Just a few weeks ago we mentioned how the Leicester Deaf Centre has been bestowed with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service - the highest award a local voluntary group can receive, equivalent to an MBE – in recognition of its amazing work.
In case you didn’t know, the Leicester Deaf Centre, which is based at Frog Island in the city, is made up of four organisations - Leicester Deaf Action Group CIO, Signing Network CIC, iNet Interpreting Ltd, and BSLnet Ltd.
The consortium’s work is all about serving its community and includes an open house coffee morning, a charity shop and an employment service, and can help with things such as translating letters into British Sign Language (BSL), making phone calls and filling out PIP and DLA forms. The centre also houses the country’s first BSL Interpreting Cooperative, run by volunteers, who provide access to BSL interpreters for organisations such as Loughborough University, University Hospitals of Leicester, and British Skydiving.
This important work reminds us of all the ways in which fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them - and that these qualities are important to us as Christians, in our everyday faith and in our loving service of the world.
So, you won’t be surprised to hear that God is very much at work in the Leicester Deaf Centre and within the volunteers who dedicate their time to the cause.
The seeds for the Leicester Deaf Centre came about after the sale of the mission building on Welford Road in 2010. The Leicester and County Mission for the Deaf was based there for 49 years and the building was home to many community groups. When it was sold these groups had to find alternative accommodation.
Around the same time, a small group of deaf people - including a couple who felt called by God - decided to set up a coffee morning at All Nations Church in Frog Island, while three sign language interpreters came together and decided to give something back to the deaf community by offering a pro bono translation service during this coffee morning.
One of those sign language interpreters was Karen Sly, our now Deaf Development Worker for the diocese.
“The story of these last 12 years since the devastating impact of the closure of the mission building, is a story of God’s hand guiding us along a new path. His path, his plans, his way,” explains Karen.
In 2012, Karen also set up the Leicester Deaf Forum, which is run solely by volunteers. The Forum is representative of all the deaf groups dispersed out into the community and has evolved into a group in which the deaf community lead, with people like Karen supporting from the side-lines.
Karen’s role has had a significant influence on deaf ministry in the diocese, as has All Nations Church who gifted their space to enable this ministry to grow, along with money from the diocesan Growth Fund.
Across the diocese, she has been able to work with and strengthen an ecumenical relationship between local deaf churches and congregations with deaf members.
Three years ago, The Church of The Good Shepherd - a church for deaf, deafened and the hard of hearing - moved onto the same site, having formerly been at St Andrew’s Church in Jarrom Street, Leicester. Many people from St Andrew’s still volunteer in this deaf ministry space, with Karen being at the heart of the church community.
She says: “It’s clear that God’s place is here in the deaf centre - as is mine - and God has provided to keep us all going.
“Everyone who comes here has a passion and a heart for the deaf community, be they of differing faiths, or of none. From making cups of tea and working in the charity shop, to influencing leadership, the Leicester Deaf Centre is God’s Kingdom working, here on earth – it’s like-minded people offering loving service to the deaf community.”
Representatives of Leicester Deaf Centre will receive The Queen’s Award crystal and certificate from Mike Kapur, Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, later this summer. In addition, two volunteers will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
Karen says: “None of us are expecting any glory for what we do - it is part of who we are and a privilege to be involved with – so it’s therefore such a blessing to receive this accolade as a ‘team’ of volunteers.”
Karen’s multifaceted work splits between the needs of the deaf centre and its ministry and bringing those two spaces together on the same site has been ‘amazing’ for her mission.
“I want to thank the Diocese of Leicester in particular for being part of this journey - for their continued ongoing support to the ministry to the deaf and hard of hearing, and in providing the ‘deaf development worker’ role, which has enabled that vital ministerial link to the local deaf community to continue for an incredible 125 years.”
But the work doesn’t stop here. Karen says there are many opportunities ahead, and they could do with more volunteer support in fundraising and has asked for our prayers for people to come forward.
If you feel called to help, please contact Karen on karen.sly@leicestercofe.org