Kevin – best known for his portrayal of Jake Dean in the Channel 4 soap – combined his love of photography and the Charity by volunteering as an event photographer at the Hearing Dogs Awards in London last Tuesday (October 25).
The prestigious event celebrates just some of the 750 hearing dog partnerships currently in operation across the UK, highlighting how a hearing dog can bring greater levels of independence, confidence and companionship to a deaf person.
It attracted a host of other celebrities including Esther Rantzen, Tim Vincent, Rita Simons, Meg Mathews, Rebecca Wilcox, David Bellamy, Marc Abraham, Erin Boag and Anton du Beke.
After being introduced to the Charity’s photographer Paul Wilkinson earlier this year at a photo shoot promoting Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s Puppy Sponsorship scheme, Kevin decided he wanted to develop his photography skills further through Paul and the Charity.
Paul – who recently won a string of accolades at the Master Photography Awards 2011 – has since taken Kevin under his wing and the two helped to capture a whole host of shots from the event.
Images from the Awards were later used in the Charity’s post-event reporting both in the media and its social media output.
Rob Panting, Media and Campaigns Manager at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, said: “Kevin was a really enthusiastic and hard-working volunteer throughout the evening. He brought a great deal of energy on what was a hectic night for the Charity’s communications team.
“The Charity relies on the hard work and commitment of all our volunteers so we were delighted when Kevin said he would volunteer at the event.
“The ceremony was a wonderful success and it was fantastic to highlight the real life-changing difference that a hearing dog can bring to a deaf person.”
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – which celebrates its 30th anniversary next year – train dogs to alert deaf people to specific household sounds and danger signals, whether in the home, workplace or in public buildings.
These sounds include the smoke alarm, doorbell, cooker timer, mobile phone and alarm clock.
Hearing dogs also wear distinctive burgundy jackets when out in public as a clear indicator of their recipient’s otherwise largely invisible disability.
The awards – now in its ninth year – were sponsored by Specsavers Hearing Centres and Royal Canin.
To view the Hearing Dogs Awards 2011 finalists’ inspirational stories, go to: www.hearingdogs.org.uk/winners2011.
