A FORMER Welsh Guardsman from Ebbw Vale has called on veterans with hearing loss to get support from a new service run by charity Action on Hearing Loss Cymru.

Steve Liversage, who served for 27 years in the Welsh Guards, lost his hearing due to exposure to gunfire and also led to tinnitus – a loud and persistent ringing in his ears.

He said: “People don’t realise how hard it can be to lose your hearing. It makes it very hard to have a conversation and it really knocks your confidence having to ask someone to repeat themselves over and over again.

“This made me feel very lonely.”

The Aged Veterans Project, funded through the Ministry of Defence’s Aged Veterans Fund, has been launched to support veterans across Wales who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.

The free service offers information and support in the community and in people’s homes; providing basic hearing checks, trials of equipment and support before and after hearing aids have been fitted.

Rebecca Woolley, director of Action on Hearing Loss Cymru, said: “Deafness, hearing loss and tinnitus can be incredibly isolating and can lead to mental health problems and depression.

“Research shows that retired soldiers are more than three times more likely to experience hearing loss than the general population, often due to repeated exposure to small arms fire, artillery, engines and explosives. This new service will help veterans across Wales get support.”