Friends form 'life-changing' Elgin group to improve lipreading skills

Three friends who connected in a lipreading class have founded their own support group to continue honing their skills.

After their course concluded earlier this year, Sheila Smart, Alison Stockley, and Alex Mair decided to create “The Lighthouse Group” to stay connected and keep improving.

Each of them has a different type of hearing loss and all three participated in the free lipreading classes offered by North East Sensory Services (NESS) between 2018 and 2022.

Alex Mair working with a member of the group. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.

Alex, 70, from Cullen, told The Press and Journal he is completely deaf in one ear and requires a hearing aid for the other.

He said the lipreading classes rapidly became a crucial part of his day-to-day life, especially while dealing with feelings of depression.

He said: “It has been a lifeline to me, especially at times when faced with feelings of depression as a result of not being able to socialise.”

Some of the group members including Anke Grant, Sheila West, Alex Mair, Alison Stockley, Frank Green, Sheila Smart and Philip McDonald. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.

Sheila says lipreading classes ‘boosted her confidence’

Sheila, 64, from Forres, has been using hearing aids since her early 40s and signed up for the classes after finding herself struggling to follow other people’s conversations.

“Lipreading is basically using the eyes to help the ears, using not just lip shapes but also expression, gestures, body language and of course the context,” she said.

“For me, lipreading was about using the skills I already had in understanding spoken English and adding another layer of skill.

“In the end, I found the classes offered so much more.

“They boosted my confidence, helped me understand why I have difficulty understanding another person, why the mistakes in understanding can occur – and most importantly it has helped me to manage my own expectations and those of others.”

Some members of the group learning sign language during a session. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.

Alison, left, says the classes help her understand the needs of others. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.

Alison, 74, from Elgin, said that while she only had relatively mild hearing loss, the classes helped her understand the needs of others and the more severe issues they could face.

Alison said: “I had lip-read for years before joining the group and had coped, but, with increasing deafness and its frustrations, I was delighted to find the class.

“It opened my eyes as to the tactics one could develop in lipreading situations of all sorts.”

The Lighthouse Group meet every alternate Wednesday from 10am to 12pm at Elizabeth House in Elgin.