0:00:08 > 0:00:11More than 10 million people in the UK experience
0:00:11 > 0:00:14some degree of hearing loss.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16That's one in six of the population.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22I count myself lucky to have good hearing and, like many people,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25I take for granted the fact that I can wake up in the morning
0:00:25 > 0:00:29and listen to birdsong, the alarm clock, the radio.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34It's very different experience for more than 800,000 people in the UK
0:00:34 > 0:00:36who are severely or profoundly deaf.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41For them, deafness can be an isolating and lonely disability.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Sue has severe hearing loss.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50She has had to manage with her disability for most of her life.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51Even with her hearing aids
0:00:51 > 0:00:55there are still some sounds that Sue can't hear.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Deafness is an invisible disability
0:00:57 > 0:00:59and nobody can see you have got that problem.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05People think you are being rude by not answering them and that is
0:01:05 > 0:01:09not the case at all, it's just purely you have failed to hear them.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11You very much do go into isolation.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13You want to spend time on your own
0:01:13 > 0:01:17because you haven't got to worry about listening to anybody else.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20But it was 12 years ago, after Sue's marriage broke down,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and she became a single mother
0:01:23 > 0:01:26that she really struggled to cope with her deafness.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28I was feeling rock bottom.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31I had a lot of fears about what was going to happen in the future
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and how I would cope.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37I relied on the boys tremendously.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41If the phone went, Ben used to answer and talk to the person
0:01:41 > 0:01:42and he was only five.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47As time went on, Sue began to rely more on her two young sons.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53But when they started school Sue found herself alone and isolated.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57I felt very inadequate, I didn't have very much confidence,
0:01:57 > 0:02:02I was missing the doorbell and the telephone,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06and if the fire alarm went off, I wouldn't have heard that.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I was just in a silent, lonely world of my own really.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Without her sons around to help her.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Sue became more and more withdrawn from the outside world.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Many people living with deafness can feel vulnerable
0:02:20 > 0:02:24losing their sense of independence, security and confidence.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26That is why I'm appealing to you
0:02:26 > 0:02:28on behalf of Hearing Dogs For Deaf People.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30It is a charity close to my heart.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It was my father,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Dr Bruce Fogle, that helped found the charity 30 years ago.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38He realised that specially trained dogs
0:02:38 > 0:02:42could make a massive difference to those living with deafness.
0:02:44 > 0:02:4711-year-old Poppy is just one of the 45,000 deaf children
0:02:47 > 0:02:49living in the UK.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52She was diagnosed with severe hearing loss
0:02:52 > 0:02:54when she was two and half years old.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Her hearing aids don't give her a hearing
0:02:56 > 0:02:59like a normal hearing person could hear.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03She gets a lot of background noise, cutlery banging is a nightmare,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05restaurants are particularly difficult.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12I can't hear low whispers and if someone was speaking behind me,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15I couldn't hear them because they have to face me.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20As the only deaf child in her school,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Poppy began to feel particularly self-conscious
0:03:24 > 0:03:27when the younger children asked about her disability.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32I didn't like people asking like, "What's that in your ear?"
0:03:32 > 0:03:36And I didn't know how to answer.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37I hid my hearing aids.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Like I would always wear my hair long hoping no-one would notice.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47It wasn't just at school where Poppy was made to feel different.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51If people tried to ask me questions, they would go and ask my mum and dad.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53I felt invisible.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57But it was when Poppy took her hearing aids out at night
0:03:57 > 0:03:59that she would feel most alone.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02When you've had hearing aids in and know there are noises about,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05to take them out it must make you feel quite vulnerable, I think.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Poppy would get up and down, up and down every single night.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10So we would say, what are you doing?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13And she said, I am checking you're here.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17I would just lay awake, just staring at the ceiling.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22I felt isolated and I felt lonely.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29However, there is a charity dedicated to help people like Poppy.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is
0:04:30 > 0:04:33a national charity and centre of excellence,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37offering independence, confidence and companionship
0:04:37 > 0:04:40to deaf people by providing them with specially-trained dogs
0:04:40 > 0:04:44to alert them to household sounds and danger signals.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48The charity has two dedicated training centres
0:04:48 > 0:04:50where they adopt around 200 puppies a year.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Selina is one of their head trainers.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56When the puppies reach about a year old
0:04:56 > 0:04:58they're ready for their advanced training
0:04:58 > 0:05:02and start learning about the sounds that they need to respond to.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05For 18 weeks the puppies learn how to respond to
0:05:05 > 0:05:08sounds like doorbells, timers and alarm clocks.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12When a hearing dog hears a sound, we train the dog to come
0:05:12 > 0:05:16and touch their trainer and they will ask, what is it?
