Did you know that one in five people in the UK are either deaf or hard of hearing? One in three deaf adults do not participate in sport or physical activity, compared to one in 20 adults without a disability (source: Sport England Active Lives Survey 2023), making the deaf community one of the least active groups.

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During Deaf Awareness Week (5-11 May), we raised awareness on the adversities and difficulties that deaf athletes face. As part of our partnership with UK Deaf Sport, this surprising stat appeared in a full-motion video that was played across our UK network, including Westfield London and The Loop at Battersea Power Station.

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The theme for Deaf Awareness Week 2025 in the UK is “Beyond Silence.” A theme that highlights the importance of looking beyond the common misconceptions about deafness and recognising the rich experiences, identities, and contributions of Deaf individuals in society, including sports.

In our London based office, Chris Ratcliffe, CEO of UK Deaf Sport delivered a knowledge session to staff on how we can be better allies, and the challenges many of their athletes are facing as they prepare for the 2025 Deaflympics in Japan later this year.

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Despite receiving no funding from the UK government, this November, UK Deaf Sports will be competing in five different sports at the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan (15th-26th). It costs £500,000 to get the DeaflympicsGB Team to the Deaflympics. This week, across our screens we are displaying a QR code that allows passers-by to access the UK Deaf Sport Just Giving page, where they can donate to send the athletes to Tokyo, giving them the best possible chance of winning.

Last year, UK Deaf Sport athletes stood in front of our Leicester Square screen to launch their urgent fundraising appeal for Tokyo, marking one year to go.

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An estimated 14.2 million UK adults will have hearing loss greater than 25 decibels by 2035 (RNID). This means supporting the work of bodies like UK Deaf Sport is even more important.