Volunteer of the Month - October 2022 - Ann Thallon

“I’ll do anything for Hearing Link Services,” Ann Thallon, from Fife, told us. And she does! Ann is an excellent volunteer: committed, creative and compassionate.

She brings an unique brand of understanding and honesty to her volunteering. Those Ann supports feel comfortable to speak, often for the first time, about their own struggles and go away feeling more confident about living with hearing loss.

Edinburgh-based volunteer, Robin Wickes, captures her in a nutshell: "Ann has been a stalwart of Hearing Link's team of peer support volunteers for many a long year. Her understanding of the challenges faced by people with a hearing loss, coupled with her natural empathy, has made her much loved and respected by everyone.”

Encouraged by Ann, Margaret Canning and May Wood went from support group participants to wanting to join our volunteer family themselves. 

Margaret says: "I have known Ann for over 12 years now. I was a participant where Ann was co-facilitating one of our support groups. I just thought how brilliant she was at presenting the programme and making us all feel comfortable, included and informed of all that Hearing Link has to offer. 

It was thanks to Ann’s enthusiasm, encouragement, and support that I decided to become a volunteer. We have worked together since then on many projects - it's her preparation and attention to detail that make the programmes run smoothly, so that the participants leave feeling much more informed and confident."

May recounts from a course in Edinburgh many years ago: "I realised immediately on meeting Ann, when I was a very anxious participant, that my hearing loss journey was about to totally change direction... for the better. 

Ann's sheer energy, positivity, and determination that we can all better manage our hearing loss, and enjoy fuller access to communication, has inspired and encouraged so many who have turned to Hearing Link Services for support throughout the years. Many of us, like Margaret and myself, have been motivated to go on to become volunteers ourselves."

Ann is a key, original member of a team of volunteers offering support and advice to audiology patients in Edinburgh. Elaine Levy who recently joined the team has this to say: "Ann is very skilful at putting service users and new volunteers at ease during drop-in sessions, ensuring that everyone can get the most from their experience. She shares her huge amount of knowledge of both local resources and Hearing Link Services to ensure we are able to deliver a first class-service to our users."

One of Ann’s main raison d'être is to raise awareness of the needs of people with hearing loss. Her lively talks catch the audiences’ attention, no matter their background. Trainee audiologists have been inspired to see the whole person, not just the ears, and many lipreading students have signed up for LinkUp Groups, wanting more of the kind of support Ann demonstrates. An avid arts enthusiast, Ann has also been successful in persuading local theatres and cinemas to make the necessary adaptations for deaf audiences. 

As if this wasn’t enough, Ann starred in her own theatre piece, "Living with the Volcano." Audience members who admitted they had little knowledge of hearing loss prior to the show, certainly left better educated. In an advertisement for the show, Ann was described as a "deaf accessibility activist" which sums her up nicely.

Much of Ann's success and renown is due to her effervescent personality. Training Manager, Michael Britland, says: "Ann brings a vibrancy to all she does. Her enthusiasm is infectious and her willingness to share her experiences and knowledge in support of others with hearing loss is an example to us all."

Service Delivery Manager, Nicholas Orpin, concludes: "Ann’s name was one of the first I heard about, and I quickly knew why! Creating more opportunities for people looking to live their hearing loss better, by coming into contact with our superb peer support volunteers, is central to the success of delivering all our Hearing Link Services, and long may that continue."