VoluntEars

05/10/2024

We can't wait to be back in Ghana next Sunday! If you missed out booking for this trip, we'll be returning to Ghana in 2026. We also have plenty of other incredible destinations that we will be traveling to next year! Learn more at https://voluntears.info/destinations/

04/10/2024

We love Nepal!

03/10/2024

A big thank you to JDA for welcoming Richard for a presentation on VoluntEars!

As a reminder, we’re always happy to visit schools or deaf organisations to share more about our trips—covering everything from what you’ll gain, what we provide, and the benefits, with photos & videos! 🌍📸

Interested in a visit? Contact us at: [email protected]

02/10/2024

Welcome Shezaad who just booked his place on our Peru trip in August 2025. Shezaad will be swapping Bristol for Cusco and the Sacred Valley surrounded by the Andes mountains next summer!
Find out more here: https://voluntears.info/destinations/peru/


Image description: green and blue background with a photo of a man wearing an orange hoodie and jeans standing next to a tall rose bush, with the text "Welcome to Shehzaad Ali, going to Peru in August 2025" with the VoluntEars logo in the bottom right corner

30/09/2024

Welcome to Lyndsey Cunningham-Drury who just booked her place for Sri Lanka in July 2026. We love your forward planning Lyndsey!! What a fantastic trip you have to look forward to :)
Find out about all our trips here: https://voluntears.info/destinations/
Image description: green and blue background with a photo of a lady standing with a lawn and trees behind her in the sunshine, with the text "Welcome to Lyndsey, going to Sri Lanka, July 2026" and the VoluntEars logo in the bottom right corner.

29/09/2024

🏔️ We’re excited to head back to Everest Base Camp from 10-24 November 2024! Get ready for more epic views, adventures, and unforgettable memories at the world’s most iconic peak.

26/09/2024

Deaf Rave Festival is back on 5th October at Rich Mix, Shoreditch! Join for a day & night of music, dancing, and fun for all ages—toddlers, teens, and families welcome! 🎉

25/09/2024

Welcome BACK to Kate and Lauren Randell who just booked their places on our Peru trip for August 2025. Kate and Lauren have previously visited Sri Lanka, Morocco and Nepal with VoluntEars and we can't wait to share a south America trip with them next summer!
Find out about all our trips here: https://voluntears.info/destinations/
Image description: green and blue background with a photo of Kate and Lauren wearing thick trekking jackets surrounded by colourful flags with a view of Himalayan mountains behind them. The text says "Welcome back to Kate and Lauren, going to Peru, August 2025" with the VoluntEars logo in the bottom right corner.

24/09/2024

Pack with us as we prepare to head to Ghana October 13-26, 2024! Here's a starting point for your packing list 🇬🇭

See the full kit list when you book with us. Learn more at: http://voluntears.info/destinations/ghana

22/09/2024

We loved having Leyla on our Sri Lanka trip in July 2024. She's such a positive person to have in a group and we were so happy she enjoyed the trip so much. Hope to see you on another trip soon Leyla!

Find out more about our next Sri Lanka trip in August 2026 here: http://voluntears.info/destinations/sri-lanka/

20/09/2024

🚆 Big news for train travelers in the UK! South Western Railway is rolling out Signapse, a groundbreaking app that translates train announcements into British Sign Language using AI technology.

Currently cruising between Basingstoke, London, Salisbury, and Exeter, this app is set to make journeys smoother and less stressful for deaf passengers.

Here’s to hoping it soon helps everyone in all public places!

Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0qej3qe2k3o

15/09/2024

Welcome BACK to Malcolm Sinclair who has booked his place on our Peru trip in August 2025, after visiting Nepal with us in January this year. Malcolm is a kind, funny, practical, and knowledgeable person who adds a huge amount to any group and we're delighted he'll be with us again next year!

Find out more about our Peru trip here: https://voluntears.info/destinations/peru/



Image description: photo of a male volunteer standing with some local students at a deaf school in Nepal, with the text "Welcome to...Malcolm Sinclair, going to Peru August 2025!" and the VoluntEars logo in the bottom right corner

14/09/2024

Another big THANK YOU from VoluntEars! This time we want to show our appreciation to Harriet Oulds who was Communicator on our Sri Lanka trip in July.

Harriet's Sign Language skills were used to the max for 2 weeks, signing in BSL and also ASL with an American volunteer. Not only that, but Harriet also interpreted a VERY intense Sri Lankan Sign Language class, a Sri Lankan cooking class and STILL managed to jump higher than everyone else on every jumping-on-the-beach photo we took!!! Thanks so much Harriet & see you again very soon :)

Find out more: www.voluntears.info/destinations

13/09/2024

All VoluntEars trips have a Communicator to help ensure smooth communication for everyone in the group no matter what level of Sign Language they have. This post is to say a big THANK YOU to Sophie Coole who was Communicator on our Nepal trip in August.

Sophie handled everything brilliantly, from interpreting a welcoming ceremony at the Deaf school, to trekking down a mountain with a migraine, and wading through ankle deep flood-water in Pokhara to reach the restaurant on our last night...still grinning!! Thanks so much Sophie, we all appreciated your help every day and look forward to having you on another trip soon :)

Find out more: www.voluntears.info/destinations

25/08/2024

Did you know we offer tailor-made group trips that blend impactful volunteer work with unforgettable experiences? 🤔

Help renovate a local Deaf school, enjoy fun activities and games with D/deaf students, and explore the top sights of your chosen destination! 🌍

By customizing your trip, we ensure the schedule aligns perfectly with your group's interests. Choose your own dates and duration, and make the trip perfect for your school, university, and community groups!

