‘Now I know what’s wrong with my hearing’

Gheorghe Ardeleanu, 36, has been selling Big Issue since 2012. He recently moved from Liverpool to London, building up a loyal customer base who stop for a chat as much as they do to buy the magazine. For Big Issue vendors like Gheorghe, clear communication with customers is essential. “I like talking to people,” he says. “My customers are very friendly, they stop and chat. Sometimes they ask how I am. That makes a big difference.”

But for the past six years, those conversations have been harder due to hearing loss. It started during a swimming trip in his home country of Romania in 2019. “When I came out of the water, something didn’t feel right,” Gheorghe explains. “My left ear felt strange, like pressure. Sometimes it makes noises, or it hurts. Sometimes I can’t hear properly.”

Gheorghe’s hearing problems are far from unique among people experiencing homelessness. Recent survey data from Big Issue reveals the scale of hearing issues among vendors: 89% have experienced ear pain or discomfort, 86% have experienced buzzing in their ears (tinnitus), and 75% have had ear discharge. Yet despite these widespread hearing issues, 57% don’t know where to go for help.

This research highlights exactly why our partnership with Specsavers extends beyond eye care to include vital audiology services for all vendors.

For Gheorghe, the barriers felt insurmountable. “It’s difficult,” he says. “You have to phone, make appointments online – it’s very complicated. Every hospital is busy, everything takes too long. I didn’t know who to call, and I didn’t think it was serious at first.”

This is exactly the problem that Big Issue and Specsavers’ audiology services are tackling together. For those experiencing homelessness, when focused on finding somewhere to sleep, booking a GP appointment for hearing issues isn’t a priority.

“For many people in vulnerable situations, basic healthcare just isn’t accessible,” explains Marwaan Mahmoud, a Specsavers audiologist who examined Gheorghe’s ears. “They might not be registered with a GP, or they might not have an address. Working with Big Issue, we can make audiology services available – free and without barriers.”

This commitment to breaking down barriers to healthcare is central to Specsavers’ work with vulnerable communities across the UK.

When Big Issue staff told Gheorghe about the free Specsavers hearing checks, his reaction was telling: “I was surprised – I didn’t know you could get that.”

That surprise says everything. How many of us know that Specsavers hearing checks are free, available without a GP referral, and take less than an hour?

“We do a few non-invasive hearing checks,” Marwaan explains. “Usually a headphone test and a bone conductor test – we see how the patient responds to different sounds. It’s completely painless. The patient just sits back, listens, and presses a button when they hear a sound.”

For Gheorghe, walking into the Specsavers store in Dalston, East London, that came as a relief. But it wasn’t just about the technical results. It was about finally understanding what had been happening. The Specsavers hearing check revealed severe hearing loss in his left ear and moderate hearing loss in his right ear.

“I’m happy because now I understand what’s happening,” he says. “Before, I didn’t know – I couldn’t hear properly on one side, and sometimes it hurt a little. But today they told me what the problem is, and now I know what to do next.”

There’s something powerful about that phrase: “Now I know.” After six years of uncertainty, of not quite hearing customers, of sometimes missing parts of conversations, Gheorghe finally had answers.

“If someone has a hearing loss, it can affect how they communicate with their family, friends, or at work,” explains Marwaan. “It can lead to isolation and even impact cognitive health. So the earlier it’s picked up, the better the quality of life.”

We often don’t notice hearing loss because it happens gradually. “It creeps in slowly, and they might think it’s normal. Especially if they’re experiencing homelessness, their priority is survival.”

There’s a cruel irony that homelessness can involve situations where hearing issues can arise and treatment can be hard to access. Research from Big Issue found that 91% of vendors are regularly exposed to loud noises, and the vast majority experience symptoms like tinnitus and ear pain, though only 9% think they’re experiencing hearing loss.

The Big Issue and Specsavers partnership removes these obstacles. No complicated booking system. No waiting lists. Big Issue staff can book vendors directly into the system, and if hearing aids are needed, NHS options are available free of charge.

As Gheorghe prepares for his follow-up appointment with an ear nose and throat specialist, his experience highlights something important about healthcare access. Sometimes the biggest barrier isn’t cost or availability – it’s simply not knowing that help is there.

“It’s better to know than to wait,” he says. “It’s a good opportunity.”

Everyone deserves access to healthcare and audiology services. It’s why this partnership exists – to remove barriers so people experiencing homelessness can access the support they need to live independently and maintain the connections that matter to them.

For Gheorghe, those connections are everything. “I like talking to people,” he says. “My customers are very friendly, they stop and chat. That makes a big difference.”

Big Issue’s partnership with Specsavers provides free hearing checks, ear wax removal and hearing protection for vendors across the UK. But remember – Specsavers hearing checks are free for everyone. For more information, visit specsavers.co.uk/hearing

To learn more about how this partnership is changing lives through accessible healthcare, read about other vendors who have benefited from Specsavers’ community support.

Big Issue’s partnership with Specsavers provides free hearing checks, ear wax removal and hearing protection for vendors across the UK. But remember – Specsavers hearing checks are free for everyone. For more information, visit specsavers.co.uk/hearing

To learn more about how this partnership is changing lives through accessible healthcare, read about other vendors who have benefited from Specsavers’ community support.