Bedale is aiming to become only the second Makaton-friendly town in England thanks to the work of the town’s Mowbray School.
Makaton, a variation of sign language, comprises of signs and symbols which are learnt alongside natural speech development.
Over 100,000 people of all ages use Makaton, either as their sole method of communication, or as a supplement to speech.
Useful for those with and without language difficulties, Makaton enables users to communicate their needs immediately, whilst also supporting their speech learning.
The resource becomes even more useful when taught to older children and adults who have difficulty with speech.
By using Makaton signs alongside speech, those with such language difficulties are able to communicate effectively with anyone who also knows the signs.
While there are many individual Makaton friendly organisations dotted around the country, from zoos to cafes, currently the only ‘Makaton Friendly’ town is Romsey in Hampshire.
Karen Pickles, deputy head of Mowbray School and instigator of the initiative, is aiming to make Bedale the next town on this list.
By engaging local businesses, and holding a series of training sessions over the coming weeks, she hopes to put the learning into practice, with a shopping trip around the town for her students, in which they will experience business owners and employees communicating with them via Makaton.
There has already been a large take-up, with interest from all areas of the community, and the training sessions are rapidly filling up.
Carol Clark, from Big Sheep Little Cow in Bedale, was unable to book onto the first training session as it was fully booked weeks in advance.
She said: “I am looking forward to introducing Makaton to Bedale Community Bakery and Big Sheep Little Cow Farm after hearing the laughter and fun experienced by other businesses at the last training session which was held on the farm premises.
“Anything which encourages laughter and community cohesion should always be welcomed.”
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