Christmas carols were signed as well as sung during a special event launching a support service for deaf people.
Hearing impaired pupils from Lexden Primary School, which has a specialist unit to help those suffering from deafness, sang the festive songs in sign language during the ceremony at Colchester Town Hall.
The carols welcomed people to the day-long event organised by charity Action on Hearing Loss as it launched its Hear to Help service.
The service will give those with hearing loss a chance to have an MoT in their hearing aid, and get support from other patients.
Todoria Hammond, community support officer at the charity, formerly RNID, said: “There are one in six people with hearing loss in Colchester and we are delighted so many people came along to the launch of our new service.
“Hearing loss is a serious health issue, which, if ignored or unmanaged, can lead to isolation and has even been linked to early onset dementia and mental health problems, so if you think you have a friend, relative or neighbour who might has hearing loss please let them know that we are here, so that they can be part of conversations and continue the relationships that matter to them most.”
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