Deaf man fights to save charity 'that's my lifeline'

A 21-year-old who described a deaf charity as his lifeline said he was "shocked" by its closure.

Jake Holland set up an online petition and has been raising money to try to save Northamptonshire-based Deafconnect, whose users said they had been left "devastated".

"Knowing that there is no-one there to go to, as my family are all deaf, [means] Deafconnect is my lifeline really," Holland said.

In a statement, the charity, which has been operating in the county for 150 years, said it was facing a "difficult financial situation" and it was "not possible to continue".

Holland said he was campaigning to save the charity as it was like his "family".

He said since the age of 11 he had benefited from support given by Deafconnect, which described its mission as empowering "deaf and hard of hearing communities through support, education, and advocacy".

"Because I'm a heavy lip reader, I started learning sign language," said Holland.

"They offer so many supports and it helped me build confidence and gain access to everywhere.

"Having to rely on a friend or family makes us feel like a burden, whereas Deafconnect helped us to be our own person and stand up for our own rights," he said.

Maralyn Juner's 50-year-old son, Danny Knight, has been using the service for over 20 years.

She said: "People will be devastated. Where do they go, where do they get support and everything?

"It's awful, you can't help being deaf."

David Juner said over the years Deafconnect had helped his stepson with "problems with his benefits... when he's had meetings, they've been there to support him, making phone calls, lots of little things that are vital for him".

The charity runs the Spencer Dallington Community Centre in Northampton.

It said "bookings for the use of the halls will continue for now".

Its statement added: "The staff and trustees of Deafconnect are working hard to responsibly manage the charity's closure and to minimise any unnecessary disruption to the deaf community and other users of the Spencer Dallington Community Centre.

"As part of the closure process, the trustees are seeking to explore all options for the future delivery of deaf community services.

"This includes discussions about whether the services might be delivered, in the future, by a new organisation, subject to all appropriate agreements and approvals."

Deafconnect was a contracted supplier for North Northamptonshire Council.

A council spokesman said: "We value the services they provide locally and have been trying to support them, in recent months, to secure additional income through grant opportunities.

"We would value an opportunity to engage with them to explore any opportunities to provide support."

West Northamptonshire Council said it commissioned services from Deafconnect jointly with North Northamptonshire Council.

A spokesperson said: "Our teams, together with partner organisations, have been in contact with Deafconnect to offer support and to understand the impact on service users."

They said the authority would "explore any opportunities for further assistance".

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