AN appeal has been made to all hard of hearing people in the area to join similar folk at a community club for the hearing impaired.

Tavistock Area Support Service's Hear Me Now club is appealing to people with a hearing loss to join the group and make new friends.

Bob Lock from Mary Tavy lost a lot of his hearing as a result of an assault while working as a bus driver: 'My world changed so much after this.

'Trying to speak to someone who has normal hearing is so difficult because when they speak to you, quite often they may have their back to you or turned sideways.

'In a lot of cases when you ask them to repeat what they've said, people think you are ignorant or not paying attention to what they are saying. Therefore, those of us who are hard of hearing or deafened feel isolated.'

Before moving to Mary Tavy, Mr Lock set up a group for people with hearing impairments.

'I decided to start a club for deafened, hard of hearing people in the area that I lived. This really helped as I met other people who were in a similar position to myself. We had monthly meetings where various speakers from different organisations came to give talks.'

A loop system was installed in the meeting room so that club members were able to hear the guest speakers. 'This made such a big difference to our social lives.'

Mr Lock said since moving to Mary Tavy in September, he found a similar club at the Anchorage Centre in Tavistock.

'We can learn about things and have conversations just like normal, hearing people. I am making an appeal to all those with a hearing loss in Tavistock and the surrounding areas to come along and meet people in the same situation and also to make new friends. As they say, "the more the merrier".'

June Wildman, chairperson of Hear Me Now, said: 'Approximately one in seven people have some loss of hearing and this ratio increases as people get older.

'Hear Me Now is a support group for the hard of hearing and we usually have a speaker for part of our meetings, normally on matters to do with being hard of hearing, but often on other matters of public information such as Blue Badges and Care Direct.

'Members socialise with one another and exchange hints and tips.

'In proportion to the number of people in Tavistock who have a hearing loss, our membership is quite small. If you are interested in joining us, come to one of our meetings.'

Hear Me Now meets at the Anchorage Centre on the last Thursday of every month, from 10am to noon. The next meeting is on Thursday February 25.

Anyone wanting to join the club is welcome to attend the meeting, or contact June Wildman at the Anchorage Centre.