Give the gift of sound this Christmas
Thanks to life-changing research, 19 month old Jenson will have his first hearing Christmas this year. Mum Athena told us, “I can’t wait to see his beaming smile when he hears Santa’s sleigh bells and the magic of carol singers.”
Jenson’s cochlear implants have transformed his life but cochlear implants wouldn’t exist if there hadn’t been years of painstaking research. We were involved in the research that led to the first implant in the UK.
Will you help push through the next life-changing scientific breakthrough to transform more lives like Jenson’s?
The difference our research has made.
1980s
We were involved in the research that led to the first ever cochlear implant in the UK.
2000
Using the results from our research, we persuaded the NHS to provide digital hearing aids as standard.
2006
The NHS rolled out the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme across the UK, based on our research.
2019
Based partly on research we funded, NICE relaxed their criteria on who is eligible to receive a cochlear implant, allowing more people to benefit.
How your donations are getting us closer to life-changing treatments.
On average, every £1 we invest in research generates £10 of further funding.
For every £1 we receive, 92p goes to help people confronting deafness, tinnitus and hearing loss.
Meet Donna, Nan and Andy
1 in 6 people in the UK have hearing loss, so this Christmas we are encouraging more people to talk about their experiences. Hearing loss can affect anyone at any time — not just when you are older.
Nan Carville, 86, developed her hearing loss in her 40s and wears hearing aids. Her aids are a huge help, but she still has difficulty hearing in noisy places like restaurants. She has been a volunteer for over ten years, and plays an essential role as a Befriending volunteer in Belfast.
Donna Morris-Davidson, 52, is profoundly deaf, but that isn't stopping her studying for her Master's in Public Health. She was born with hearing loss and faced daily challenges because of lack of deaf awareness and stigma. But with the right support, anything is possible, and she is certainly proof of that!
Andy, 75, from Northumberland, was forced to take early retirement as a teacher due to genetic hearing loss. But he doesn’t let his hearing loss get in the way of anything he loves to do – even singing in a band!
