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The Shropshire Hills was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1958 and is the latest place to benefit from purchasing Sennheiser Tourguide with neck worn induction loops.

The AONB Partnership works together to conserve and sustain the Shropshire Hills and one of the challenging roles is leading local people and visitors on guided walks in the AONB. It is on these walks where the Sennheiser products have proved their worth.

"We originally purchased them with hearing impaired visitors in mind," explains Diane Monether, Shropshire Hills AONB Community Landscapes Officer, "Those people who might have previously avoided coming on these types of walk.”

"Often on our walks we have up to twenty people and keeping the group together can be difficult. This is where the neck loop really helped. Some people were really cynical about being seen wearing a hearing loop but once they tried it they thought they were fantastic. I haven't met anyone who didn't think it was a great piece of equipment. The walk leader doesn't need to shout and everyone can hear what he or she is saying and it helps everyone to focus on what is being talked about so no one drifts away from the group.”

"We've also been organising a series of outdoor training events for walk leaders so that they can pass on information about the Shropshire Hills. We encourage them to try the neck loop system to see the difference it makes when they're on a walk, in terms of holding the attention of the group, and of course it makes it a much more enjoyable event for anyone hard of hearing or with a hearing aid. We always ask for feedback to see how people found them and it's always really positive."

The Sennheiser Tourguide induction loop systems were recommended and provided by Powys-based Sound Induction Systems (Sennsis). Director Philip Nicholes explains, "We supplied a trial system based on a Sennheiser EK1035 radio tourguide receiver, Sennheiser PX20 headphones and a modified EZT1011 induction loop. The transmitter was a Sennheiser SK300 with a ME2 lapel and ME3 headband microphone. The trial was successful and we ended up supplying two UHF tourguide systems to Shropshire County Council, one of which was for the sole use of the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership. Each system comprised one belt pack transmitter with lapel, headband and miniature boundary microphone for round-the-table type discussions. We supplied five belt pack receivers with chargers, five headphones and modified neck worn induction loops, and an aluminium storage case."