Hope was diagnosed as profoundly deaf at just three weeks old and became one of the youngest babies to undergo bilateral cochlear implant surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital aged just nine months in July 2011.

She then began Auditory Verbal therapy with AVUK and by 14 months old, Hope’s communication skills were judged as age appropriate.

Hope and her mum Becky, both from Primrose Hill, north London, appeared in AVUK’s BBC Lifeline appeal. The appeal saw three families who have worked with AVUK share their stories in a nine-minute film hosted by Sara Cox and played on BBC One.

Hope, now aged eight, showed off her skills in speaking French and playing the piano while her mum talked about what the charity means to her family.

Here they tell us what it was like appearing in front of the camera:

Hope

I loved taking part in the BBC Lifeline appeal for AVUK. I wasn’t really nervous, I liked talking about my magic ears and how much AVUK helped me, mum and dad.

I watched the film again with my friends at school and my teachers and they were all very impressed.

I want to do it again!

Becky

Hope and I really enjoyed filming for Lifeline.

Hope, it seems, is a natural in front of the camera. She wasn’t nervous at all and was only too happy to talk about how amazing her magic ears are and the difference they make to her life.

She was a little bemused about why they had to film everything so many times but she was a little trooper and did each new take with a smile for the camera. I think we may have a future Kate Silverton on our hands!!

AVUK are an invaluable piece of the jigsaw puzzle that has taken Hope from a profoundly deaf baby facing a world of silence to a happy, healthy child whose life is filled with sound and conversation.

Not a day goes by that we don’t feel endless gratitude to the incredible team at AVUK - both for the vital skills of listening and speaking that they have helped Hope to master, but also for the support that they continue to provide to us as a family

Watch the BBC Lifeline appeal here.