St Leonard's Church gets clear sound throughout - for those with and without hearing aids

Nestled in a picturesque Somerset village, St. Leonard’s is a charming rural parish church commanding beautiful views over the surrounding countryside. The site and some parts of the structure are believed to date back to the 14th century. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II-listed building.

As part of a project to modernise and conserve the building, it was decided to upgrade the existing public announcement (PA) system and install an induction loop system.

The challenge facing univoxaudio was to modernise the building without destroying its ancestry, heritage and tradition. Many churches face this challenge. On one hand, they need to maximise participation and better serve the needs of the local community, but as guardians of our heritage they do not want to compromise the splendour and history that make these buildings special.

Univox director Ken Hollands takes up the story: "The acoustic challenge for this particular church, as with many old churches, was to prevent echo and reverberation from ancient stone walls - a particular problem for the hearing impaired.

"Assistive listening expert Gordon Morris Ltd of Somerton, Somerset was chosen for the project. They took time to ensure the brief was clearly understood by all parties before designing a solution to work in harmony with the rest of the PA system.

"The simple but very effective solution was a Univox professional loop series amplifier and a standard perimeter loop configuration. The proposed system was given a trial at the church, to ensure it met the needs of the building, and improvements were made to the initial set-up.

"All wiring was completely concealed and the installation was fully compliant with IEC 60118-4. The result is a perfectly calibrated loop system that guarantees that visitors enjoy crystal clear sound whilst enjoying the beauty and atmosphere of the church."

For further information visit www.univoxaudio.co.uk