A NUMBER of people who have attended sign language classes in St Austell are celebrating after becoming fluent in more than 250 words.

Those who have reached this milestone have been presented with certificates to mark their achievement.

The presentations at the St Austell Signing group also coincided with the final day of the classes until the autumn.

The classes, which are free of charge and led by town councillor Stephen Nott who suffers from total deafness, will resume on October 5.

They will be held on Tuesdays, both in the morning and the afternoon, throughout the winter months at the Room Five lounge bar next door to the White River Cinema in White River Place in the town centre.

Stephen said: “It is a relaxed class with no formal qualification, but a large vocabulary.

”A small number of attendees, out of more than 45 in total over six months, received certificates for achieving over 250 words fluently.”

The classes, originally based at the Rann Wartha pub, have been held to help people communicate with those who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Stephen was born hearing, in Launceston, and while still very young moved to Tywardreath, his father having been promoted to be the librarian at St Austell Library.

Stephen said: “At the age of seven, I contracted meningitis, which left me at death’s door. Thankfully, I survived, albeit with total hearing loss.”

The classes have been supported by Room Five which has helped to promote the group. Students have attended morning and early evening sessions on a Tuesday.

The classes have been relaxed and informal with no exams or rigid structure, just a keen interest to learn sign language. There have been students of all ages, school-aged up to elderly pensioners, and everyone has learnt at their own pace.