Sir George Martin supports National Lottery bid
The Bionic Ear Show’s bid to win a top three place in the Best Health Project category of the National Lottery Awards received a boost today from legendry Beatles producer Sir George Martin CBE. Sir George took time out of his work as a celebrity ambassador for the London Olympics to come out and back the Bionic Ear Show’s bid to reach the Awards final, to be held later this year.
The Bionic Ear Show needs to drum up as many public votes as possible after winning a place in the semi-finals of the National Lottery Awards 2012. Voting is now open in the search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery funded project and Sir George has given the project his backing. To vote for The Bionic Ear Show call 0844 836 9701 or log on to www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards
“I am a great supporter of Deafness Research UK and their work, particularly in educating young people about the dangers of hearing loss,” said Sir George Martin. “I know all too well the dangers of listening to music too loud for prolonged periods of time and I feel that today’s society offers greater risks of deafness for young people. The Bionic Ear Show aims to educate people around these issues and I firmly believe it deserves national recognition. Please vote for the project.”
The National Lottery Awards recognise the positive impact that Lottery funded projects make to local communities. The Bionic Ear Show from Deafness Research UK is one of only 10 projects to make it through in the Best Health Project category in the annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery funded project and it’s not hard to see why the award-winning show impressed the judges.
“We are all very grateful for all the support we can get and to receive Sir George’s backing is very welcome,” said Vivienne Michael, Chief Executive of Deafness Research UK. “He has always been one of the charity’s staunchest supporters and his backing will be invaluable as we strive to secure as many votes as possible from people throughout the country.”
People across the UK are being urged to help Deafness Research UK make it through to the final and an appearance on the Awards show broadcast live on BBC One later this year. The winning project in each of the categories will receive national recognition at the star studded event and a £2,000 cash prize to spend on the project.
The Bionic Ear Show has been touring the country, visiting schools, community groups and businesses. Accompanied by the “World’s Largest Ear”, the show explains how hearing works, what can go wrong and what can be done to put things right. Lottery funding has helped the roadshow reach over 30,000 people throughout the UK this year, delivering its educational, fun and interactive performance plus hearing screenings to a whole host of communities.
Arguably the greatest record producer of all time, Sir George Martin CBE has been Vice President of Deafness Research UK since 2001 and has worked tirelessly for the cause. Hearing loss is a growing problem in the UK, affecting 1 in 6 people (more than 10 million), so the show’s aims of reaching the ‘MP3 player generation’ with its message is something close to Sir George’s heart.
“Deafness Research UK does a wonderful job in raising awareness of the present day problems associated with loud noise,” added Sir George, who suffers from progressive hearing loss and tinnitus and has two hearing aids. “I am forever telling young ones to lower the volume when they listen to music and it’s a message that needs to be spread far and wide.”
Voting for the semi-finals ends at midday on Sunday 22 July. To vote for The Bionic Ear Show now by calling 0844 836 9701 or log on to www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards. The three projects in each category with the highest number of votes will go through to the final round of public voting later this summer.
