AN IRONING service which aims to get deaf people back to work has been praised by one of its workers.

DEAFinitely Creaseless was launched as a pilot in October last year and was set up with the backing of disabled charity the Shaw Trust and trustees from the Reading Deaf Centre who provided the business with their Cardiff Road office.

But a sudden influx in customers has meant the business is seeking new recruits to ease the workload of its ironing technicians.

DEAFinitely Creaseless coordinator Karen Boswell, who has been deaf since birth and unemployed for 12 years, said: “Before I started work I was really worried that I would never get a job because I also suffer from Fibromyalgia which restricts what I can do, but my role here is really flexible and working with other deaf people is so much fun.

“My confidence has grown and I am so excited for the future of DEAFinitely Creasless.”

The business is currently being run by three women who have acquired their disability in different ways – one employee’s mother had German measles while pregnant and another had an accident while young.

Ironing technician Anne Vandenberg said: “I hadn’t had a job for 15 years and was looking for something for so long which was really hard for me but working here I feel confident and comfortable with all my work colleagues.

“This job has really changed my life and I hope we can keep growing and employ more staff in the near future.”

The self-funded project, which is on trial until later this year, aims to buy more advanced equipment and have its own van to enable a more mobile service for clients.

For information on DEAFinitely Creaseless call 0118 327 1013.