0:05:16 > 0:05:19And this will indicate to the dog that you've felt the alert
0:05:19 > 0:05:20and you can follow them to which sound it is.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Towards the end of training
0:05:23 > 0:05:26the dogs are taught how to respond to danger sounds.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- The dogs response is different. - What is it?
0:05:28 > 0:05:32They will then lie down on the floor and that indicates danger,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34so that the person knows, OK, there's something wrong,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36I should get out of the house.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Each dog is then carefully matched to an individual
0:05:39 > 0:05:41to create a unique partnership.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45There really is a strong inseparable bond
0:05:45 > 0:05:48created between the two and it's lovely to see.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Each partnership formed with dogs like Robin here,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56is testament to the life-changing difference a hearing dog can make.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58From the practical assistance
0:05:58 > 0:06:01through to the therapeutic and social benefits.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05The bond formed with dogs like Robin is truly unique.
0:06:05 > 0:06:0918 months ago, Sue was paired with Jasmine,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11a three-year-old Cocker Spaniel cross.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14The pair have been inseparable ever since.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19She's making you go out and meeting people, and you've got the added
0:06:19 > 0:06:23advantage of she's telling you every time the doorbell or the phone goes.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Jasmine changed my life overnight literally
0:06:26 > 0:06:31Not only does Jasmine help Sue with everyday household sounds,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33but she's now very much part of the family.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Jas has given me all the confidence in the world now.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41I just feel like I've got the whole world in front of me.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44The charity has recently piloted a scheme to see if the life changing
0:06:44 > 0:06:48impact a hearing dog has on adults could extend to children to Poppy.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50And has it worked?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Yes. I think it's a success.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Three-year-old Cocker Spaniel cross, Maddy,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00has made an instant impact on Poppy's life.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03The sleeping was an incredible difference straightaway.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05The night we got Maddy she slept through the night,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08didn't get up and check.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11It's very comforting to know she is there
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and she will just lie there and go to sleep, like me.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19And it's not just sleep where Maddy has made a big difference
0:07:19 > 0:07:22She has really boosted my confidence.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26I don't feel that invisible because Maddy sort of says,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28"Hello, she is here, she can speak, you know."
0:07:28 > 0:07:30I just love her to bits.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Currently Hearing Dogs For Deaf People
0:07:32 > 0:07:36has 750 working partnerships in the UK.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38But there are still 100s waiting to benefit from
0:07:38 > 0:07:40one of these incredibly special dogs.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43This is where you could make a real difference
0:07:43 > 0:07:45to the life of a deaf person.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Please go to the website -
0:07:49 > 0:07:51where you can make a donation.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55If you don't have access to the internet, then call 0800 011 011.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00And if you can't get through, please, please keep trying.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05You can also donate £10 by texting 'GIVE' to 70121.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10Texts cost £10 plus your standard network message charge
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and the whole £10 goes to Hearing Dogs For Deaf People.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Full terms and conditions can be found at bbc.co.uk/lifeline.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Telephone calls are free from most landlines.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Some networks and mobile operators will charge for these calls.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Or if you'd like to post a donation,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29please make your cheque payable to Hearing Dogs For Deaf People
0:08:29 > 0:08:32and send it to Freepost, BBC Lifeline Appeal,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36writing Hearing Dogs For Deaf People on the back of the envelope.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Remember, if you're a UK taxpayer,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42the charity can collect gift aid on your donation, worth another 25%.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Just send in a note, to say you want your donation to be subject
0:08:45 > 0:08:49to Gift Aid, and include the date, your full name and address.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Thank you.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd