Deaf Academy Celebrates New £100,000 Puffin Crossing Outside its Gates

Students and staff at the Deaf Academy in Exmouth marked the opening of a new pedestrian road crossing outside its campus with a special celebration event.

Local councillors, representatives from community groups, and individual fundraisers were invited to the event to celebrate the installation of the puffin crossing on the busy stretch of Douglas Avenue; marking the end of a student-led campaign spanning several years.

East Devon’s Highways and Traffic Orders Committee approved plans to install the £100,000 crossing by the Academy gates in April this year, after lobbying from students and staff. The Deaf Academy committed to raising £30,000 towards this cost because a puffin crossing has extra features and sensors which detect when people are walking across it, making it safer for users.

The Academy invited people who had contributed to the fundraising to join them and celebrate the achievement. They included representatives from the Rotary Club of Exmouth, Budleigh Lions, Exmouth Harriers, The Avenues Residents Association (TARA) and Stride Treglown Architects. Thanks to contributions from the above groups, match-funding from the Deaf Academy’s Trustees, a grant of £10,000 from the Clare Milne Trust, a number of other donations and a generous personal bequest, the Academy is now close to its £30,000 target.

Tony Alexander, Chair of Governors at the Deaf Academy, thanked attendees and said: “The effort that has gone into achieving this has been amazing. It would not have been possible without the support of Devon County Council and generous donations. 

“We are so grateful to Exmouth for how it has welcomed the Deaf Academy. The way it has responded to and taken pride in becoming a ‘Deaf’ town is a great credit to all the people of Exmouth.”

The Deaf Academy has 79 students, who are aged nine to 25 and are Deaf with additional needs. They are supported by the Academy in developing life skills that will lead to future independence. Supporting them to access both the Academy and other town services via a safe crossing will contribute towards this.

The Academy also has satellite sites within close walking distance of the main campus, these include its nearby Rolle House children’s home and recently opened adult learning and residential centre, Fearnside House, which caters for Deaf students aged between 19 and 25.

Devon Councillors Richard Scott and Jeff Trail also attended the celebration event. Several years ago they followed the lead of Devon Cllr Christine Channon in supporting students’ ’20 is Plenty’ road calming campaign. The 3 councillors pooled their Locality Budgets in 2021 to fund new zig-zag markings, 20mph signs and flashing lights outside the Academy. This week they said in a joint statement: “It is our pleasure to support the students of the Deaf Academy. We take seriously our responsibility to the more vulnerable in our community and hope that the new crossing will provide more opportunities for the students to explore our great Town and nourish their education and experience of Exmouth.”

A student representative from the Academy’s School said: “All the Academy would like to say a big thank you for the time, sweat and effort everyone has put into making the puffin crossing happen. It has made our lives much easier, especially for people like me with additional visual problems and for people who need more time crossing the road.”

College student Toniy said: “Some cars and bikes go too fast along this road, so this crossing is really important for everyone’s safety.”

Sylvan Dewing, Principal of the Deaf Academy, added: “This has been a wonderful example of what can be achieved when our Academy team and community come together. The opening of this crossing has been such a moment of celebration for us, ensuring that our students, staff and local residents can cross the road safely.”

The Academy is a registered charity and much of its work relies on fundraising. The puffin crossing fundraising page is still open for donations. For more information, visit the Deaf Academy’s JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/puffincrossing