Collect stamps for Hearing Dogs

The Lisburn Hearing Centre has been supporting the initiative for years, to raise both funds and awareness for the charity.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People train dogs to alert deaf people to sounds they can’t hear, such as the doorbell, alarm clock and even fire alarm.

David Parkinson of Lisburn Hearing Centre has for years hand delivered sacks of collected used stamps from across Northern Ireland to England.

He said: “The stamps that are collected are sent to England or we deliver them. I take my car with five or six sacks full of stamps and meet a representative of Hearing Dogs, who are scattered all around England.

“The stamps are bagged and weighed in kilos and sold onto a guy who sells them to America, where they get made into a package and sold to collectors.

“The charity receives money per kilo, which is not very much, but it is more about raising awareness for them.

Gillian Bickerstaff of Lisburn Hearing Centre added: “We actually sponsor a dog called Iker, a black lab. He is on his last round of tests before he can be placed with someone.”

If you would like to collect your used stamps for the charity, contact Lisburn Hearing Centre at Bachelors Walk, Lisburn.