IT IS a known fact that many people suffering from hearing loss can feel vulnerable and isolated.

For teenagers and young children such feelings are magnified.

But for the past 30 years, there has been support from charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People which has helped hundreds of deaf people with overcome these feelings thanks to the use of trained dogs.

The national charity trains dogs to alert deaf people to everyday household sounds and danger signals in the home, work place and public buildings which most of us take for granted.

Fourteen-year-old Poppy Clough, of Llantarnam School, received just such a dog.

Now one year on from being partnered with Tanni, she has grown immeasurably in self-confidence.

Her mum Rebecca said Tanni has been a great support for Poppy, from simply waking her up in the morning, to going and fetching her from other parts of the house.

It is a simple idea but one which involves a lot of time and skill in training the dogs to make sure they are completely suitable before they are paired with a deaf person.

The partnership can be life-transforming, leading to increased independence and a feeling of security.

For teenagers like Poppy the charity’s support has been invaluable and we hope she is just the first child of many in Wales to be able to benefit from the scheme.