Volunteers come out in full force for hearing loss

Apr 09, 2013 in Hearing Aids

Volunteers come out in full force for hearing loss

Volunteers across the UK are all doing their bit to raise money for hearing loss charities, including a skydiving 78-year-old great grandfather.

Pensioner Stewart Simpson recently took part in a tandem skydive in order to raise both money and public awareness about Hearing Link, a hearing loss charity in the UK, which Mr Stewart is actually vice-president of. The great grandfather from Penrith did the 10,000 ft jump near Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria, at the North West Parachute Centre.

According to ITV News, Mr Simpson said: “Hearing Link recognises the emotional aspect of hearing loss and provides appropriate support and information. It is enormously helpful, even for those who have lived with hearing loss for some time and have found their own ways to manage their situation.”

The vice-president has been involved in a series of charity campaigns in recent years. He took part in his first marathon aged 67, and after retiring in 1999, he has achieved both walking the Inca Trail in Peru and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Another individual who has been doing great things for hearing charities is 22-year-old Francesca Smith.

Ms Smith will be running the London Marathon on April 21st in order to raise money for Action On Hearing Loss. Even though she has never run a marathon in her life, she wants to help the charity after her friend Sarah Marshall started having hearing issues. Both friends met at Whitcliffe Mount School.

The runner said to the Mirfield Reporter: “You don’t know how hard it is when you take hearing for granted. I run quite a lot anyway but I’ve never done anything as steep as 26 miles. I’m not really that worried about actually doing it – it’s just the weather at the moment makes it difficulty to get out for training.”

Many sufferers of hearing loss will need to adopt hearing aids over time.