Watford MP Dean Russell visited the Watford Deaf Club as it celebrated 50 years of being in its purpose-built home at the Harebreaks Hub in North Watford.
When the club originally moved into the building, in 1972, it was run by the Church of England, and was called The St Albans Diocesan Association for the Deaf. The Deaf community took over in 1983 and the club changed its name to Watford Deaf Sports and Social Club.
Following the celebration Dean said “It was an honour to be invited to cut the cake for this wonderful celebration. I would like to congratulate the club on reaching 50 years, which is quite the milestone. I am really pleased that BSL is far more widely recognised today than it was when the club was founded.
"I am even more pleased that the British Sign Language Act, will recognise BSL as a language in its own right. It is fantastic that popular TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing have shown society that deafness or being hard of hearing is not a barrier.
"I hope the club continues to thrive for decades to come, and I am sure that it will thanks to the dedicated volunteers.”
