Trustees
Rick Cotton - Chairman/Hearing Support Volunteer
Rick’s involvement with the Deaf Association came as a result of attending Lip-reading classes. Rick was nominated to represent Lip-reading classes on the Deaf Association’s committee. He was taught as a young child to lip-read. Rick completed his Level 1 British Sign Language, OCN Intermediate and his Level 2 British Sign Language courses. Rick wears hearing aids in both ears and is also a Hearing Support Service Volunteer. Rick finds it very rewarding to help others and to give something back to the community. The committee members are a great team of people to work with.
David Tate - Treasurer
Charlie Coates - Committee Member/Hearing Support Volunteer
In 1995 Charlie was walking past the Regis Rooms and noticed a sign offering hearing tests. To his amazement they found he had no hearing at all in his left ear. He was fitted with a hearing aid and suddenly he was aware of all he had missed.
His connection with the Deaf Association began after attending Lip-reading classes held at the centre on a Tuesday afternoon, he then progressed to the class at North Wootton.
Seeing first hand the good work done by the Association, he wanted others to benefit from the help he had received.
He is now a volunteer and when he sees the gratitude of the people when the “Hearing Aid” works, it makes him feel so humble.
Margaret Tate - Committee Member/Hearing Support Volunteer
Margaret’s hearing was affected by measles around the age of five but she did not wear a hearing aid until she was sixteen. Her hearing has deteriorated further over the years.
Margaret, therefore, has always been interested in deaf issues and decided to make positive use of her deafness by becoming involved with West Norfolk Deaf Children’s Society (WNDCS), which led her on to West Norfolk Deaf Association (WNDA) and learning British Sign Language (BSL).
She has recently stepped down after about 10 years as Chairman of WNDA, but remains a committee member and a Hearing Support Volunteer.
As a member of committees of other organisations, she can bring a deaf person’s point of view to different situations. She feels strongly that only a deaf person can really understand another deaf person’s needs.
Mary Lancefield - Committee Member/Hearing Support Volunteer
In September 2003 Mary trained as a Hearing Support Volunteer for the West Norfolk Hearing Support Service. Her contact with the Deaf Association came whilst attending Lip-reading classes with Adult Education. Mary knows from her own experience as a hearing aid wearer how difficult it is to get used to wearing a hearing aid and is keen to help people overcome their difficulties. Mary is a retired primary school teacher and is a trained Lip-reading Tutor. Mary joined the Management Committee in April 2004.
Linda Murray
Jenny Rye
Alan Hubbard
Following my retirement as a postman in January 2009, I trained as a Hearing Support Volunteer for West Norfolk Deaf Association.
I have been hard of hearing since my mid twenties and as I now have more spare time I felt I would like to help other people with a hearing loss.
I have been attending Lipreading classes at Fakenham and Swaffham for the past five years and have learnt many things about deafness and deaf issues.
Gerald Warnes
I am a Norfolk man, and proud of it, born in Norwich in 1939. My family have always been involved in the agricultural industry, and it was in the late fifties that I first became involved in the interest and welfare of my fellow workers by joining the National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers and helped to campaign for better wages and conditions.
The Union in turn nominated me for the office of Justice of the Peace in 1970, and I served the courts in West Norfolk until my retirement to the supplemental list in 1995. After my retirement from work, my interest again turned to the court this time as a volunteer worker with the Victim Support Witness Service. Reluctantly I had to end this work because of my hearing difficulties, not being able to cope in a group situation (I wear an aid in each ear).
It was on my first ever visit to the West Norfolk Deaf association office in King's Lynn that I learned of the need they had for volunteers and realised that this might be a way of turning my disability to the advantage of again helping others. I have already realised that I am joining a team who are passionately involved in helping the deaf and hard of hearing in this part of Norfolk and hope that I shall be capable of upholding the high standard of work they expect.
I have been happily married to Dorothy (who also wears a hearing aid) for 46 years; have two sons, one married, and one single, a daughter in-law and two fine grandchildren.
My preferred form of address is Gerald, not Mr. Warnes, but at the end of the day it is what you are happy with.
Dr Philip Koopowitz
I have been a GP in Watlington, near King’s Lynn for almost 20 years. Unlike many newer GPs I have no single clinical speciality, but have developed an interest in many aspects of primary care over the years. More recently I have become aware of the work undertaken by WNDA and feel that this is an excellent area to support as there is an increasing elderly population and thus an increasing need for assistance with hearing difficulties. I am keen to expand the reach of WNDA so that their services are accessible closer to client’s rural locations.