CHILDREN at a city school have recorded a showstopping message for the first deaf contestant on the Great British Bake Off and invited the judges and presenters for sign language lessons.
Pupils at Royal School for the Deaf Derby, in Ashbourne Road, have filmed a message for 27-year-old Tasha Stones who is one of 12 people competing on this year’s reality show.
It is the first time the programme, made by Channel 4, has featured a deaf contestant and Tasha is accompanied by her own British Sign Language interpreter for all her stints in the Bake Off tent.
The children at the school have signed a special message for Tasha saying they hope she gets a Hollywood handshake and to avoid any soggy bottoms.
And they have issued an invitation to presenters Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond and judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith to visit the school for sign language lessons.
Head teacher Paul Burrows said: “Having deaf role models is enormously important for the deaf community and being able to see someone just like them on mainstream television is really inspiring for our pupils.
“There is no doubt that when Rose Aisling-Ellis was on Strictly she helped break down some barriers between the deaf community and the hearing world, and I am sure the same will be true for Tasha on Bake Off.
“British sign language is a beautiful, rich language with its own structure, its own grammar, even its own regional accents. It’s only by seeing it in everyday use that people will be inspired to learn it.
“Like most children, our pupils enjoy baking and will be taking even more interest in the show this year. We just hope Tasha bakes up a storm.”
Around 151,000 people in the UK use British Sign Language as their primary or preferred language and 87,000 of them are deaf. There is a shortage of sign language interpreters, with only one interpreter for every 53 deaf people, on average.
Deaf representation on television has grown in the last few years, with Rose Aisling-Ellis on Strictly Come Dancing and deaf contestants on Love Island and Hunted.
There was also a deaf contestant on Channel 4’s Handmade: Britain’s Best Woodworker and comedian John Bishop’s documentary and comedy show – John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf – in which he learns about British Sign Language (BSL) and deaf awareness with his son, Joe, who lives with hearing loss.
Mr Burrows added: “It is well documented that Derby has the largest deaf community outside of London, so it would be the perfect place for the judges and presenters to visit for some BSL lessons.
“And when Tasha leaves the tent we’d absolutely love to welcome her into school – especially if she’d like to bring some cake!”
*The new series of The Great British Bake Off starts Tuesday 26th September at 8pm on Channel 4.
