PUPILS in Penarth have held an event to raise money and awareness for deaf children and adults.

The children at Cogan Primary School took part in the sign2sing event along with other young people from across Wales.

Organised by the deaf health charity SignHealth, the event involved children signing and singing a song called "Reach out a Hand" which was specially written for the day.

Sign language is a big part of the school's culture as there are a number of pupils who suffer from hearing loss and rely on signing to communicate and the school has a proud history of supporting events such as this.

The school runs a successful hearing resource base, the only specialist primary age provision for children with a hearing loss in the Vale of Glamorgan.

It also provides specialist support for children with moderate to profound deafness while fully integrating them into the daily routines of the school.

Susan Sibert, head teacher at Cogan Primary School said the school has a history of supporting event such as this.

She added: "For many deaf children and adults, learning to sign is a lifeline.

"It gives them a means of expressing themselves and an understanding of the world around them.

"For hearing children, signing has many benefits. It enhances their communication and linguistic development, increases their confidence and self-esteem, and introduces them to the concept of other languages.

“Along with our school values, signing is an important part of school life and fosters a kind and caring environment for all our children.

"Sign2sing is a fun way to involve all of the children in our school and raise awareness of hearing loss so sign language is a winner.”

Donations to the cause can be made by visiting www.sign2sing.org.uk/donate.