Q&A with Mark Gill

Marks role is to engage with members of the community who are deaf and hard of hearing to improve their independence and encourage engagement within their communities.

Mark is profoundly deaf and well-placed to use his lived experience to inform his work. He delivers deaf and hard of hearing awareness sessions that highlight the daily challenges of being deaf and hard of hearing and educate the wider community with smart ways that they can make small adjustments to ensure deaf and hard of hearing people can participate more fully in daily life.

Mark also works with organisations to ensure they provide and maintain services with full accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing people. For example, ensuring that buildings have appropriate T-Loop systems for people who wear hearing aids and use English as their main language, or booking appropriately qualified BSL Interpreters for people who use British Sign Language as their main language.

One of Mark's main projects is 'Deaf People Together'. The project's main aim is to support Deaf and hard of hearing people to set up and run self-sustaining community activity groups and encourage others to join. He also organises weekly coffee mornings where deaf and hard of hearing people can catch up and meet new people. These meetings take place in community venues around Bristol, including the Bristol Beacon and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.

Mark manages Bristol City Deaf Football Club - a team for deaf and hard of hearing players, affiliated with Bristol City Robins Foundation, and who play in England Deaf Football competitions. The team have won the England Deaf Football Plate Cup four times, which is a joint record shared with Fulham Deaf FC.

Mark and his team, supported by British Sign Language interpreters, are going to provide an insight into the wonderful work they are doing to support members of our communities who are Deaf and hard of hearing, together with providing some audience participation in basic BSL signing and communication.

Come and join us to listen and learn with Mark and his amazing team!

Join us at 11am for our Q&A with Mark, after our walk and talk around the Seat Unique Stadium with fellow members and complimentary teas and biscuits at 10am.

For full details on what to expect from a Walkers & Talkers session, please visit our About Us page.