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VOICE OF A LOVED ONE IS VOTED THE SOUND WE'D MISS THE MOST
RNID, the
charity for deaf and hard of hearing people, is asking everyone to
take just one minute to imagine a world without sound during this
year's Deaf Awareness Week (5 May 2008 to 11 May 2008).
To launch the campaign, the charity is releasing the results of a
straw poll, which asked people which sounds they would miss the most
if they lost their hearing. The voice of a loved one came top with
28% of the vote, followed closely by music (25%) and laughter (18%).
Jackie Ballard, Chief Executive of RNID, says:- "During Deaf
Awareness Week we want people to take a moment to imagine a world
without sound, to think about how you would you feel if you lost
your hearing and were not able to hear sounds that you have always
taken for granted, such as bird song, laughter, or perhaps your
favourite piece of music.
Hearing loss can have a profound impact on people's lives; many
become isolated and lose touch with their friends and family. By
getting people to imagine a world without sound, we hope to
encourage people to be more aware of their hearing. Please support
Deaf Awareness Week by visiting our website."
Among those who took part in the straw poll were a host of
celebrities including Barbara Windsor, Sarah Beeny and Natalie
Imbruglia. Natalie says:- "My favourite sound is
laughter..... belly laughter!! There is nothing like the abandonment
of hysterical laughter. It is contagious and healing, and very
joyful."
Barbara Windsor also sited laughter as the sound she would miss the
most. She says:- "Hearing is something most of us are guilty
of taking for granted. RNID wants to raise awareness of what it's
like to live in a world without sound, what you can do to look after
your hearing and how we can tackle prejudice and exclusion around
deafness. So I am happy to be doing my bit to lend my support."
As part of Deaf Awareness Week, RNID is also launching a national
photographic competition inviting people to upload images of the
sounds they would miss the most if they lost their hearing. For more
information, please visit
www.worldwithoutsound.org or contact RNID's
information line on 0808 808 0123 (telephone), 0808 808 9000 (textphone).
If you think that you, or someone you know, might have some hearing
loss, why not take RNID's simple 5 minute telephone hearing check on
0845 600 5555. |
Young person honoured for inspiring others to give time in Liverpool
A young person
from Eritrea, who has been living in Liverpool for the past 8 years,
has spent 9 months recruiting other young people to help with local
volunteering projects across the city will be presented with a
certificate by BBC One’s Waterloo Road star, Shabana Bakhsh.
Rachel Solomon, 24, mobilised 120 volunteers over the past nine
months and will be among 20 young people presented with a
certificate at a celebration event in London on the 8 May 2008 in
honour of her extensive work on the Agents4Change campaign.
Agents4Change is a project coordinated by volunteering charity CSV
with support from Tesco and youth volunteering charity v, which aims
to encourage young people aged 16 to 25 to give volunteering a try.
BBC One’s Waterloo Road star, Shabana Bakhsh says:- “Signing
up to Agents4Change is a great way for young people to prove their
potential and show they care about tackling local problems.
Volunteering is the perfect way to gain new skills, experience and
meet new people.”
Rachel says:- “The best thing about Agents4Change was seeing
hugely successful events come together and it was great to see
everyone working hard, contributing to really good causes and
enjoying making their mark in different ways.”
Highlights of Rachel’s time on the Agents4Change campaign include:-
► Organising training for 15 young people from design professionals
followed by an apprentice-style window-dressing challenge in ten
Cancer Research charity stores across Liverpool.
► Rejuvenating the after-school club at the Albion Community Centre
in Everton.
The Agents4Change celebration event will take place at 6pm on
Thursday, 8 May 2008, at the Rich Mix Performance Space, 34-35 Bethnal
Green Road, London, E1 6LA.
For further press information contact:-
Olivia Ware on 0207 812 0039 /
07870 689 347 /
email
or Paul Donohoe on 020 7812 0037 /
email.
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