THOUSANDS of pounds has been donated to a charity which teaches deaf babies and children to speak.

Auditory Verbal, based in Chesterton near Bicester, has been given the £20,000 windfall in support of its work teaching deaf youngsters communication skills early on in life.

The money - donated by The Freemasons - means the charity can hire a new therapist to work with both children and training the clinical team.

Auditory Verbal’s chief Executive Anita Grover, 45, said: "We are delighted to learn that the Freemasons’ Grand Charity has decided to support Auditory Verbal UK’s work with deaf children.

"We are reliant on such generosity to make sure families from all backgrounds are able to access our life-changing early intervention programme, which teaches deaf babies and children to listen and talk.

"It gives them the skills and confidence to enjoy an equal start at school."

The Chesterton based school works with families to teach young children and babies communication skills ahead of their school years.

The charity said deaf children without specialist support in the early years, typically, learn language skills at half the rate of their hearing peers.

Deborah Pezzuto uses the charity, based in Chesterton and London, after her twin sons Zack and Dylan were born with severe hearing loss in July 2011.

She said: “The day we learnt about their hearing loss, we were shocked. We could not believe what and why this could have happened to us.

“We are hugely grateful to Auditory Verbal UK - our therapist helped me to understand there are no limits for kids with cochlear implants, and no limits for bilingual cochlear implanted children either

“Zack and Dylan are currently fluent in English and, during summer holidays in Italy, they speak good Italian with their friends and cousins.”

The funding from The Freemason's was awarded to the charity after it applied for support in November 2015.

An official cheque hand over will be made this week.

Ms Grover, who has worked for the charity for three years, added: "It make a big difference to our ability to support children."

The Freemasons' charity chief executive Laura Chapman said: "Everyday life can be an isolating and lonely experience for children with hearing difficulties.

"It can also be incredibly hard for parents who are faced with the possibility of their child struggling in school and not having a fair chance to reach their full potential.

"Auditory Verbal UKs pioneering work brings hope and an alternative, brighter future to these families. We are delighted to help them make such a transformational difference."