HAVE you ever wondered what your colleague is saying about you in the distance?

Well, with a new lip reading class you can hear with your eyes.

Abingdon and Witney College has begun a set of lessons at the North Oxford Community Association in Summertown.

Philippa Rallings, a lip reading coach for more than 25 years, offered free taster sessions for novices last Thursday.

Top News

She said: “The first thing I do to teach people how to lip read is show them the consonants, then simple phrases like ‘hello’ and ‘how are you’.”

Although the classes are open to anyone, the majority of her pupils are hard of hearing or deaf.

The Long Wittenham resident said: “It’s an important skill to learn. It is really for people with language skills. It can help people who may have lost their hearing to continue communicating. As well as older people whose hearing has deteriorated, it also affects people who have lost their hearing suddenly.”

Classes begin at North Oxford Community Association at 2pm on Thursday. Visit www.abingdon-witney.ac.uk/osls/search