From the Editor
Welcome to another Hear for You newsletter. We are so proud of how our little newsletter has developed over the years with a current readership of almost 3,000 people per edition both online and for our printed edition. It tells us that you enjoy and find value in the information we share.
For this edition we have lots lined up for you including an interview with Punk Chef, AKA Scott Garthwaite, celebrity Deaf Chef who tells us the importance of never giving up. In fact never giving up is a bit of a theme for this edition as we interview Beth Mouzer, BSL interpreter and Sign Yoga instructor about her epic trek to the Lost Kingdom of the Incas with 50 Deaf people.
We really do hope you enjoy this edition and as always, please do give us your feedback.
Happy reading!
James
Message from Danielle Neale, our CEO
Hello Everyone!
I’m pleased to be given the opportunity to introduce myself as GDA’s new CEO. I’ve been in post now since the end of January and it’s lovely to be part of such a fantastic local charity supporting Deaf and Hard of hearing people. It has been a busy few months since I joined, working with the brilliant, dedicated and hard working GDA team. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet and work with our partners and I want to particularly say a special thanks to the Barnwood Trust for their support.
The team have been very busy these past months across all of GDAs services, delivering much needed support in BSL interpreting and all services to hard of hearing people as well as providing an exciting new set of courses in British Sign Language . You may have noticed the many activities and events we have delivered in Wellbeing and we are excited about the redevelopment of our Children and Young people’s service particularly with the NEXT GEN service to children ages 9 and over.
We have also been working hard to strengthen our capacity as a team and are pleased to announce we’ve completed work on our 2023/2024 Final Accounts.
We’ve also had a change in some of our Trustees and I would like to thank Nicole and Patrick, our previous Chairs for their service and their hard work over the years. I would also like to say a big welcome to our new Trustees, Richard, Louise and Abbie, our new Acting Chair.
I’m really looking forward to the next six months and I hope you are too.
GDA Services Update
Interpreting Service
BSL interpreter requests
Last year!
The Communication Support Unit (CSU) continues to be exceptionally busy, with a variety of requests from all sorts of medical appointments to meetings to Access to Work support to Weddings & Funerals, and festivals! Our CSU team is expanding, joining Sarah & Emily, is Louise Barks, she joins us on a part-time basis. Sarah has changed her hours and is now working Monday – Wednesday, and Louise is working Wednesday afternoons through to Friday, Louise is hard of hearing and has just completed BSL Begin course! We are extremely delighted she has joined Team GDA!
If you need any communication support, please give one of the team a call on 01452 372999 or send us an email to bslinterpreters@gda.org.uk
We still need your help! As mentioned in the last newsletter, we have a new process for sending your feedback about our Interpreting service. This is sent by a text message to your mobile soon after your appointment at the GP surgery or hospital. Please can you click on the link and reply to the 7 simple questions (also in BSL). This really helps us to share your feedback with the GP surgeries and hospitals, they really want to know what you think!
Very happy to help you with this, please do come and see us in the office �� All the Best Mary, Sarah, Emily & Louise
GDA Centre/Room Hire
If you or your organisation would like to book a BSL interpreter, please call us on 01452 372999 or email us at bslinterpreters@gda.org.uk
Do you need a room for a meeting or for training, or just for a social gathering, if so, please do get in touch! We have 3 rooms to hire, our Main Hall with a capacity of around 60 and a fully equipped kitchen, our Ruby Room which would be ideal for your exercise classes, Yoga sessions or dance practice, it would also suit meetings & training, with a capacity of around 15 – 20 and we also have our Honeyford room which is ideal for meetings, again with a capacity of 15 – 20. Please do give us a call on 01452 372999 or email admin@gda.org.uk, with your enquiry, you can also send your request via our website: www.gda.org.uk
Please scan this QR code to send your feedback on our interpreting service
Please do send your feedback on our interpreting service.
If you are not comfortable with using a smartphone to give your feedback, you can always email, phone or come into the office and speak privately to Mary, Sarah or Emily.
email: bslinterpreters@gda.org.uk
Hard of Hearing Team
The GDA hearing aid clinics have been very popular these last 6 months, with almost all our outreach clinics at full capacity. We would encourage all who cannot book onto our outreach clinics, to attend our clinics in Gloucester, now taking place at
3412
People attended hearing aid clinics last year!
