Imagine losing your hearing in your mid-20s and trying to bring up a young daughter while almost totally deaf.

Then picture your second child, born with impaired hearing but you have no idea why. This is what happened to the Newsham family, but they are now putting their harrowing experience to good use.

Mr Alec Newsham, of Denton, near Ilkley, is co-ordinating a Bradford appeal to give all pre-school deaf children the best possible start in life.

His wife Ann, 47, has now had her hearing restored thanks to the medical expertise of doctors at Bradford Royal Infirmary. And their youngest daughter, Zoe, nine, has been fitted with hi-tech, digital hearing aids, enabling her to lead a normal life.

Mrs Newsham said: "When I had my second child, I had no hearing left at all. When 18 months later I had the first cochlear implant, it was revolutionary. I could hear my child cry for the first time.

"I had a very good memory bank of sounds, which made it easier for me to latch on to the hearing world. It was excellent - I still smile about it now."

Mr Newsham is co-ordinating the Listening for Life appeal on behalf of the Bradford-based charity The Ear Trust. It aims to raise £100,000 for two pioneering projects at BRI - the screening of all newborn babies and a dedicated building which supports the deaf and their families from across the North.

Called Prospect Cottage, the unit has been specially converted for pre-school deaf children and includes testing and assessment facilities and nursery and support from the Elizabeth Foundation charity. But it still needs vital equipment, from toys to highly sophisticated audio technology.

Mr Newsham, who runs his own shares and property business, said the news that Zoe had hearing problems was devastating.

"You hope your baby will be born perfect. We were better equipped to deal with it than most, but it's still a horrible moment," he said. "The Elizabeth Foundation and The Ear Trust make sure that you can cope.

"The service in Bradford is good, but this is a wish to make it even better. If these children can go through normal schooling and develop in a normal way, isn't that better for them than being pigeon-holed?"

The Ear Trust was set up in 1990 and funded the first ever cochlear implant at BRI, which uses a tiny device in the ear and a speech processor to transmit sound. To make a donation to the appeal, call The Ear Trust on (01274) 364853 or e-mail ycis@aol.com.