Why am I doing this.....?

[MikeFromLFE]

I'm the wrong side of 65, and it's a challenge - but who doesn't like a challenge?

My hearing is steadily getting much worse, particularly in my left ear, where I also have quite severe tinnitus. I didn't realise how much I was reliant on facial expressions and some form of basic, unconcious lip reading, until widespread mask-wearing made it obvious to me, and I became very isolated.

Although at my age I'll never become fluent in BSL, a little knowledge and some skill will be better than nothing.

I volunteer on the canal network - something I really enjoy - and it's somewhere BSL may well come in useful at some point. 

So, for me it's a combination of the challenge, the hope of greater inclusion, and the potential practical application.