Morrison’s in Metz Way on a Tuesday and a Wednesday morning, and at GDA on a Friday afternoon. We thank the Gloucestershire Audiology Department for their continued support allowing us to continue carrying out this service.
The hearing aid clinics are a time to have your hearing aids cleaned, checked and re-tubed. We also give out batteries and offer advice. This is a way to keep the hearing aids working to the best of their ability.
If you would like to come along to speak to one of our expert 01452 372999, text 07875 610860 or email ad
Staff News!
Welcome to Louise, Shannon and Caro
GDA is really pleased to announce lots of new staff since our l newsletter. Meet Louise, Shannon and Caroline. Louise joins as a Bookings Co-ordinator. Shannon joined us at the end of is our Children, Young People & Families Officer. Caroline on joined us in June and is our new Finance Officer. Welcome to everybody!
To Martha who has been promoted to Deputy Support Services Manager!
To Shannon and Mary for passing their level 3 BSL!
James returning to interpreting
James Banks has decided to return to interpreting for the local Deaf Community. After 10 years at GDA in various roles, James is stepping back from Communications and Media Lead and will be concentrating on supporting GDA as an interpreter, filmmaker and a freelance creative. James will continue his relationship with GDA and you will continue to see him around.
James Banks
Fundraising Update Sally'sSally's Clubbathon
Well what a 6 months it has been, our feet haven’t touched the ground (quite literally for some supporters) since Christmas. We have been amazed by the fundraising support we have received from individuals, businesses, foundations and colleagues. Every penny counts in our mission to support deaf and hard of hearing people in Gloucestershire to live confidently. THANK YOU from everyone at GDA.
We kick started our fundraising with high energy in January with a fun Clubbathon which saw 50 people join GDA for a glow in the dark dance session raising a wonderful £400!
Thank you!
We want to thank our supporters from Freemasons Zetland Lodge for their support as their Grand Masters chosen charity for the year and their generous donations of £2000.
Feel the Fear Firewalk!
We felt the fear and did it anyway in February with a hugely exciting and successful firewalk event. In collaboration with local charity CCP we saw 30 brave souls conquer the coals to raise an amazing £4000 for GDA.
Thank you to Morrison’s Foundation!
We are so grateful to Morrisons Foundation for their generous grant of £4000 to support our popular lunch club for 2 years.
Midcounties partnersh
Our charity partnership with Midcounties Forest of Dean Community Region has gone from strength to strength with colleagues across the area fundraising for GDA and taking part in Deaf Awareness training. The team have raised over £10000 for GDA since July 2023 and we have started a 2nd year of this partnership which we are thrilled about.
Corporate supporters from Benefact Trust, Poeton and Gloucester Brewery have kindly donated and supported us with fundraising, volunteering and free use of venues.
Dalmatians Dress Up Days
Schools from across Gloucestershire took part in our fun campaign to raise money and awareness with the GDA Dalmatian Dress up Day! With spotty efforts and lots of enthusiasm children and teachers raised £600 for GDA and helped share important deaf awareness throughout the schools.
So many people took on personal challenges to raise money for GDA including triathlons, wingwalking, skydiving, Cotswold Way trek, Macchu Piccu trek and lots of running! You are all amazing, thank you so very much!
We also want to thank Pied Piper, National Lottery, Happy Days Trust, Summerfield Trust, John Lewis, Waitrose, Rotaries of Gloucester, Gloucestershire Community Foundation and various WI’s across the county.
Three deaf people skydived for GDA in August in Salisbury, raising over £3000 for GDA. This was made possible due to us booking an interpreter for the day and everyone having access to the training in BSL. Our oldest skydiver Richard Jenkins is 77 years young! If you would like to skydive for GDA get in touch today!
Events coming up!
Singo Bingo at Gloucester Brewery 10th Oct 7-9pm.
Bingo but with songs, translated into BSL. A great fun night out!
Wellbeing Service Update
Our wellbeing team here at GDA have been working hard to offer a variety of wellbeing events, such as coffee mornings and coffee afternoons once a month, seated exercise classes once a month, crafts, information workshops, and more!
The wellbeing team led a successful trip to Slimbridge Wetlands Centre in June on one of the hottest days of the year It was lovely to have the information talks about the birds interpreted so all who attended were able to enjoy the talk.
In July we had a gardening workshop to help brighten up the outside of the GDA building. There are now beautiful flowerpots and planters full of colour!
