I AM writing to you following your article regarding the proposed cuts to services for deaf children and young people which are now not being put into action.

As secretary of the Wirral Deaf Children's Society, and a parent of three children, two of whom are deaf, I am over the moon that these cuts have been put on hold for this area and all our deaf children in Wirral will be supported as they have been so far.

I must however point out that when there was a public consultation on these cuts, our charity organised a meeting with all our parents and paediatric audiology to lobby our local MPs and councillors to ensure the service was protected and our children would not lose out. This campaign was evidently a success and we are hopeful that we will not need to campaign on this again.

All deaf children need the support that the teacher of the deaf service offers and it is their right to be given the support and help they need to reach their full potential.

As a locally-based, parent-run charity, we aim to complement the professional services and offer social events for deaf children and their siblings and families.

These events are for all deaf children, from mild to profound losses as it is so often a "hidden" disability in that the children are often misunderstood and thought to be rude, ignorant, stupid or naughty just because they don't respond in a way people expect.

Our children are sometimes noisy and they can gesticulate wildly, or conversely they can be shy and un-communicative.

They don't ignore you on purpose, they often haven't heard what you have said properly or need time to process what you have said in order to formulate a response.

We run the charity in our spare time and are always on the lookout for help. If you would like further information or have a deaf child yourself, please contact us on 07810 355 966, 606 4973 or online at wirraldcs@yahoo.co.uk

Lisa Heenan by email.