The specially developed telephone hearing check, available by dialling 0845 600 55 55, is part of Breaking the Sound Barrier, a bold new campaign from RNID, the UK’s largest charity for deaf and hard of hearing people. The campaign, which is also being supported by BBC Newsline’s Donna Traynor, is aiming to change attitudes towards hearing loss and hearing aids.

Expressing his support for the campaign, Eamonn Holmes says: "Most people don't realise how important their hearing is until they start to lose it. I would encourage everyone who is at all concerned to take RNID’s telephone hearing check – you can't be too careful with your health."

Donna Traynor says: "I’m delighted to back RNID’s Breaking the Sound Barrier campaign – it’s a fantastic initiative with great potential to transform people’s lives."

RNID NI Director, Brian Symington, says: "We’re inviting people from across the country to call RNID’s telephone hearing check on 0845 600 55 55 to gauge whether they’re experiencing any loss of hearing. It is very simple to do and takes just five minutes. RNID NI is, of course, delighted that callers are greeted by the familiar dulcet tones of Eamonn Holmes from our own part of the world! We’re also thrilled to have Donna Traynor’s backing for the campaign."                                            

Representing the 219,000 deaf and hard of hearing people in Northern Ireland, RNID NI is pursuing a long-term campaign to improve quality, access and take-up of effective hearing aids. Breaking the Sound Barrier aims to build on this, informing and persuading people to take action to address their hearing loss.

RNID developed the telephone hearing check, which has been validated by audiology expert Professor Mark Lutman of Southampton University and supported by specialists in Manchester, London, Birmingham, Nottingham and Bristol. Other celebrities backing the campaign include Sir Cliff Richard, Claire Rayner, Alan Titchmarsh and popular historian David Starkey.