In our May coffee morning, we had the fire service come and deliver a safety talk. This made many attendees realise they did not have the right equipment in their home to keep themselves safe, such as a vibrating smoke alarm to alert them to a fire at night.
Also, in May, GDA attended the Jazz Festival where they had a haptic floor so people could feel the music through the floor. This was another way to include the deaf community
August - GDA took a group of 32 deaf and hard of hearing people to Bath for the day. We were lucky with the weather, not a drop of rain! It may have been a little too hot, but we were able to buy ice creams at the Italian ice cream shop in the town centre Most of the group enjoyed the city independently, looking around the shops, enjoying the gardens and the bridges Others joined our BSL tour of Bath, which was in collaboration with Deaf Plus. Stewart informed the group of the history of Bath including the Abbey. A great day out! We also had a summery afternoon tea with scones and sandwiches at GDA Thank you Midcounties Cooperative for supporting us!
Seated exercise class
Easter Card Making
Day trip to Bath
Finance Update
Meet Ivanna, our brilliant Finance Manager. Ivanna joined our team last September and leads on all financial matters for the charity, including monthly financial management information, the production of the charity’s statutory Final Accounts and financial forecasting, payroll, cashflow and financial policies and processes.
Over the last six months, Ivanna has introduced some significant changes to the financial system and accounting software, which has enabled improved financial reporting to the CEO, SMT and Board of Trustees
In June 2024, the Finance Officer position has been reinstated and the charity employed Caroline Trickey who joined GDA on 17th June 2024
Ivanna
Our new ‘BEGIN’ Sign Language Class is a HUGE success!
The next step for these BEGIN students is the BUILD course which will begin in September. All the students from our first course are keen to carry on their learning.
If students complete the third course, CONVERSE they can then apply to take the formal exam and gain their Level 1 in BSL.
BSL College Update!
Thanks to the great work of our BSL teachers, Kim, Nicola and William, and with some more results to come, we’ve so far had an average of a 75% pass rate with our current group of students who are taking exams in Levels 1 and 3.
There as still places on all courses - so don’t miss your chance to learn!
To encourage more people to try British Sign Language, we launched the first of our 10 Week BEGIN classes at GDA. This short, affordable way of learning brought together the same key components of the national BSL curriculum but has been split it into 3 bite-sized chunks. The first chunk we call, BEGIN.
“We wanted to offer people a no-pressure, no exam course that was affordable and not as long as the standard 30 week Level 1 Course currently on offer at other training facilities.” GDA’s James Banks, said, who currently oversees our BSL classes. “We wanted to offer something that people could try out before committing to a long course of study.”
The feedback has been wonderful. "Kim is an excellent tutorvery patient with good humour" LB, "Kim is an amazing teacher - the class has been lovely and informative" ER.
Our Dalmatians group has significantly grown this year with many fun filled events such as messy play, reptile encounters, circus skills and a summer party with a bubble show and ice cream. Look out for our trips to Chamwell centre and The Music Works. Our sessions run on the first Saturday of every month. To come along to
This year we launched our NXT GEN group which is for ages 9-16 years. We’ve started the group with a bang, with bowling, laser tag and forest school, a mouth-watering tour around Walls ice- cream factory and a fantastic cookery workshop run by our friends Wiggly charity. We have more exciting plans in the pipeline, so keep an eye out!
The Dalmatians Club is an opportunity for the whole family to enjoy a friendly and supportive environment – it is a chance for the children to engage with other deaf children and to feel confident. It is also an opportunity for the parents to learn from the experience of other parents and to share their concerns and their successes. The cost to
An interview with Punk Chef
It’s always a delight for us to be able to put an event on that fills the hall and brings us all together and this event was a special one. As soon as we announced it, the bookings flew in. Punk Chef – also known as Scott Garthwaite is famous among the Deaf Community for his great food, cookery programmes and for his unique pink Mohican hairstyle. Scott is a pioneer and is the first Deaf chef to entertain and educate viewers about cooking and British Sign Language. His television series, ‘Punk Chef’ and ‘Punk Chef on the Road’ are groundbreaking. His achievements have also paved the way and inspired other deaf chefs to go on and prove that they can not only cook - but can also shine on mainstream television.
We were really excited then when Scott accepted our invitation to come to GDA and give a cooking demonstration and we were equally delighted when so many people from across our community showed up.
