The Duke of York applauds Deafeness Research UK at Royal reception

9 June 2010

His Royal Highness, The Duke of York, KG, has applauded the ongoing work of national charity Deafness Research UK at a prestigious Royal reception in the State Apartments, St James’s Palace. The country’s medical charity for hearing impaired people, Deafness Research UK, marked its silver jubilee in the presence of the charity’s Patron, His Royal Highness, The Duke of York, who has supported the charity since 1986. His Royal Highness met researchers, supporters and many of those who have benefited from the charity’s work and was informed of the charity’s new Auditory Centres of Excellence Initiative which aims to expand hearing research teams across the country.

His Royal Highness, The Duke of York, said: “My connection with Deafness Research UK was inspired by professional interest. As a pilot, my hearing was extremely important to me bearing in mind that I was operating in a noisy environment. I am aware that nine million people in this country suffer from some form of degradation to their hearing either by being completely or profoundly deaf, or, as those of us who have lived in noisy environments are aware, there are certain frequencies that don’t quite operate as well as they might.

“Through their Centres of Excellence, Deafness Research UK is working hard to eliminate this serious problem. I would like to congratulate them on their achievements in the last 25 years and wish you every continued success as you go forward in the next 25 years.”

Over the past 25 years, Deafness Research UK has been responsible for a number of major scientific advances that have helped the deaf community immeasurably and, speaking at the reception, the charity’s Chief Research Adviser, Professor Quentin Summerfield, highlighted three of these, namely:

• Testing hearing in newborn children
• Cochlear implants
• Revolutions in genetic research

(full details below in Notes to Editors). 

Vivienne Michael, Chief Executive of Deafness Research UK, said: “His Royal Highness has done so much to support us over the years, encouraging others to join the charity’s fundraising, so vital to new research, and helping raise awareness of our unique work.  We are delighted that His Royal Highness has shown his support once again today, helping us mark the charity’s achievements over the last quarter of a century and announce our plans for the future. This has been a wonderful opportunity to thank our donors, to demonstrate how much we value their support and how vital they remain to the work we do.”

Deafness affects one in seven of the UK population, a staggering nine million people, yet there is still less than £2 per person spent on research into deafness each year. For information on deafness and deafness-related conditions e-mail   or visit Deafness Research UK’s website at www.deafnessresearch.org.uk

ENDS

Photo caption: HRH The Duke of York, KG, speaking at the recent Deafness Research UK silver jubilee Royal Reception at the State Apartments, St James’s Palace.                                          

Notes to editors
Over the past 25 years, Deafness Research UK has contributed to three major transformational discoveries that have changed lives:

• Testing hearing in newborn children: 30 years ago, Professor David Kemp was working as a young researcher in the Royal National Throat, Nose and EarHospital in London and found that if a tiny click is presented to the ear, a fraction of a section later the ear would generate an echo of the click. He discovered, rather surprisingly, this was not a mechanical echo, but a biological one, and it demonstrates that the ear is working normally. This discovery enabled a method for testing the hearing of newborn children in a very precise and easy way. This technique is now being used throughout the world. Deafness Research UK has funded part of David’s work.
• Cochlear implants: Cochlear implants were like science-fiction 30 years ago - it didn’t seem possible that they could restore hearing in adults who had become deaf, let alone create the ability for deaf children to acquire language. Today over 150,000 people use implants around the world, many in the UK. Children now get implants for each ear, and the majority go on to develop speech, attend mainstream schools and thrive. Deafness Research UK funded and supported fundamental work on the hearing mechanism in the 1980s and has recently campaigned to show the cost-effective benefits of cochlear implants to the NHS.
• Genetics: revolutions in research: if you looked at the hospital notes of a deaf patient 30 years ago, they would probably say the cause of deafness was unknown. Today we have a wealth of research showing what goes wrong and why. However, we are still on the brink of an extraordinary revolution in developing the ways hearing impairments are diagnosed, prevented and treated. Deafness Research UK continues to fund vital research into genetics and molecular biology that helps deaf people and prevents others’ from becoming deaf.
• The charity’s Auditory Centres of Excellence (ACE) initiative builds on the success of its UCL Ear Institute appeal which raised over £1 million for the London centre, and will expand hearing research teams at four more state-of-the-art research centres across the country – in Manchester, Sheffield, Cambridge and Nottingham. Each ACE will be tackling the challenge of understanding and treating deafness and hearing impairment in different ways but, as at the Ear Institute, the focus will be on stimulating the multi-disciplinary, collaborative approach that is so important to making progress in hearing research and on delivering real clinical benefit to hearing impaired people. The programme will advance research into childhood deafness, improving hearing aids and cochlear implants, treating tinnitus and preventing hearing loss and restoring hearing.

About Deafness Research UK

• Deafness Research UK is the country’s only charity dedicated to finding new cures, treatments and technologies for deaf, hard of hearing and other hearing impaired people.
• The charity supports high quality medical research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all forms of hearing impairment including tinnitus.
• The Deafness Research UK Information Service provides free information and advice based on the latest scientific evidence and informed by leading experts. The Information Service can be contacted on Freephone 0808 808 2222
• For more information on research into deafness, tinnitus and other hearing conditions, log on to the website at www.deafnessresearch.org.uk where you can access a wide range of information. Alternatively you can e-mail Deafness Research UK at
• One in seven people in the UK – almost nine million people - suffer hearing loss.
• Deafness Research UK was founded in 1985 by Lord (Jack) and Lady Ashley of Stoke. 
  
• In January 2008, Action for Tinnitus Research (ATR) was linked with Deafness Research UK under a uniting direction order under section 96(6) of the Charities Act 1993.
  

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Ref: DRUK0266 – St James’s Palace Reception HRH follow-up