Help raise £1.5 million to bring the world of sound to thousands of people afflicted by acute hearing problems.

Many of those affected are children and newborn babies who are being robbed of one of their vital senses.

Bradford is at the heart of a cutting-edge revolution in restoring the sensation to even those who are profoundly deaf.

Thousands could benefit from the district's pioneering work but your help is needed to achieve the dream.

And that is why today we launch the Telegraph & Argus Listening for Life Appeal to help make the vision a reality and improve the quality of life for those suffering from profound deafness by creating a £2.5 million cochlear implant centre in the grounds of Bradford Royal Infirmary.

A huge effort has already been made and around £1 million already secured. Now the Ear Trust, which is co-ordinating fund-raising efforts, is turning to the generosity of T&A readers to help make the final push.

It's a big effort that's needed, but T&A readers have proved themselves time and time again when it comes to helping bring huge advances in health to the district.

The T&A's £1 million Millennium Scanner Appeal, which brought the city's first MRI scanner to BRI; the £1m Bradford Can Cancer Research Appeal, which helped fund vital research here in the city; the Linda Denbow Appeal, which helped kit out a ward for terminal cancer patients; and the Toy Library Appeal to provide vital facilities for children with special needs and disabilities, are all brilliant examples of magnificent efforts by readers that have improved and saved lives in Bradford and district.

The Listening for Life Centre will be the first dedicated centre in the UK for the carrying out of cochlear implant operations, which form the heart of the whole campaign.

Thanks to the dedication of a Bradford consultant, Chris Raine, the city has become one of the top places in the UK where such surgery can be carried out and give the gift of hearing to people who might otherwise go through their entire lives in a world of silence.

The tireless work of Chris evolved into the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Service, which in turn grew to become a multi-disciplined organisation within the auspices of the hospital where not only the operations were carried out but also follow-up tests, education and therapy.

The campaign to create a dedicated centre will bring together the different strands of this rapidly-growing service into one smoothly-running, hi-tech facilitiy where those who have undergone hearing surgery at BRI - especially children - will learn to cope with their "new" sense, recover and receive therapy.

The Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Service and the Ear Trust have already made great strides in establishing Bradford as a centre of excellence for this particular type of healthcare; now what is needed is the specialist premises kitted out with the latest equipment - much of it not available from the NHS - to drive the service forward and help even more people. It will also become a training ground for specialists.

Not only will the centre help Bradford people, it will also bring in patients from across the country, boosting the district's reputation as a first class provider of healthcare.

Listening for Life is such a high-profile campaign that Coun Robin Owens, the Lord Mayor of Bradford, has also made it one of his official charities for the mayoral year.

We want your money, of course, but also your time. Donations, no matter how small - or large! - can be sent to us at the T&A. But think laterally as well: are you organising a bonfire party this weekend, for instance? Why not ask for a pound donation from each guest, for the T&A's Listening for Life Appeal? Want to organise a Christmas fundraiser? Do it for Listening for Life. Running a marathon, parachuting out of a plane or sitting in a bath-full of beans? You know where to send your sponsorship money And if you've been helped by the centre already, or have your own experiences of deafness you'd like to share, then we would love to hear from you.

The gift of hearing is something that most of us will never really understand the importance of. But for those who do not have it - especially the many, many children and babies who benefit from the work being done in Bradford - it is truly a life-changing experience.

T&A readers have done it before, and now we're asking you to do it again. With your help the dream of the Listening for Life Centre can become a reality and the sound of thousands of "thank yous" will fill the air.

Pioneer clinic is a world leader

The story of the Ear Trust dates back to the late 1980s when its founder, Chris Raine, an ear, nose and throat consultant at Bradford Royal Infirmary became aware of a device called the cochlear implant, which had been developed in Australia.

The device, when surgically implanted into the inner ear, could help restore the sensation of sound to patients who were profoundly deaf.

At the time the treatment was not formally recognised by the National Health Service but patients soon began to find out about the new system and Mr Raine's interest in it.

To enable these patients to benefit from the new technology, fundraising was soon under way and The Ear Trust charity was born.

"The first surgery was performed in February 1990," said Mr Raine. "The effect on the patients exceeded all our expectations and from not being able to hear anything, patients could hold conversations on a telephone.

"Cochlear implants can open up a whole new world for patients - enabling deaf patients to hear."

In 1995 the NHS began to fund the implant service and the multi-disciplinary implant team gradually grew from three to a team of 19 dedicated and enthusiastic professionals, including teachers for the deaf, speech and language therapists, audiological scientists and administration support, as well as the surgeons.

