Stuart Clarke backs hearing damage campaign

World Sporting champion Stuart Clarke has thrown his weight behind the #Saveyourhearing campaign.

IMG_7561The campaign was created in order to promote the use of hearing protection in activities involving excessive noise – a problem particularly relevant for shooters.

Shooting can cause a lot of damage in a short period of time. Almost all firearms are measured above 140dB: a noise level more than capable of causing permanent damage.

Stuart Clarke, one of the most decorated names in the clay pigeon shooting world, knows the problem too well. He said: “I can’t stress enough just how important it is to protect your hearing, especially when taking up any shooting sports. I suffer from chronic tinnitus due to not wearing hearing protection until I was 25 years old.

“The Allearplugs.com #Saveyourhearing campaign is a great cause and one I am proud to be a part of. Everyone who comes to the range with me has to wear hearing protection; it is amazing just how quickly you can damage it and I do not wish tinnitus on anyone.”

A University of Wisconsin study showed that men who regularly engaged in target shooting (or those who had engaged in the past year) were more likely to have marked high-frequency hearing loss than those who didn’t. In addition, the study confirmed that marked high-frequency hearing loss increased 7 per cent for every year the men had been shooting.

In spite of this, 38 per cent of target shooters and 95 per cent of hunters reported never wearing protection in the past year.

Save Your Hearing Logo

Rob Doole, managing director for Allearplugs.com, said: “It’s great to have such a prestigious name as Stuart’s attached to our campaign. He’s a multi-time world champion, and understands the hazards of shooting as well as anyone.

“Shooting is a recreational hobby that many people across the UK enjoy. However, the guns used are loud enough to start causing immediate damage if hearing protection isn’t worn. We need to ensure everyone wears appropriate protection when shooting.”

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