My hearing instruments are so comfortable I forget to take them out at night! I am surprised by how much all round sound they give me. For example, someone called my name from behind me on a busy street and I was able to hear them, which I would not have been able to before.

Mary Nicholson

As a former BBC radio presenter my hearing has always been important to me, which is why my hearing loss was not obvious to me at first.

I was convinced that my husband was mumbling, my daughter’s diction had disintegrated and that the television needed to be turned up louder because the sound quality on new televisions was obviously not as good as on the old ones.

However, after some persuasion from my family a home visit was arranged with Broom Reid & Harris. Experts there identified some hearing loss, and I was fitted with a hearing aid.

All of a sudden I could hear the birdsong and the falling rain, and I could tell that my husband was not mumbling and that my daughter’s diction was perfect! They have noticed a great difference, and I am no longer accusing my husband of muttering through his beard.

My loss of hearing was so gradual that it was a surprise to have it confirmed.

My new hearing aid has made all the difference, and the staff at Broom Reid & Harris were very pleasant, patient and helpful indeed.

Margaret Mulhern

Many years ago I was devastated to learn that I had a hearing loss. I was only 38 years old and did not want to admit that it was happening to me.

I went to see my GP, which was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I was referred to an ENT consultant and I eventually decided to have a private consultation at Broom Reid & Harris.

I was assessed and eventually fitted with a digital hearing aid. Their care, advice and patience were second to none.

I am now having another two hearing aids fitted due to a deterioration in my hearing, and there was only one hearing aid centre to go to and that was Broom Reid & Harris, a company I can trust.

Dorothy Piper

I decided to do something about my hearing around three years ago. I had begun to find it difficult to listen to conversation in crowded places and in business meetings.

On a one to one or on the phone I was fine, but as soon as I was in a crowd, say at a meeting or in the bar after the rugby, I could only pick out every other word. I began cupping my ears with my hands to help me hear better and, in business, I was starting to worry that I was mishearing or misinterpreting what was being said to me.

I was fitted with hearing aids and the results were immediate. When I was fitted for my first hearing aid, the audiologist asked me if I wanted to wear the new aid there and then. I agreed that I would and drove home. When I got out of the car I became aware of a strange noise, and it took me a while to work out that it was the wind rustling in the trees – I had just never heard it before.

I can now hear almost everything that is being said to me in a crowd, which is a great advantage. I know that there are plenty of people out there who should get their hearing checked – ex-service personnel like me, and farmers, who often lose their hearing as a result of the loud noises on their farms. My advice would be, do something about it sooner rather than later.

Mr Tracy Turner

I was recently fitted with aids for the first time at the age of 30, and my hearing aid audiologist helped me to choose the right aids for me. Now that I have my aids and have had a few months to get used to them, I find that it has made a huge improvement to my life. I now feel able to participate in group conversations and often forget that I am even wearing them.

Broom Reid & Harris have been excellent and are always more than happy to help.

Claire Haithwaite