The team provides support to the patient and their family by assessing the patient's need for an implant and helping with their progress following surgery.

Since 1990, 400 patients, from people in their 80s to profoundly deaf babies, have received implants at the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Service (YCIS), housed within Bradford Royal Infirmary.

For the majority the results are life-transforming.

Children can attend mainstream schools, converse with their family and friends and take part in activities once denied them.

Adults can take up a greater choice of education and employment and can leave behind their life of isolation.

But as the number of referrals has grown, especially with the advent of newborn hearing screening, space within the unit has become increasingly cramped and the Ear Trust is facing a huge fundraising task to enable it to build a new home in the grounds of Bradford Royal Infirmary.

The Listening for Life Centre will be the first ever in the UK and apart from the cochlear implant operations themselves, all the other related work, such as pre-testing and follow-up support will take place under one roof.

The total cost of building and equipping the centre is £2.5million, of which £1million has already been raised.

The Ear Trust is seeking the support from individuals, companies and trusts across Yorkshire to secure the remaining £1.5million "The implant service covers a wide area and the new centre is vital for the service to develop," said Mr Raine, "The centre will be a fantastic facility for patients and their families and will be the only purpose-built cochlear implant facility in the UK.

"We hope that we will be able to cater for everyone's needs in a family-friendly atmosphere. The Ear Trust is now responsible for building the whole unit. We will have state-of-the-art audiological facilities, loads more space and rooms.

"But, above all, a meeting room where we can host patient workshops and encourage patients, families and friends to come and meet with us.

"We do need you to be involved. We need your encouragement and gratefully thank all those who have helped so far."

The Listening for Life appeal received a boost earlier this year when the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Robin Owens, announced it would be one of his charities for the year.

As part of the Lord Mayor's Appeal many fundraising events have already taken place and many more are planned.

Now, with planning permission granted, it is hoped that building work will start in the near future and with the help of the people of Bradford the city could soon be home to the best-equipped facility for cochlear implants in the country.

A miracle - right on our doorstep

When Kevin and Samantha Green were told their beautiful daughter Georgia was profoundly deaf they were stunned and vowed to travel the world to find a way to help her achieve her full potential.

The couple, of Rawdon, searched the Internet looking for help and advice and initially found a clinic in Florida which seemed promising.

Family and friends vowed they would do everything they could to help.

"We were prepared to go anywhere - to Australia, America, we didn't care where we had to go," said Sam, 38, who is also mum to two-year-old Francesca and step-mum to Katie, 21.

"So can you imagine, for us to find out we had this in Bradford on our doorstep and we also had NHS funding - it was unbelievable."

Now the family want to shout their success story from the rooftops and provide hope and inspiration to other families facing the same devastating diagnosis.

"We want everyone to know how brilliant it has been," said Sam, who owns Samantha's hairdressing salon in Rawdon.

Georgia, now four, was just seven months old when a routine test found she had a hearing problem. By the time she was ten months old the team at the hearing and balance centre in Leeds had told the family the devastating news she was profoundly deaf.

"I can remember for about two weeks after we found out I was just so stunned and shocked," said Sam, who admits there were a lot of tears.

"Then one day I just looked at Georgia and she was so happy - she did not know she was deaf and I thought I have to do the absolute best for you."

After finding out about the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Centre, Georgia began a series of tests to make sure she was suitable for a cochlear implant The family were also helped to make sure they would be able to support Georgia following the operation and help her learn to listen.

"They did the operation five days after her second birthday on August 10," said Sam. "On September 13 she had it switched on and it was unbelievable - she could hear.

"There wasn't any crying or shock. A few times she lifted it off but after a while she got used to it. She never takes it off now -- unless she is being told off!"

Georgia quickly began to babble and within six months she was saying her first words.

"When she said mummy' for the first time it was awesome," said Sam. "Now she can talk on the telephone and can speak just like anyone else.

"She learns a new word every week - it is a miracle."

Georgia has discovered a love of music and is busy settling into main stream primary school - all milestones her parents thought would be denied their daughter.

"We thought she would go to a deaf school," said Sam. "But now she is just like other children.

"We cannot thank the team enough. They have become like our family. They bent over backwards for us. We could ring them at anytime, day or night."

The family is now supporting the Listening for Life Appeal and say it will be fantastic to see the entire service under one roof.

They are busy working on a brochure for parents who receive the same shock diagnosis for their children.

"I am eager to show others how fantastic Georgia is doing," said Sam. "It has changed her life - it is a total, total miracle."

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