Rebecca French receives Award

On 27th May 2010, The Mayor of Nottingham, Councillor Brian Grocock presented university student Rebecca French with a €6,000 educational scholarship from the Cochlear^TM UK Graeme Clark Scholarship Award. Rebecca who is 19 years old was born profoundly deaf.  She gained the sensation of hearing from a cochlear implant that was fitted at the Nottingham Cochlear Implant Centre when she was three years old.

Within a year of being fitted with the implant Rebecca began to respond to sounds and by the age of eight she had recognisable speech.  Rebecca is now studying Modern History and International Relations at St Andrew's University and this scholarship award from Cochlear^TM UK recognises her achievements.

Left to right:

Tracey Twomey, Head of Service, Nottingham Cochlear Implant Service
The Mayor of Nottingham, Councillor Brian Grocock
Rebecca French
Karen Redfern, Rebecca's Teacher of the Deaf
Darren Ransley, General Manager Cochlear UK

Darren Ransley, General Manager of Cochlear^TM UK speaking at the awards ceremony in Nottingham says, "Cochlear UK is really delighted to have the opportunity through the Graham Clark Scholarship to help open up further educational opportunities for those with severe to profound hearing loss."  It is Professor Graham Clark's pioneering research work that led to the first ever cochlear implant.

Mayor of Nottingham, Councillor Brian Grocock, praised Rebecca's achievements, saying, "I find it admirable that Rebecca, who is profoundly deaf has achieved so much in life with the help of her cochlear implant."

Tracey Twomey is Head of Service at the local Nottingham Cochlear Implant Centre - a centre with the largest children's implant programme in the UK.  Having helped Rebecca as a young child, she's says, "What Rebecca has achieved is amazing and should be celebrated.  When she was implanted here in Nottingham as a profoundly deaf small child, we never knew she'd reach such academic and social success."

The Graeme Clarke Scholarship is open to Nucleus® cochlear implant recipients around the world.  It was set up to help implant recipients achieve more in continuing further education and is an annual award.

Rebecca French says, "I feel amazed and humbled to be awarded the scholarship. I've always tried my best to take advantage of all the opportunities opened up to me by the implant and this award makes all my efforts and hard work worthwhile."