TWO sisters have set up a business to give people suffering from hearing loss a helping hand.

Patricia Mellor and Sandra Neumann, who both hail from Bury, decided to make a career change from their respective jobs in the police force and banking and try out their new venture.

Mrs Neumann worked at the Bury police division and her sister was employed in a high street bank on The Rock in Bury.

They both left their jobs and ended up working with people who had hearing difficulties. Mrs Neumann was an audiologist and her sister was a hearing therapist. Through their work in this field the pair saw a gap in local services for people with hearing impairments.

Together they decided to set up a business which offered a wider service ranging from training in deaf awareness to guidance on tinnitus.

Using their maiden name, Chippendale, as the title for their service they began their new venture in October last year at their base on the outskirts of Rochdale .

Mrs Neumann explained: "One third of over 55's have some hearing difficulty and increasingly demand for inconspicuous hearing aids with good sound quality."

Mrs Neumann and her sister offer hearing assessments, prescriptions of appropriate hearing aids and rehabilitation to individuals who may have encountered hearing loss as a result of an accident or their working environment.

They can also provide individual earmoulds, swim moulds and custom moulds for hands-free mobile phones and noise suppressers for musicians.

Chippendale Hearing Services provides a variety of services for large companies who need to carry out checks on their staff who are exposed to high noise levels.

The services they provide for large firms include individual hearing checks and hearing tests for company employees and custom noise protection earmoulds.

From their office on Edenfield Road they also offer a full and comprehensive service to GPs, ENT consultants, nursing homes and other commercial bodies.