Cornwall's only deaf centre has received a £1,000 boost from a Cornwall business group in the run up to Christmas.

Cornwall Deaf Community Centre received £1,000 from the Cornwall 100 Club, the business club of the Cornwall Community Foundation, towards an automatic door at the entrance of the centre.

The deaf centre provides an invaluable service to deaf and hearing impaired adults, children, their friends and families in Cornwall. They have close to a hundred regular beneficiaries, and they organise events such as a luncheon club, social events, bingo and Christmas parties for deaf children. The centre has several members who use wheelchairs and at present cannot access the club.

C100 members Gemma Elloway and David Bullen from Swallowcourt Ltd, and Amanda Williams from Alban Digital visited the project.

Amanda Williams, from Alban Digital, said: "We were delighted to be so warmly welcomed on our visit to the Cornwall Deaf Centre. It was a superb to see how the deaf community are such a support and encouragement to one another and how much difference the CCF makes in the local community."

Dave Bullen, from Swallowcourt Ltd, said: "You cannot visit the Cornwall Deaf Centre and not be inspired. This group of people has to be one of the most pure examples of community I have ever seen.

"For such a positive outcome to come from lives that have faced such adversity is not only admirable but a mark of their resilience and togetherness. I attended my son’s nativity shortly after this visit and witnessed his whole class signing as well as speaking and singing their performance. I truly believe this would not have happened without the pioneering work of the Cornwall Deaf Community and others like them so it was an honour to be able to present them with the cheque on behalf of the Cornwall Community Foundation.

"I wish them every success for the future and their continued drive to provide support, awareness and education to the deaf, hearing impaired and hearing."

Debbie Harvey, from the centre, said: "Imagine yourself living in a county that spoke a very difficult foreign language. All communication, including literature, television, educational material, healthcare, government material and banks.

"But then you find a place where everyone speaks your language, they understand you, and you them. It's like a different world. You are 'normal' again.

"We recently had all our funds from the council stopped. First our grant to run the club and then our grant for interpreters. You saw for yourself that interpreters can give deaf people a voice. A voice to communicate with the outside world, to be empowered and given equality."