A £700,000 hearing centre to help deaf adults, children and families – part-funded by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership – has been officially opened by The Ear Foundation charity.
The new Sherman Centre at the charity’s headquarters in Sherwin Road, Lenton, had its grand opening yesterday evening (April 22), as part of the charity’s AGM (annual general meeting).
It contains the latest life-changing hearing technologies and will allow The Ear Foundation to triple the number of people it helps, (up to 3,500 a year) and increase staff numbers from 11 to 18.
Official opening of the Ear Foundation’s new Sherman Centre
The new centre’s £700,000 cost was paid for with the help of a £120,000 grant from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership; which promotes economic growth and jobs creation in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. The grant came through D2N2’s Unlocking Investment for Growth (UI4G) Programme.
The Sherman Centre – named after a late benefactor of the Charity – adds an additional 250 square metres of space, doubling existing accommodation and providing a new group therapy and rehabilitation room, a workshop and seminar room, and an information lab.
Sue Archbold, Chief Executive of The Ear Foundation, said: “We are particularly grateful to the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (D2N2) for a £120,000 grant, which helped make building the Centre possible. It helped open doors to other funding and, backed by a sound business plan, was key to giving us the confidence to go ahead.”
David Ralph, Chief Executive of D2N2, added: “The business support grants provided through D2N2 are about delivering sustainable jobs, particularly in our key sectors such as healthcare, in which The Ear Foundation works. Social enterprise and voluntary sector organisations form a vital part of our business community. They provide growing, well-run businesses and real sustainable jobs.”
Unlocking Investment for Growth (UI4G) is funded by the UK’s Regional Growth Fund and the European Regional Development Fund. UI4G grant awards are given by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership‘s Investment Panel, chaired by Peter Gadsby. The aim of the fund is to create long term sustainable jobs.
UI4G is now fully committed and is no longer accepting applications. Grants already approved will create over 400 new jobs and safeguard a further 350 existing jobs. The programme has inspired business owners in the D2N2 area to invest over £20million, alongside the grant support of £4.7million, to grow their businesses. The programme is managed for D2N2 by EMB Ltd.
For more information on this article or D2N2’s work contact Sean Kirby, D2N2 Communications Officer, on 0115 9578749 or email: sean.kirby@d2n2lep.org
For more information about the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, click below
D2N2 – Derby Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire LEP
For more information about The Ear Foundation and its work, click below
