We’re off to the seaside – again! – Woohoo!!
Woohoooo, we’re off to the seaside – again. Following our trip to the seaside last year to collect donated hearing aids from Specsavers, we’re heading back for more. We’re so grateful for everyone’s support and couldn’t do what we do without it.
Life’s a balancing act – isn’t it?
We’ve been so busy this year we haven’t had time to properly say – Thank you. As a really tiny team it’s always a balancing act trying to fit everything in. Understandably, we tend to focus on getting the hearing aids to where they are most needed. We do try to say thank you to everyone who helps us. From everyone who may send us just one no longer needed hearing aid to firms like Specsavers sending us hundreds. It really is a case of every hearing aid makes a big difference and we’re grateful for every one!
Aiming to beat our 100K!!
2025 was a brilliant year for us and consequently people around the world without access to hearing aids. With all of your help and with fantastic contributions from companies such as Specsavers in Brighton we’re trying our very best to beat the incredible 100,000 hearing aids we were able to distribute to people around the world last year.
Thank you Specsavers for helping us help others whilst helping the planet! Thank you !!!
Helping the planet:
By giving more than 100,000 hearing aids a second life in a single year, we potentially avoided up to around 940 tonnes of CO₂e associated with manufacturing replacement devices.
Helping people:
By sending over 100,000 donated hearing aids to people around the world with your help we will have positively impacted between 50,000 and 80,000 lives (if you’e into Quick Maths, the reason it isn’t a set 50,000 is some people only have one hearing aid). The impact of this goes far beyond just the devices. Better haring leads to improved communication, greater independence, access to more and better education. Hugely helping social connection and participation in family and community life. All of which will reduce the likelihood of exploitation and increase the chances of employment.
Social Value in spades!
We’re never sure where the ‘in spades’ comes from? Is it a Bridge playing reference or implying something comes in multiple shovels full. Possibly it is a combination of the two? If you know the origin of the idiom, please do let us know!! However, to get back on track: If we put a very conservative estimate of £500.00 of social value for each person who receives a donated hearing aid (or two) then with your help in 2025 we created a potential £50 million of Social Value. That’s something for us all to be proud of. A small metric the demonstrates that sometimes the value of recycling isn’t only measured in what you stop being thrown away but also by what you give back to people.
Specsavers and the NHS:
We all know how lucky we are in the UK to have NHS hearing aids. However, we also know that sometimes we need to wait a very long time for a hearing test and a hearing aid. Specsavers are helping to reduce these waiting times by offering NHS hearing tests, services and aids.
Where will all the hearing aids go?
Our next batches of donation are heading to Sierra Leone, Kenya and Burkina Faso.
St Joseph’s of Cluny School for the Hearing Impaired
This amazing school was established in 1979. There are on average just under 200 pupils at any one time with around half of them attending on a boarding basis.
Hopes for the future:
The Cluny Sisters have an ambition to extend audiology services to the wider community. As part of this they have already established an outreach programme. Including building a fully equipped audiology centre and employing a full time audiologist. The first and only one in Sierra Leone. One of their technicians is headed to Ghana to also train in audiology. It is hoped that over the next three years they will be able to establish 12 audiology clinics in existing health clinics and four in major hospitals. Initially they will be focussing on newborns and infants.
It’s such a huge privilege for Hearing Aid Recycling to be able to support them in these exciting and life changing endeavours. Thank you Specsavers and everyone who donates no longer needed hearing aids to us. Obviously without all of yours support we wouldn’t be able to do any of it!!
And there’s more….
Thanks to the incredible support of Specsavers we will be able to send more hearing aids to the Kenya Deaf Schools and our wonderful Fletcher from Malwai.
And another huge………
To everyone who donates to us, in person and via larger organisations such as Specsavers. We really couldn’t do any of it without you!!
Hearing Aid Recycling and gratitude!
Little by little towards a BIG difference.
If we look at the total numbers. Just how many hearing aids are thrown away each year. How many people don’t have access to hearing aids around the world, it feels quite huge and a little overwhelming. So, we’ve decided to take it one day at a time, one hearing aid at a time and hopefully little by little we will chip away at the problem and make a difference. We can’t do it on our own. However, with help from organisations such as Specsavers and the people within them (too many to name!), working together we can change lives. It’s so very humbling and such a privilege to be able to be part of such a brilliant team.
Thank you !!!
Please help us, please donate any no longer needed hearing aids!
Here’s how:
If you’d like to donate your or a loved ones no longer needed hearing aids, you can find your nearest drop off point here.
Or why not send us an email at info@hearingaidrecycling.co.uk and we can look it up for you?
We love to hear from you too. If it is easier, please do give us a call on 0300 102 1565 and we can help you donate.
Or simply pop them in the post to us at:
Hearing Aid Recycling
P O Box 816
Banbury
OX16 6TW
If you do send us anything, if you’re happy to, please include your contact details and we’ll let you know they have arrived safely.
THANK YOU Specsavers and THANK YOU NHS and THANK YOU everyone who has and does donate hearing aids for Hearing Aid Recycling. They make such a difference and really do: