Marie is stepping out every day to help a charity close to her heart

I’m starting my daily walking journey in Tinnitus Week and a step challenge felt appropriate as my story with tinnitus has been a long, winding road,

Former civil servant and mum-of-one Marie Da Silva Bleasdale is setting out to walk 5km (3 miles) a day, every day for a year to support the British Tinnitus Association (BTA), a charity that has helped her manage her tinnitus, a debilitating condition that affects around 54,000 adults in the city of Liverpool alone, and 155,000 throughout Merseyside.

Anfield resident Marie, who volunteers as a Merseycare Foundation Trust Governor, shared “I’m starting my daily walking journey in Tinnitus Week and a step challenge felt appropriate as my story with tinnitus has been a long, winding road, filled with barriers, personal struggles, breakdown, breakthrough and sunny new beginnings.”

Tinnitus Week 2021 is happening 1-7 February and the BTA are campaigning to make sure that everyone with tinnitus gets the right information, from the right place, at the right time. They’re asking people to share their experience of tinnitus as part of their social media campaign #ThisIsMySilence to raise awareness.

The British Tinnitus Association’s vision is “A world where no one suffers from tinnitus” which Marie fully supports. She added “The British Tinnitus Association provides support and also funds research into the causes of tinnitus and a possible cure. I have found that hearing aids help alleviate my tinnitus, as does a sound generator device. Before lockdown, the Tinnitus Support Group at Aintree was also very good.” Marie is hoping that her marathon walking feat will raise vital funds needed to make sure people can access the support they need now, and fund future tinnitus research, to ultimately find a cure.

The BTA’s Fundraising Officer Jess Pollard commented “We really appreciate Marie’s support and dedication to help the tinnitus community and the work we do, and we’re so grateful that she is able to use her own experience to raise vital awareness!”

Please help Marie reach her £500 target by donating online at or calling 0114 250 9933 to make a donation over the phone to the British Tinnitus Association. If you want to get involved in fundraising or Tinnitus Week, please email www.tinnitus.org.uk

Twitter: @BritishTinnitus

Facebook and Instagram: @BritishTinnitusAssociation

LinkedIn: British Tinnitus Association

British Tinnitus Association, Ground Floor Unit 5 Acorn Business Park, Woodseats Close, Sheffield, United Kingdom S8 0TB. The British Tinnitus Association is a registered charity. Registered charity number 1011145