Meet the Team: Beka
Hello, I’m Beka, the new Associate Director of Service Design and Development. I’ve been part of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People since 2006.
Over the years, I’ve held a variety of roles within the charity, starting as a dog trainer and Partnership Instructor, before going on to lead and develop initiatives such as the children’s dog pilot project. Later, I was appointed Beatrice Wright Centre Manager and Training Manager for the North.
Before joining Hearing Dogs, I studied Psychology and worked as a support worker for adults with additional needs. When I first discovered Hearing Dogs, it felt like the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for people and animals and I’ve never looked back!
Hearing loss also touches me personally. Coincidentally, both of my children have been (and are) affected. My son has received the right treatment, but my daughter has single-sided deafness, and I’m learning first-hand the challenges of accessing the right support, and the importance of advocating for ourselves and those around us.
Building connections
Throughout my time with the charity, my focus has always been on connecting people, especially bringing volunteers and colleagues together to form cohesive, collaborative teams.
I’ve worked to improve communication, align everyone with the charity’s purpose, and build inclusive, transparent systems for co-creation and feedback, ensuring that the voices of our volunteers are heard.
This ethos continues in our work with the Service Engagement Team, led by Lorna Armstrong and Nicholas Orpin. Together, we’re developing Hearing Link Services with our peer support volunteers, who play a vital role in shaping our future.
Strengthening our community through regionalisation
One of the key priorities for the new team is our regionalisation project. We’ve already consulted with staff, and we’ll soon be speaking with volunteers and others connected to the charity.
From conversations with volunteers, I know there’s a real desire to connect with like-minded people, and we want to support that. Building those relationships is fundamental to helping everyone feel part of our community.
Making help truly helpful
A central focus of our team is ensuring that people who come to us get the right support, in the right way.
We’re listening carefully to people’s needs, and designing services that feel welcoming, joined-up, and truly supportive.
A key part of this work will focus on those very first points of contact, whether through the website, email, Helpdesk, or another route, to make sure people are met with warmth, clarity, and empathy. It’s about creating a consistently positive and connected experience from the very beginning.
Looking ahead, together
The Service Design and Development team brings together important strands of work that were previously spread across different parts of the organisation. We’re now joining things up to make services clearer, more consistent, and easier to access for everyone who needs them.
We’re also committed to ensuring these services are shaped by and for people with lived experience of deafness and hearing loss, and that those perspectives are embedded in everything we design and deliver.
So, we’ll be reaching out for your ideas and feedback on how we can build this together in the coming weeks.
It’s a really exciting time to be part of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, and I’m looking forward to what we can achieve as a team.