Helping those in need to hear!

Helping those in need to hear!  What a great title for a press release?  Well, we would think so, wouldn’t we!!

Hearing Aid Recycling and the NHS working together to help 1000’s hear around the world!

Hearing Aid Recycling and the NHS working together to help 1000’s hear around the world! Our mantra at Hearing Aid Recycling is “Helping Others Hear”. Natasha Cuthbert of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust has really taken our bull by the horns and run with it! Natasha collected 1000’s of no longer needed hearing aids for us and dropped them to one of our collection centres. As if that wasn’t enough Natasha then wrote all about it! Here’s a few snippets and relevant images from her press release and endeavours. Hopefully the beginning of a long and fruitful association between Hearing Aid Recycling and the NHS in the North East. One which will continue to help many thousands hear around the world.

Here’s the press release!

Here’s the main body of the press release which inevitably tells the story pretty well. Did you read all about it? Have you donated a hearing aid to Hearing Aid Recycling? Has it made you think you will one day?

“North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust have helped THOUSANDS of people to hear!  Not least with their incredible work through the Trust’s hearing clinics. Also by donating the previous generation of technology to Hearing Aid Recycling. Making sure they don’t end up in WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) disposal.

01/12/2023, 13:13 Helping those in need to hear – North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

Home > News > News > Helping those in need to hear Tuesday 28 November 2023

Helping those in need to hear

A local NHS Trust is helping some of the world’s poorest people to live fuller lives, by reusing old hearing aids.

01/12/2023, 13:13 Helping those in need to hear – North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

Environmental services and sustainability officer Natasha Cuthbert was going about her duties for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. When she stumbled across a sack full of more than 7,600 old hearing aids.

Clearly destined to be recycled, Natasha wondered if there was a more direct use from them.

Hearing Aid Recycling

After a little research, Natasha made contact with London-based charity Hearing Aid Recycling. (https://hearingaidrecycling.co.uk/)g (http://www.hearingaidrecycling.co.uk/). Which collects and sends old hearing aids to the developing world where many people aren’t fortunate enough to have easy access to the life-changing devices.

Natasha said: “Hearing Aid Recycling wipes the data from old hearing aids and clears the frequency settings, before giving them a thorough clean.

“They are then sent all over the world to under privileged kids and adults. Particularly in countries where they aren’t lucky enough to have our NHS.”

“It turns out that I pass a drop-off centre on my way home from work. So, I dropped them off one evening.”

The drop off point, Relph Funeral Directors in Stockton-On-Tees. They then passed them on to Hearing Aid Recycling when their founder was visiting the region.

The team there were amazed to find that only 129 pairs of the hearing aids were too old or too damaged to be reused.

Thank you

Hearing Aid Recycling founder Zoe Fawcett-Eustace said: “We really couldn’t believe how many and how fantastic the hearing aids are”.

“We really will be able to transform so many lives and stop so much waste. It’s incredible”.

“Thank you.”

However, Natasha isn’t stopping with this one off donation.

She commented: “I’ll be working with the relevant services in the Trust to keep hold of any unused hearing aid. I’ll collect them regularly so I can drop them off.

“In fact, I’d like to appeal to anyone who has unused hearing aids at home to send them to me. I’ll happily pass them on to Hearing Aid Recycling”.

“They’ll do more good there than they will gathering dust at home.”

01/12/2023, 13:13 Helping those in need to hear – North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

Get in touch with Natasha

If you have an old set of hearing aids that you no longer need, you can drop them off for Natasha at the University Hospital of North Tees. Or email her on: natasha.cuthbert@nhs.net (mailto:natasha.cuthbert@nhs.net)to arrange collection.

Here’s Fletcher!!

Here’s Fletcher!! Fletcher Chisalipo to be exact. Fletcher contacted Hearing Aid Recycling about the possibility of them supporting his work in rural Malawi. We were delighted to be able to send him 500 Phonak hearing aids from Natasha’s NHS Hartlepool donation. He’ll distribute them to children in his outreach project. You can read more about Fletcher on our Charity Partners page.

We’d love to ‘hear’ from you too!!

We’re always delighted to ‘hear’ from you. Sometimes people not only have time to donate their loved ones hearing aids. They also to send us a picture and a short note. Explaining who and why they are no longer need by. Mr Cygal‘s daughter Tamsin sent us a wonderful letter. She explained that his hearing had been damaged by years working in a turbine room. That his hearing aids had helped him hear his Grandchildren’s voices. She felt that he would be really happy to know they were helping others. Hopefully giving as much pleasure to others’ lives as they had him. We’re so lucky to be able to do what we do.

THANK YOU!!

We feel so passionately about Hearing Aid Recycling and all it can do to ‘help others hear’ around the world. However, if we did ever have a rainy afternoon in the office. Where we felt slightly under par. Then receiving notes such as Tamsin’s reminds us of all the reasons we have to be grateful. Always bringing a smile back to our faces! Thank you again Tamsin and your lovely Dad. It’s so simple to donate hearing aids for hearing aid recycling by any of the following ways:

Drop them off

Post them in

Or get in touch with us and we’ll help you!

Again, if you have time, do please include a picture and note. We’ll pop our thanks and remembrance in the gallery!! We also love to let you know that they have arrived safely. Do please pop your contact details in too and we’ll do just that!