At Pilkington Communications, we’re fortunate to work with clients who open our eyes to experiences and challenges we might never otherwise see. That’s what keeps our work meaningful.
A couple of weeks ago, we received an email from Lauren Rotin, a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter. What she shared stopped us in our tracks. Alongside her day job supporting Deaf and hard of hearing communities across Northamptonshire, Lauren volunteers her time for Great Britain’s Deaflympics Team – something we hadn’t heard of before. Like many, we are of course familiar with the Olympics and Paralympics, but not the Deaflympics.
The Deaflympics is one of the oldest international sporting events in the world. Yet, unlike the Olympics or Paralympics, it receives no government funding. Deaf athletes and their teams must raise £4,000 each to attend this year’s Games in Tokyo.
Lauren asked if we could help raise awareness of this situation – so we did.
Working pro bono, we created a press release highlighting the funding gap, Lauren’s story, and the wider issues around access and recognition for Deaf athletes. We brought in our client Deafconnect, including CEO Jenni Dawkins and Chris Naylor – a Deaflympics gold medallist himself – and were introduced to Claire Stancliff and Genevieve O’Hara from Deaflympics GB.
The result? A powerful story that caught the attention of ITV News, who ran a dedicated segment on 15 May.
We’re proud to have played a small part in getting this story heard. If you’d like to learn more or support the team on their journey to Tokyo, here’s where you can help: https://ukdeafsport.org.uk/deaflympicsgb/
“Sport has the power to transform lives – to build confidence, connection and self-worth. But again, Deaf people are being side lined and left behind. One in six people in the UK are Deaf or hard of hearing, yet they’re excluded from the public investment that backs Olympic and Paralympic athletes. We wanted to do something to help level the playing field.Jessica Pilkington, Director
