Notes: The group works to provide a wide range of initiatives and support to all people within North Lincolnshire who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. The groups provision has always been responsive to the needs of its membership and resulted in promoting great empowerment, improved access, developing awareness and wider social involvement. The groups mission statement is: To create situations which empower all people with hearing loss to have freedom of choice, along with the knowledge and skills, which will enable them to have full and equal participation within our community. The group fills a gap in local service provision in that it supports deafened and hard of hearing people. There is no other group like it in this locality. It does its work in a way, which is supportive and positive - without pressure and with a high level of awareness to the needs of ALL hearing impaired people. The majority of those benefiting from its work and initiatives are themselves hearing impaired or those who have strong links with hearing impaired people e.g. family members or carers. This applies to social, leisure, learning and development situations. The group works hard to bring people back into the community who have, because of their progressive hearing impairments, stepped back from society and become increasingly isolated.