This company is creating custom-made bespoke dolls for children with hearing difficulties and cleft lips to empower and encourage inclusiveness.
Bright Ears UK is an independent Etsy shop based in Lidlington that specialises in creating a bespoke range of dolls with Hearing Aids, Cochlear Implant Retainers and cleft lips, as well as a selection of other gifts to empower children.
According to Action on Hearing Loss and the NHS, there are around 50,000 children across the country who currently experience hearing difficulties, and a cleft lip is believed to affect one in 700 babies born in the UK.
This is why the work done by Bright Ears UK is so important to creating an inclusive society.
In a post sharing pictures of recent bespoke dolls to Facebook, which has quite-rightly amassed hundreds of interactions, shares and positive comments from members of the public, Clare from Bright Ears UK said: “Here are some of my recent custom orders”.
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“Firstly, we have these amazing cleft lip dolls. Two have been made to be bespoke to the little ones they are going to and the other one is going to a childminder to help her talk to her children about inclusiveness in a positive way.”
“It is incredibly empowering for a child to have a doll that looks just like them.”
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“I’ve seen this first hand from when I gave my daughter her first hearing aid doll back in 2017. The joy on her face was priceless and even now when she sees me making HA dolls, she gets all excited”.
Here are some of my recent custom orders ? I’ve now added these options to the BrightEars Etsy shop ? (please see…
“Each of these cleft dolls have been lovingly handmade by myself and have no rough edges or gaps for tiny fingers to get caught in, as the mouth area has been carefully remoulded.”
“They can be made bespoke to your little one, so they truly have a mini me.”
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“They can also be made with Hearing Aids/ Cochlear Implants, Mic-Key/ PEG feeding tubes, Stomas and NG tubes.”
“If you have a little Princess fan, then they may like these new Hearing Aid Princess dolls [that are] available with hearing aids in your choice of colours [and] the following Princesses are available – Cinderella, Aurora, Tiana, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Snow White, Belle and Ariel.”
Etsy / BrightEarsUK
One supportive Facebook user commented: “Oh my I LOVE these beautiful dolls. Clare, you never fail to amaze me! You are incredible”.
“I wish I had these when I was younger.” wrote another Facebook user.
Another wrote: “Love that they make dolls inclusive for all”.
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“These dolls are wonderful. I’ve just placed an order and can’t wait to see my daughters face when it arrives.” said another.
Bright Ears UK also has thousands of positive reviews left by satisfied customers over the years, is rated as a ‘Top Shop for Gifts’ and is saved as a ‘favourite’ independent maker by over 200 Etsy members, so not only are they doing important work, they’re doing it to an extremely high standard that is well-valued too.
You can find out more about Bright Ears UK on Etsy and Facebook.
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Kevin De Bruyne confirms he is leaving Manchester City
Danny Jones
One of the Premier League’s best-ever players and a true Manchester City legend, Kevin De Bruyne, has confirmed he will soon be leaving the club.
Announced in a series of emotional social media posts on Friday, 4 April, the brilliant Belgian footballer will be calling time on his career at the Etihad Stadium come the end of this season.
Having spent a decade in the iconic blue of Man City, De Bruyne will undoubtedly go down as one of their all-time greats, having helped them to their first Champions League trophy during the Treble-winning year and a record four consecutive Premier League titles – of which he’s won six in total.
As you can see in the lengthy message shared on his social media, ‘King Kev’ informed City supporters that this current campaign will be his last in their colours, writing: “Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter.”
The 33-year-old, who has suffered from increasing injury problems over the last couple of years, goes on to say that “Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players we all know this day eventually come. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.”
In what is clearly a heartfelt and just as difficult a post for him to write as it is for fans to hear, he added: Football led me to all of you – and this city […] This will always be our HOME.”
Blues all over Greater Manchester and beyond will be heartbroken, but many won’t be completely shocked given his in-and-out
It’s a sad day to be a Cityzen, no doubt.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the Manchester derby, manager Pep Guardiola said: “In the Premier League, he is one of the greatest midfielders in this country and top of the Club. Great, if not the greatest.
Manchester City will bid an emotional farewell to Kevin De Bruyne this summer when his contract expires, bringing an end to a glittering 10-year period at the Club 🩵
Although his talent will never come into question, it’s no secret that he’s struggled to stay fit and be as prolific a creator in Guardiola‘s side – though this is largely in contrast to his ridiculously high levels and just how much of a talisman he has been over the past 10 years.
Starting just 19 matches this season, he’s still managed to score four goals and register seven assists, but a recurring hamstring problem has seen game time limited.
Regardless, when he’s at his best, there’s no question about it: he’s the best player in the Premier League, and the club have promised to pay fitting tributes to their generational number 17.
With 106 goals to his name in 413 appearances – the first midfielder since Colin Bell to reach over a century – across all competitions for City, not to mention 118 assists in the Premier League alone, he’s been one of the most creative and, frankly, ingenious players on the planet for more than a decade.
Whether you’re a Blue, a Red or otherwise, no one can deny the joy of watching him play football. Thanks for the memories, KdB.
Featured Images — Brad Tutterow (via Flickr)/soccer.ru (via WikiCommons) Kevin De Bruyne (via X)
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Vintage fashion sale to pop up in Greater Manchester with all proceeds going to charity
Emily Sergeant
A sustainable vintage fashion shop and kilo sale is popping up in a Greater Manchester town in a couple of days time.
And all the proceeds will go to a very-worthy charity.
Merely weeks after the UK’s largest vintage market descended on the iconic Victoria Baths in Manchester city centre, another sustainable fashion event will be popping up in one of the region’s popular shopping centres for the month.
British Heart Foundation will be hosting a brand-new pop-up shop and vintage kilo sale, where you can buy clothing and other goods at a fixed price per kilogram, in Stretford town centre.
Opening its doors this Saturday (5 April), the charity will be taking over the vacant unit that’s next door to JD Sports to provide the Stretford community with a charity shop filled with all sorts of vintage goods and thrifty finds.
Visitors will be able to sift through shelves stacked with major brands at bargain prices, making it the perfect way to sustainably stock up on wardrobe staples and revamp ready for spring.
A vintage fashion sale is popping up in a Greater Manchester town centre with all proceeds going to charity / Credit: Supplied
All proceeds from the pop-up shop will go directly to the British Heart Foundation, helping to fund vital research into cures and treatments for heart and circulatory diseases, so whether you’re a fashion lover, an avid bargain hunter, or you simply just want to support a good cause, you know where to head on down to.
Running right through until 19 April, this venture is set to be a massively-valuable new addition to Stretford town centre.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd July 2020 
