If you’ve had enough birthday presents

Ask your party-goers to sponsor a Hearing Dog for Deaf People. I learned more about this service from speaker at the White Hill AGM, Jenny Smith of St Leonards who has been awarded an MBE for her services to hearing dogs. Jenny wasn’t born deaf but suffers from increasing deafness, she has had three hearing dogs over the years and she takes her current dog when she speaks to groups from the Brownies, through schools to the WI.
There are guide dogs for blind people provided by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association but Hearing Dogs are less well known. Hearing dogs alert their deaf owners to sounds we take for granted, giving independence, confidence and security. Most are selected from rescue centres and trained by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. People need about three dogs over 18 years. It only costs £5,000 to support the training of a hearing dog throughout its working life which seems remarkably cheap when you think of the training needed. £2,500 covers part training, or you can donate £1,000 to fund a kennel for a year, supporting the accommodation and welfare of at least six dogs during training and assessment. Young people can be a puppy friend for about £3 per month and get a letter from him! You can donate recyclables - such things as old mobiles, some types of printer ink cartridges and passing on your used postage stamps preferably with about half an inch of the paper still around.