best to stick to the pogramme, but on occasions we may run over due to all the fun we're having!

Race one. Epsom Kindly sponsored by Kingscott Dix HORSES 1. Mutton Jeffrey 2. Scallywag 3. Dot Cotton 4. Petal 5. Tick Tock 6. After Eights 7. Foxy 8. Down Under With offices in Gloucester and Cheltenham, Kingscott Dix provides a first-class range of quality accounting services. Our size and independence makes us ideally suited to small to medium sized (SME) businesses. We also offer a range of personal services, including: Estate Planning * Personal Tax Planning * Retirement * Strategies * Self Assessments * Trusts & Executorships Goodridge Court, Goodridge Avenue, Gloucester, GL2 5EN Tel: 01452 520251 kdg@kingscott-dix.co.uk www.kingscott-dix.co.uk Race two. Aintree Kindly sponsored by HB Digital HORSES 1. Prince George 2. Flash Gordon 3. Tea Cup 4. Riverdance 5. Twinkle Toes 6. Black Beauty 7. Greta Garbo 8. Private Dancer HB Digital Printing Ltd are proud to sponsor the GDA Race Night. HB where the going is always good! Unit 5 Cleeve Mill Lane, Newent, Gloucestershire, GL18 1ES Tel: 01531 828712 www.hbdigitalprint.co.uk

What your money will be supporting GDA's Transport Fund has become a lifeline to Deaf and hard of hearing people across the county. Back in 2013 we set up the Transport Fund thanks to a generous donation of £5,000, to help people living with hearing loss in Gloucestershire, access our support, services and social activities. Last year alone, 225 people benefited from the Fund. In 2015, the GDA Transport Fund helped 225 people access our services and social activities. Hearing loss of any level can have a detrimental effect on a persons wellbeing. Whether you've lost your hearing due to age or illness, or you were born profoundly deaf the struggles can be equally challenging. One of the biggest effects deafness can have on a person is the battle to communicate - it doesn't matter if communication is with a person in a shop, a loved one or over the phone, purvey your thoughts, wishes or concerns can be ble and incredibly frustrating. As a result many people with hearing loss become isolated. They lose confidence; stop going out and lose contact with the outside world. And that is where the Transport Fund comes in. "Without GDA's help I wouldn't be able to attend the Deaf Lunch Club and see my friends." "The GDA Transport Fund has truly changed m I struggle to get about but so desperately wan be part of a group that could support my hea loss. The Fund now pays for me to attend a monthly Hard of Hearing Club - I've made new friends and my confidence is growing every day" Thanks to this Fund, people across Gloucestershire can once again feel part of something - the fund pays for them to attend GDA's popular social engagements such as our Friendship Circle summer and Christmas parties. The different educational classes we hold, the regular deaf clubs for children and young people, or our monthly Lunch Club for elderly Deaf people. All these services give a person a sense of belonging in a supportive and friendly environment. Sadly, the Transport Fund isn't an endless pot of money, so this evening's event, as well as being about having a great time, is raising money to give the pot a nice big boost. £30 will help pay for transport to help an Thanks to your generosity even more people will be able to benefit from the Transport Fund and enjoy the wide variety of life-transforming activities and support GDA provides, something that they simply wouldn't be able to otherwise. isolated Deaf or hard of hearing person access specialist services and support and get them home again

Race three. Newmarket Kindly sponsored by Endsleigh Insurance HORSES 1. Queenie 2. Pickle 3. Midnight Run 4. Freckles 5. Barnwood 6. Clint Eastwood 7. Salty 8. Fancy Pants With over 30 years’ experience, Endsleigh specialises in providing insurance solutions for the not for profit sector. As a result we’ve developed a strong reputation, servicing and providing policies to over 600 charities, ranging from small voluntary groups through to large national charities. For more information about Endsleigh and how they can help your organisation, please call Rachael Romasanta in our Charity Team on 07841 496839. Race four. Ascot Kindly sponsored by Barnwood General Works HORSES 1. Yo Yo 2. Wild West 3. Hot Chocolate 4. Apple 5. Frank Sinatra 6. Captain Birdseye 7. Majestic 8. Big Banana Barnwood General Works undertake building projects in the public, commercial, industrial, health, educational and retail sectors as well as the insurance markets. We operate as Principal Contractors on design and build and traditional projects. We are also members of the Property Care Association and specialists in building refurbishment including structural waterproofing, damp and timber treatment works. For more information or to discuss any specific requirements please email contact@barnwoodgeneralworks.com

Race five. Chepstow Kindly sponsored by an anonymous donor HORSES 1. Ra Ra 2. Topsy Turvy 3. Scooby-Doo 4. Pluto 5. Barney 6. Where's Wally 7. Waterloo 8. Silver Fox Race six. Goodwood This race is extra special - club together or go it alone to own your own horse for the chance to win BIG... HORSES 1. Eggs and Bacon 2. Hi Ho Silver 3. Countdown 4. Dancing Fairy 5. Handful 6. Over the Moon 7. Grenada 8. Pied Piper

Keep in touch... This could be the beginning of a beautiful new friendship... Your support this evening is fantastic and we're delighted that you've joined us for this fun event. Without the generosity of local individuals and businesses, GDA simply couldn't continue to provide life-transforming services and support to thousands of Deaf and hard of hearing children and adults in Gloucestershire. Here's a few other ways that you could help make a difference: SHOP ONLINE Every time you shop online you could be raising money for GDA at NO extra cost to you. Just by using EasyFundraising to find your desired shop you will be supporting GDA. JUMP OUT OF A PLANE Join our band of wannabe daredevils for a Tandem Skydive on Saturday 4th June. VOLUNTEER Whether it's at our monthly Lunch Club, at one of our events or helping out in the office, there is always a job for an extra pair of hands. However you choose to support GDA, we're here to help you. Contact us on 01452 372999 or email admin@gda.org.uk to find out more

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 15