Race driver helping tinnitus charity with half marathon

It has been revealed that a racing driver is set to help a tinnitus charity by doing a half-marathon.

According to the British Tinnitus Association, Josh Rayman, 23, who is a tinnitus sufferer, is set to run the Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon this coming weekend (March 3rd), as a way of raising money for the tinnitus charity.

He's also set to support the BTA throughout the year as well as promoting tinnitus awareness.

He has explained on the BTA website that he initially realised he had the condition near the beginning of his time as a music student at university.

Previously, he had previously experienced temporary ringing in the ears that lasted for either hours or days, but realised things had developed further.

"I think it'd gone on for about a month or two, and I realised that it may not be getting better," he said. By that time, he went on, he had begun wearing ear plugs.

"As a performing musician, I was spending a lot of time in rehearsal studios, and gig venues, which didn't help – but I think the damage was largely done by the seven years of motorsport I did before I left for university," he added.

He had been involved in racing of various forms since the age of ten, mainly karting and spent much time in loud places, often without wearing ear defenders.

"I hope to make more people aware of the importance of using hearing protection in loud environments, such as the race circuit," the karter added.

Earlier this month it was National Tinnitus Awareness Week, which ran between February 4th and 10th.

According to the British Tinnitus Association, its focus was 'The Importance of Tinnitus Support Groups'.

The week saw an open day event take place in the Winter Gardens, an attraction in the city the Association is based in, Sheffield. This event was held by the Royal Hallamshire Hospital's neurotology department.

The BTA said it hoped the theme of its 2013 Awareness Week would mean greater number of tinnitus sufferers would look for support, as well as mean that new support groups would be started in places that do not already have them.

It said such groups offer a very important "lifeline" to sufferers, allowing them to talk about their experiences, discover the ways people have of coping with the condition and talk about treatment information.

You can learn about the important subject of ear protection on our website.