A GROUP of young people supporting the struggles deaf children have staged an event in the North-East.

Members of the National Citizen Service (NCS) spoke to visitors at Durham’s Market Place on Saturday.

Councillor Patrick Conway, Deputy Mayor of Durham, welcomed the group as they encouraged as many people as possible to be photographed with their hands over their ears.

They were then encouraged to post the pictures to the campaign’s social media profiles using the hashtag #handsonears.

Lewis King, 16, of Consett, who has just left Consett Academy, is one of the 15 NCS participants who have organised Saturday’s event, said: “Just this simple action is enough to get people thinking about the challenges deaf children face every day, which most of us take our hearing for granted.

“We’d like to thank Cllr Conway for his support and encouragement.”

A number of the young people also performed a song they have written which highlights the struggles faced by deaf people in the 21st century.

Colin Wilkes, managing director of Durham Markets, said: “We’ve been incredibly impressed with the enthusiasm of these young NCS participants, and we’re confident they will be successful in raising awareness for the #handsonears campaign.”