When Lorna and I decided to walk the 96 mile West Highland Way, we thought that our pain should be someone else's gain. There are so many worthy causes out there that it was difficult to chose. On reflection we have decided that Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK) should benefit from our blood, sweat and blisters.  

Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK) is a national charity which teaches deaf children and babies to listen and talk through a specialist speech and language therapy known as Auditory Verbal therapy (AVT). Their goal is to achieve a world where all deaf children have the same opportunities in life as their hearing peers, and you can help make this a reality by donating to our fundraising page. Your support will allow them to continue raising awareness, understanding, and access to Auditory Verbal therapy by delivering therapy directly to families and sharing their expertise with health and education professions so that many more families can access Auditory Verbal therapy close to where they live.

We chose AVUK because they have made a material difference to the life and life chances of our niece - Grace. 

Grace was diagnosed as having bilateral profound hearing loss at 2 months after failing the hearing test three times.  Her parents (Jorge and Lindsey) were obviously devastated.  They immediately researched and then explored options for Grace, with the objective that she has the same opportunities in life as a hearing child. This brought AVUK and AVT (Auditory Verbal Therapy) into their lives. 

Please view this video to witness the difference AVUK has made to Grace’s life - Grace’s Story So Far.

We have not set any targets for this fundraising effort. We know that you will give what you can and we know that the money will be spent to improve the lives of other deaf children.