Going once, going twice…SOLD!

As part of our Wellbeing Week, we are excited to invite you to EIG’s very first Wellbeing Auction on Tuesday 31st October 14:00 – 15:00, to celebrate ‘Loud Shirt Day’ – an opportunity to get LOUD to support deaf children across the UK by donating to Auditory Verbal UK, a charity which transforms their ability to speak and listen.

The Wellbeing Auction is not a new concept, with previous auctions hosted in the department raising over £1000. Moreover, earlier this year EIG came together to raise over £500 for the LGBT Foundation during our very tasty Bake Off. Let’s come together again and raise money to support AVUK’s incredible mission.

To do this – we need your help! The items up for auction are decided entirely by you. We encourage colleagues to put their very own talents, skills, hobbies and passions up for offer.
We already know we have some fantastic bakers amongst us – Why not offer up one of your special homebaked desserts? Or do you have a passion for your hometown? Well, perhaps you’d be willing to create a ‘perfect day’ itinerary (I need to know the hot spots in Manchester, please!) Or are you more of an artiste? Perhaps you’re willing to accept commissions for paintings, drawings, or a poem? You could even fashion a personally knitted scarf or hat! For the passionate runners or cyclists amongst us, could you offer up a training plan for someone? The more musically inclined may want to host a private concert, music video or cover a song on request; the less musically inclined may want to host a picnic in the park or an introduction to wine tasting. Got a small business venture in the works? This could be your time to auction off an item and get yourself some clients!

We are looking to auction off a maximum of 25 items, so do submit your auction item idea to [email protected] and [email protected] by Wednesday 25th October at the latest. Please include a short 50-word blurb that really sells your auction item!

The auction will be run in hybrid format, both virtually on teams and in person at 3-8 Whitehall Place. We also encourage colleagues based in other offices to meet up in person and join together from a room – you will just need to ensure you also join from your laptop, so we don’t miss your bid. Further details on the bidding process and the event itself will be distributed in due course – once we have our auction items confirmed.

Happy bidding!
Charlotte and Alicja.

Why AVUK?

AVUK’s vision is that all deaf children have the same opportunities in life as their hearing peers.

AVUK want to raise expectations and outcomes for deaf children. They work to increase awareness, understanding and access to Auditory Verbal therapy by providing services directly to families and sharing their expertise with health and education professionals so that many more families can access Auditory Verbal therapy close to where they live.

Auditory Verbal therapy significantly improves speaking and listening outcomes for deaf babies and children, which in turn transforms their opportunities in life. AVUK’s latest research shows that 80% of children who attended their programme for at least two years achieve age-appropriate language, rising to 97% of children without additional needs.

Founded in 2003, AVUK has grown to be the leading provider of Auditory Verbal therapy in the UK. The charity and its leaders have won numerous sector awards and continue to collaborate with organisations working in the field in the UK and worldwide.

AVUK’s organisational focus is in four main areas:

• Supporting families through their early intervention programme.
• Training professionals through their internationally accredited training programme.
• Conducting research to strengthen the evidence base for their work.
• Increasing awareness and expectations of what deaf children can achieve.

While there are other communication options available to deaf children, Auditory Verbal therapy is not currently available on the NHS and AVUK believe that families should have the ability to choose the communication option which is right for them.

Alicja Boryn