I had the pleasure of watching the cooking demonstration and Scott’s amazing connection to the audience and so was keen to interview him afterward to find out more about this special man, Punk Chef.
James: Hi Scott – Thanks so much for your cooking demonstration at GDA – is that something you do a lot of?
Scott: Not really, it depends on the organisation – if I get contacted and asked then I’ll go along – perhaps two to three a year.
J: It was well attended!
S: Yes! It was full – I like it when there’s a full audience, it helps me connect with them more.It was lovely here at GDA, a good range of people, lots of questions, great humour, everyone getting involved.It was a really good atmosphere.
J: So tell us about yourself, where did you grow up?
S: I grew up in Hartlepool in the Nort-East. I was born the only deaf person in my family. I’d contracted meningitis, so when I was two years old, I became deaf. It’s interesting because both my parents tell me that up until that age I was speaking well. They remember a time when I could speak and then suddenly, I lost my hearing. But actually, I’m pleased because as you know with meningitis, there can be a lot of other complications or disabilities and so I’m grateful just to be deaf. I mean I learned how to sign and have grown up as a deaf person and I’m really happy. I’m really involved and bonded to a lovely community and so it’s wonderful.
J: So, when you were diagnosed as deaf, did you go straight away into a deaf school or into a mainstream school?
S: I was lucky. Where I was born in the North-East, there’s a deaf school based in Middlesborough. So, I was fortunate it was not far and I could take a taxi there and back home again.There was a minibus that would take six or seven of us from Hartlepool to school and back and that meant I was a day student and didn’t need to board. That was from the age of three or four right up until I was seventeen. The primary and secondary schools were in the same place.
J: When you were growing up, when was the first time that you realised that you were deaf and that you were different from hearing children?
no concept of deaf or hearing when I was small. For me, deafness was ually through school I realised there was a difference. I was lucky because
ned how to sign and have grown up as a deaf person and I’m really happy.”
my mum very quickly went to sign language classes and that meant she could communicate with me and of course everyone at school communicated in sign language. But it really hit my parents when I was diagnosed as deaf. They suddenly had a deaf child and they felt really lost, they didn’t know what to do. So, they went out to seek support and discovered a sign language class. They tried it out and met other parents of deaf children. They could finally have conversations with other people who understood the experience they were going through and a group of them became friends, they compared notes and discovered the deaf school. Their children became my friends and in that way I was very quickly introduced to my own little community of deaf kids and signing adults.
Now parents are given a very difficult choice, to get a cochlear implant, to go down an oral route or to decide that their child should sign It’s a tough choice having to decide what is best for your child It was simpler back then, your child is deaf? You send them to a deaf school
"It really hit my parents. "
J: Where did the ‘Punk’ in Punk Chef come from?
S: Well I’ve always liked to be different so as I was growing up I always liked wearing really different clothes, bright coloured trousers, funky hairstyles. I’ve had plaits, Mohicans, I’ve always dyed my hair different colours, green, blue, red, pink and it was at one point when I’d spiked my hair into a really vibrant pink Mohican that people around me told me that it looked really great. It was then that they gave me my ‘punk’ sign name and it stuck That was before I got involved in the cookery programmes
Now with Punk Chef, it’s interesting because BSLBT wanted to create a cookery programme with a punk in it,so they contacted me and told me that they wanted to create a cookery programme and call it Punk Chef and I thought well that’s me! I think you’ve found the right person! It was almost like they were looking for me in particular. So we made the first programme and the rest is history. That was fifteen years ago!
It's interesting, people in the deaf community don’t know my real name. They say ‘Ah there’s Punk Chef!’ ‘Look it’s Punk Chef!’
J: So where does your interest in food and cookery come from?
S: My family My grandfather was a chef in the navy My Nan was always baking cakes at home while my grandad was always making wine and all other kinds of things so when you grow up in a family like that you see a lot of cooking going on. But I never thought I had any particular cooking skills. I used to cook around the home and make little things and it wasn’t until my mum said, why don’t you go on a cookery course, that I even thought about it. At the time I wasn’t interested. I was studying creative arts. But actually food is art. We proved that earlier today in the way the food is presented on the plate. There really is an artist in me and I’ve happened to become a food artist.
