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Hearing Link volunteers get in the loop for Hearing Loop Awareness Week (2-8 November)

Volunteers have been making sure their communities are in the loop as part of national campaign led by the UK-wide charity Hearing Link.

Hearing Loop Awareness Week, which is taking place this week (2-8 November), is the biggest ever audit of hearing loops carried out in the UK.  Its aim is to check the quality and availability of hearing loops in communities – a vital communications support tool for the UK’s two million hearing aid users.

Hearing loops work by using an electro-magnetic signal connected to a hearing aid which helps to cut out external noise in a conversation. They are commonly found in shops, libraries, banks, churches, post offices, railway stations, airport terminals, theatres, buses, hotels and meeting rooms.

However, lack of awareness of hearing loops means that not all are in full working order, have poor signage or in some cases are not switched on.

Hearing Link’s Northern Ireland volunteers have joined in with more than 300 across the UK to check loops in their communities. Mary O’Brien has been out and about in Derry and Coleraine and Margaret and Michael Sherrard tested loops in Lisburn.

Michelle McMaster, the charity’s Northern Ireland Manager, has also been with meeting Rotarians at Rotary Club of Londonderry and addressing members of the Causeway U3A to raise awareness of hearing loops and to encourage them to support Hearing Link’s work through loop testing.

Michelle said: “This has been a fantastic week where our volunteers and the local community have been embracing our campaign, Hearing Loop Awareness Week.  Hearing loops are a vital piece of technology for hearing aid users in our communities across Northern Ireland and it’s essential that they are in working order to ensure that they can participate fully when out and about in their daily lives.  Thank you to all the businesses that have welcomed our volunteers and played their role in making Hearing Loop Awareness Week a success in Northern Ireland.”

All data gathered during the surveys for Hearing Loop Awareness Week will be compiled, mapped and published on partner site http://letsloopnow.com.

For further information about Hearing Loop Awareness Week, visit: www.hearinglink.org/loop-week

To find out about Hearing Link’s activities in Northern Ireland, contact Michelle McMaster on Tel/SMS: 07534 563451 or email northernireland@hearinglink.org.

For information about how you can use a hearing loop with your hearing aid, contact Hearing Link’s Helpdesk by emailing helpdesk@hearinglink.org, tel: 0300 111 1113 or text 07526 123255.

For further information please contact: Lorna Armstrong, Marketing & Communications Manager, Email: lorna.armstrong@hearinglink.org Tel/SMS: 07534 563485.


About Hearing Link

Hearing Link is a UK charity for people who have developed any level of hearing loss and their family and friends. It provides information and support and puts them in contact with others who have similar experiences. It aims to give people the knowledge, skills, confidence and contacts so they can more easily manage the practical and emotional challenges that hearing loss brings. It works across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For more information, visit www.hearinglink.org/press-office.

About Hearing Loop Awareness Week

Hearing Loop Awareness Week takes place from November 2nd to 8th 2015. Hearing Link currently has 10 ‘Let’s Loop’ groups across the UK in Eastbourne, Surrey, Lewes, Worthing, Swindon, Westminster, Chester, Poynton (Manchester), Derby and Newcastle. Further groups are being established in Salisbury, Calne (Wiltshire), Cotswolds, Epping Forest, Redbridge (Essex), Londonderry, Belfast and Edinburgh. There are 10 million people in the UK with some form of hearing loss – one in six of the population. 3.7 million people between the ages of 16 to 64-years-old and 6.3 million are aged 65 and over. 70% of 70-year-olds and 40% of 50-year-olds have some form of a hearing loss. Four million people in the UK would benefit from the use of using a hearing aid. By 2031 that figure is expected to reach 14.5 million.