A Deaf Hub is the cultural and social home of the Deaf Community of Cardiff and the surrounding areas. It is estimated 200-300 people from all walks of life, member and non-members make use of the building for social events, training, information, consultations, spiritual guidance and much more.

Many generations of families have used this building to meet with other members of the community, seek information, seek advice, worship, celebrate, learn and even meet their life partners. For over 40 years Deaf families have utilised Cardiff Deaf Centre at 163 Newport Road as a safe location where ‘all are welcome’ regardless of their background.

Recently the centre has faced a crisis as a result of the economic turmoil of 2008.  The local council over the years allowed the building has fallen into disrepair over the years and,  in 2013, the local authority planned to remove the provision of a cultural ‘home’ of the Deaf Community. Knowing that this would have a devastating impact the Deaf  community sprung into action and came together and rescued the centre from closure and providing the continuation of a safe place for Deaf people.

The centre is important place for Deaf people because it provides an oasis where they can relax in their own language. It is also a place where Deaf people can go to get support from their peers to overcome the barriers that the face in the modern world.

Increasingly services are moving toward online and telephone based communication, both of which present barriers for Deaf people. The average age of a Deaf school leaver is 8.5 coupled with isolation from the community means information online is not readily understood. The vast majority of training that is available is not accessible to Deaf people and therefore this become a vicious circle that is difficult to break.

A Deaf Hub is a place that people can come to without communication barriers and freely celebrate their cultural identity. BSL is a native language of the UK and is the third most common native language of the UK and the only one that has no legal protection. It is under threat from various quarters due to ignorance and lack of understanding. The community are working hard to keep the language alive for future generations.

A Deaf Hub aims to provide services that empower Deaf people to take control of their lives and remove or reduce the barriers that prevent Deaf people from leading fulfilling lives.

A Deaf Hub is now a registered Charity and the trustees have slowly, but surely, breathed life back in to the building. Since 2013 they have:  

• Set up charitable status with the aim of delivering a professional high quality service to the community.

• Established one of the most popular coffee mornings in the South Wales Deaf Community.

• Won the M&S Crowd Funding application for new solar panels which was achieved with support from deaf and hearing people throughout UK and beyond.

• Set up Creative Hands for parents of deaf children. The purpose of this is twofold:

  1. To reduce isolation for deaf children, quite often the deaf child could be the only deaf child in the entire school which can be quote an isolating experience. It also allows deaf children to have access to deaf role models to show that they can achieve success in life.

  2. For parents to support each other. 90% of deaf children have hearing parents and therefore parents are dropped into a world they have never experienced before. Providing creative hands allows parents to support each other and share experiences.

• Appointed an experienced fundraiser to source additional income for the centre.

• Arranged for Cardiff City Council to sign the BSL Charter with a commitment to improve the lives of deaf people in Cardiff.

But while A Deaf Hub is proud of its achievements to date,  there is work that still needs to be carried out and the Trustees have put in  a strategy to ensure that CDC has a sustainable future. These are divided into four headings:

1. Refurbishment programme

2. Services

3. Commercial

4. Employees and Volunteers

To achieve this A Deaf Hub will work will work with any public, private or third sector organisation that supports the empowerment of Deaf people.

To implement this Business Plan support, funding and a full programme of fundraising must be developed, implemented, managed and maintained. This plan is a living document and will be updated  to reflect the development and delivery lifecycle of the A Deaf Hub's plans.