When mum suggested I go to college to study cookery, at that time I thought it was something that women did.Then I started watching a lot of cookery programmes and they were all male presenters. I decided to give it a try and joined a cookery course. From there I went and studied a cookery degree.
"Never give up!"
I did an apprenticeship connected to my degree at a Michelin star restaurant. It was tough. I was only about twenty. It was a real shock to the system. I knew nothing! They’d all be talking to each other, and I’d feel left out. I was totally lost at that point. But I forced my way through it. It was hard but I pushed on. Now looking back twenty years, I can see that it was a hugely valuable moment. I’ve met a few deaf people who’ve begun careers in hotels and restaurants and have given up. They’ve told me about problems with communication barriers and have found it hard. I pushed on through for twenty years and have never given up and I’m still here. My mantra is that – Never give up! If you love what you do, then never give up. For me twenty years ago it was the barrier in communication that was the biggest issue and still to this day. Communication in a kitchen with hearing staff is always difficult.
J: You website mentioned that at that time you felt that you weren’t really recognised for your skills.They felt as though your deafness was a problem and it wouldn’t work in the kitchen.
S: That’s right. I know my skills and I know what I can do. I feel at my level I can be a Head Chef easily. But the sticking point is the communication barrier. It means I hit a ceiling. The Head Chef role needs constant communication with your team, shouting orders, getting updates on progress, telling people to hurry up. You need to direct the kitchen. I have found ways around that problem but I’m still struggling to convince others. I know often I’m better than other chefs but I’m up against the attitude of people who see me as a deaf person and just see all the barriers. I know I can do it I just need the opportunity to show others. It’s like whenever I’m new in a kitchen, people are really reticent to give me complex tasks – I know what they’re thinking – he’s deaf, I’m not sure he can do it – I’m like ‘Give it here!’ I do it and then you can see their attitude changing as trust builds up. Trust really is number one. It’s like Chef’s jargon. All of those special culinary words, of course I know them, I’m a trained chef. But once they get that I know my stuff, then the trust is built and I’m away.
J: I think now the Deaf Community has really been in the public eye. There have been deaf people featured on television programmes a lot recently. I wonder if the Deaf Community feel like there is more access to things, are more connected, especially now with smart-phones, television and the internet. Do you feel they are more aware of cooking now?
S: That’s right. I think with cooking, it started with me. I’m not being big-headed but it’s true. My programme was the first Deaf cooking programme on the BSLBT channel. I mean to say, a proper cooking programme and it was the Punk Chef programme. I think in that way, I opened the door for other Deaf people to want to try it, to realise that they could do a similar thing. When I go out to schools and ask Deaf children what they want to do in the future, they often tell me that they want to be chefs. There is that ambition out there now. But if I look back to twenty years ago, they would have never said they wanted to be chefs. I think that’s because I’ve been a role model They’ve seen what I can do, and they want to do the same It’s also helped Deaf people see that cooking is something that Deaf people do
So, when you talk about me, Yvonne Cobb and Coco, among other upcoming chefs, you see more and more Deaf chefs appearing on television. It’s a growing profession and it’s becoming a normal part of how the Deaf Community sees themselves. I see myself as a trigger for that growth in interest. I think the future looks good but I want to see more out there. I’m getting old now and I can’t keep going forever. I want other Deaf People to have the opportunities too. I need to find a way to introduce these Deaf chefs in. Because I imagine they are out there working in hotels and restaurants, stuck behind four walls and they need that exposure. The Deaf community can’t only have just one or two TV chefs. It’s like mainstream TV. Some people like Gordon Ramsay, others like Jamie Oliver or the Hairy Bikers. They have a variety of personalities on TV. It should be the same for the Deaf Community.
JJ: If there are any young Deaf people out there that are thinking about being a chef, what advice would you give them?
"Keep fighting through."
S: They need strength They need to be a bit tough and they shouldn’t give up I’d say learn as much as you can now, because you’ll benefit from that later in your life.I really value the journey I went through to train. When I started out I didn’t know anything. Now twenty years on I am very comfortable with what I know, the processes etc and that’s thanks to all the teachers and chefs who taught me. They helped me to become a better person. So really, the main message is, don’t give up.Keep fighting through and eventually you will achieve what you set out to.
BethhasnowfinishedhertrekandtheGDAteam
aresoproudofherachievement!tohelpBethhit
herfundraisingtargetpleasevisit https://www.justgiving.com/page/urban-hippy
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