Pension Credit Week of Action – 12-16 October 2026
This October, Touchbase are running Pension Credit Week of Action to challenge some of the common misconceptions that stop people claiming Pension Credit. Many people mistakenly believe that owning a home, having savings, or receiving a private pension automatically makes them ineligible. It doesn’t.

As a result, many people of State Pension age who could be entitled to Pension Credit never make a claim.

Here are some of the myths Touchbase are tackling this year:

• Own your home? You may still be eligible for Pension Credit. Home ownership is not taken into account when entitlement is calculated.
• Have savings? You could still qualify if you have savings. The first £10,000 of savings is ignored. For every £500 of savings above £10,000, DWP assumes you have an extra £1 a week in income when calculating your Pension Credit entitlement.
• Receive State Pension? Pension Credit is paid in addition to your State Pension and could provide extra financial support.
• Think it happens automatically? Pension Credit is not paid automatically. People need to check their eligibility on GOV.UK and make a claim.

Touchbase are asking stakeholders (like DDS) to help spread these important messages by sharing leaflets that will feature in our TV advert with your employees, customers, service users, members and stakeholders, putting up a poster, sharing posts from the official DWP Facebook channel on social media or creating and sharing your own video content featuring the leaflet. 

By sharing this information, you could encourage someone to check their eligibility and access support they may otherwise miss out on. 

To find out more about Pension Credit and how to apply, visit: 
gov.uk/pension-credit/what-youll-get 
gov.uk/pension-credit/how-to-claim 

To request printed A5 leaflets and A4 posters (due to be dispatched w/c 5 October), please email chiltonmannion.jobshare@dwp.gov.uk

The Listening Lounge is a new weekly group in Ferryhill, taking place on Wednesday mornings. Contact us for further info.

Coffee Morning at Horden Social Welfare Centre, Thursdays 10:30 - 12:30, starting 20th November 2025

We are currently running a coffee morning drop in at the Horden office, where you can come and have a catch up. Feel free to drop by!

Darlington Yoga Group

·      Do you have hearing loss?
·      Do you struggle to relax?
·      Do you struggle with your balance?
·      Would you like to make new friends?

Come and try Chair Yoga. This group could be the ideal solution for you.

Starting Wednesday 22^nd October 2025
11am-12pm at St Pauls Centre, St Paul's Gardens, Spennymoor, DL16 7LS

Please contact DDS to book via Telephone 0191 5183358,
Mobile: 07596 069996, Email: admin@ddsupport.org.uk 

 
Cochlear Implant Friendship Group
Horden Social Welfare Hall (SR8 4LX)
          on
Monday 7th April 1.00 to 3.00 pm
•    Do you have a Cochlear Implant (CI)? 
•    Are you having to send for parts?          
•    Do you know what goes where? 
This is an ideal opportunity to meet other people with Cochlear implants or to find out more if you have been recommended that you may need a CI.
Please contact us to reserve your place: 
admin@ddsupport.org.uk  
Telephone: 0191 5183358
Text only: 07596 069996

Lip-Reading Groups in Consett and Stanley now running every Wednesday.

Our Aim

DDS helps and supports people who have acquired hearing loss and find that a hearing aid is not enough.

We aim to do this by providing information, support, and advocacy, to enable them to cope with their disability. We aim to understand and meet their communication needs. We are a local charity based in Horden (the heart of the Durham Coalfields Area), and  we cover all of County Durham and Darlington. You may like to watch our video "Are you listening?" which shows some of the difficulties faced by those with hearing loss – and some of the solutions.

DDS provide services where they are needed most, with small, informal lip-reading / support groups, individual support, as well as our "Dealing with Deafness" rehabilitation weeks, and various other activities held throughout County Durham and Darlington. They are attended by people who have been referred to us by GPs, Social Care and Health, Hearing Therapists, or who have contacted us directly.

We provide holistic approaches to hearing loss, and advocate looking after the body as a whole, not just the ears, and facilitate access to physical exercise activities, such as Yoga. 

We offer tinnitus support; mainly within groups, although 1-to-1 appointments are available, if required. Our Tinnitus Counsellor has received training from the British Tinnitus Association.

We offer a range of activities for members, such as Crafts, Communication via IT, and short walks for health to our members.

Why DDS was started?

DDS was established in 1998, when Jane Atkinson from East Durham found that after losing most of her ‘useful’ hearing, that she didn't fit in. She found no benefit in wearing hearing aids, or using equipment such as amplified phones, yet she wasn’t a BSL (sign language) user. She described herself as "a hearing person without hearing". She could find nothing to help her, not even a lip-reading class. DDS is the result of her determination to change her own situation, as well for others with acquired hearing loss.

If you find yourself (or a family member) having similar problems, please get in touch for further information. We look forward to hearing from you.

A long standing pillar of the community

DDS was founded on 8th May 1998, and we are proud to have served the community for over 26 years.

Dementia Friendly Communities

Members at Durham Deafened Support are now trained as Dementia Friends; building dementia friendly communities.

dementiafriends.org.uk