Ready to embark on a journey that makes a difference? Enquire now: https://bit.ly/tailormadegroups

23/08/2024

What a month! Our adventures in Sri Lanka and Nepal were unforgettable. 🌴🏔️ If you missed out on this run, don't worry! This autumn, we're heading to Ghana in October and Everest Base Camp in November.

Join us for immersive cultural experiences, thrilling activities, and meaningful volunteer work. Secure your spot now and be part of something amazing. We hope to see you there! ✈️❤️

Find out more here: www.voluntears.info/destinations

10/07/2024

Our next trip to Everest Base Camp starts 4 months today on Sunday 10th November so we're sharing a link to a review written by Judy Newsome who was on our last "EBC" trip in 2023:

https://limpingchicken.com/2023/06/21/judy-newsome-my-trek-to-everest-base-camp-with-voluntears-bsl/?fbclid=IwAR3VjhJOB_8e1LqZRdwUFWFvUuI4DAtGLa3TpaQCQ40sPAJ6uHORemsJxXA

I first found out about VoluntEars when someone recommended the organisation to me. I looked on their website and I saw that they arranged trips to Nepal with BSL Interpreters. These were relaxed t…

07/07/2024

Thinking of visiting Ghana? Read our fun facts to improve your knowledge of this wonderful destination in west Africa!

https://voluntears.info/fun-facts-about-ghana/



Image description: photo shows a sunset over an ocean and a beach with palm trees on the right hand side. At the top of the image is text saying "Fun Facts about Ghana" and the VoluntEars logo on the bottom left

05/07/2024

Tips for travelling when D/deaf - one of our ex-volunteers kindly wrote this blog to share her tips for travelling as a deaf person. We'd love to get your tips too. Comment below!

https://voluntears.info/tips-for-travelling-when-deaf/

04/07/2024

Travelling Ghana-style!

Next trip: Sunday 13 October to Saturday 26 October 2024

Trip details: https://voluntears.info/destinations/ghana/



Image description: photo of volunteers sitting in a yellow and black coloured tuk tuk in Ghana, smiling to the camera

03/07/2024

Reena is coming to Nepal with us in August so the next river she stands next to will probably be in the Himalayan mountains! Have a great trip Reena :)

Trip info: https://voluntears.info/destinations/nepal/

Image description: on the left is a green background with a photo of a female person standing on stepping-stones along the side of a river. On the right is a blue background with the text "Welcome to Reena Mistry, going to Nepal in August 2024" with the VoluntEars logo in the bottom right corner.

30/06/2024

We are delighted to share that our Communicator for our upcoming Sri Lanka trip is Harriet Oulds who volunteered on our Nepal trip in 2022 and recently helped on our stand at Deaffest. We can't wait to have you with us again Harriet :)

Trip info: https://voluntears.info/destinations/sri-lanka/

29/06/2024

It's "Welcome back!" to Ruby Biddiscombe who came to Nepal with us in January 2024 and has booked a place on our Ghana trip this October. Ruby is SUCH a lovely person to be around that we can't wait to see her again, this time on a different continent!

Find out about our Ghana trip here: https://voluntears.info/destinations/ghana/

25/06/2024

We are looking forward to having mother and daughter Zara and Charlotte on our Nepal trip with us in August this summer!

Read about the upcoming trip here: https://voluntears.info/destinations/nepal/

Image description: the image shows a blue and green background. On the left is a photo of two people with a view of a river and mountains behind them; on the right is text saying "Welcome to Charlotte and Zara, going to Nepal August 2024" and the VoluntEars logo in the bottom right corner.

20/06/2024

Tomorrow we have a stall at the UK Council on Deafness conference at the iconic BT Tower in London. We also have 1 free ticket so if anyone who's travelled with VoluntEars before and lives in the London area would like to join us then just message us. You're welcome to join for the whole day, part of the day or just for lunch in the revolving restaurant! We'll be there from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

Celebration of Deaf Awareness Week 2024: Access to Communication

Programme:

UK CoD Conference: 21st June 2024 - BT Tower

Approximate time:

8:30 Setup as required

9.30 Coffee, registration, and attendees’ arrival

10.00 Welcome from Sheila Sirco, Chair of UKCoD will set the scene for the day

10:05 Welcome from BT team Lorna Stephenson, Senior Manager, Product and Commercial, Voice Services 10:15 (1) Deaf Indonesian Project

10:15 (1) Herbert Klein, Independent Deaf Advisor in Mental Health, President of

British Society Mental Health and Deaf

10:36 (2) Love in a cold climate

John Horan, Barrister with Cloisters for the Rimmer case

11.07 (3) Working in the Transport Planning Industry as a Deaf Professional

Chris Hamann

11.28 Break exhibitors (20 minutes)

11:49 (4) LOVE AND TRUST in a dual sensory loss world

Nikki Morris with Louise Goldsmith from Deaf Blind

12:10 A panel of all the morning speakers answering questions (15 minutes)

12.25 Lunch & Exhibitors (1 hr 45 minutes)

14:05 Aldi video

14:07 (5) The Road to Tokyo 2025 – Where’s the love?

Gordon Hay

14:27 (6) Comprehension of TV sound

Ben Shirley & Will Curry Salford University

14:48 (7) Building trust through inclusive user research

Indigo Ayling National Centre for Accessible Transport (ncat)

15.10 Break & Exhibitors (20 minutes)

15.30 (8) The Deaf Academy

Mark Stocks Assistant Head Teacher at Deaf Academy Exmouth

15:50 (9) STORYTELLING FOR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ADVOCACY

Maryam Bandukda Senior Researcher at UCL

16:10 A panel of all the afternoon speakers answering questions (15 minutes)

16:25 Sheila Sirco, Chair of UKCoD

16:30 Close