Manx Hidden Hearing is joining forces with the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People to raise funds to train a hearing dog.
Throughout April and May, Manx Hidden Hearing will be donating ?5 on behalf of every customer who takes a free hearing assessment at its Onchan clinic. All donations will be made by Hidden Hearing without cost to its customers.
A fully trained dog plays a vital role in alerting its owner to special sounds such as alarms and bells, whether at home, at work or in public buildings.
The charity relies totally on the generosity of people, companies and organisations to fund its work. There are approximately 650,000 severely or profoundly deaf people in the UK who could benefit from a hearing dog.
Since the charity was founded in 1982 it has trained around 1,500 hearing dogs and placed them with deaf recipients around the British Isles.
Guy Wolstencroft of Manx Hidden Hearing is a registered dispenser and member of the Society of Hearing Audiologists.
He commented, "We’re delighted to be supporting Hearing Dogs for Deaf People once again this year.
"Hidden Hearing has become one of their regular fund raising partners and has seen at first hand the great difference that a well-trained hearing dog can make for its owner.
"All too often we take for granted those everyday sounds that let us know we need to take action – from something as simple as the door bell to something as life-saving as a smoke alarm.
"These dogs make a massive difference to give their owners greater independence, confidence and security."
"?7,500 helps us to train just one dog", explained Anna Banyard of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
"Training takes around 18 months from puppy to fully trained hearing dog, and it’s an intensive programme that demands a lot of specialist expertise.
"We’re really thrilled that Hidden Hearing has become one of our regular partners to help fund the training programme. Without support like this, our dogs just wouldn’t be able to make the difference that they do for people."
Manx Hidden Hearing is located in Village Walk Onchan. Call (01624) 617683.
