Health News - An exploding bomb resulted in this year’s choice of the Mayor’s charity

Published: 16 June, 2011
by RICHARD OSLEY

IN 1971, people were shaken in their beds when an IRA bomb was detonated in the landmark Post Office Tower.

Tremors could be felt across a radius of a quarter of a mile, with neighbouring buildings rattling and parked cars budged onto the pavement. Hidden in a toilet, the bomb caused damage costing £1million and led to the closure of the observation gallery at the top of the tower, now known as the BT Tower. 

It was a moment that changed young accounting student Abdul Quadir’s life for ever. He was blithely unaware that the sound of the blast had wrecked his hearing.

“I used to live just opposite the BT Tower,” he said. “It was a 12-room house and I was a student renting one of them. The bomb went off. I didn’t know it at the time but I think that’s when I lost my own hearing. I was late for work on an audit at a shoe factory. When I got there, I thought they’d be cross with me. They were actually happy that I was still alive.”

Forty years later, Abdul, with a hearing aid in each ear, is using his year as Camden’s Mayor to get people talking about hearing problems and deafness, and trying to show that help is out there. 

He has chosen the Royal National Institute for the Deaf – which rebranded itself on Thursday with the new name, Action On Hearing Loss – as this year’s Mayor’s charity.

If he can chair the boisterous full council meetings at the Town Hall despite his hearing difficulties, he is hoping he can provide a little bit of hope to the 28,000 people in Camden who are either deaf or hard of hearing. That figure may actually be higher because not everybody is aware that they have reduced hearing or seeks help. “We will show that although it is hard when you are hard of hearing, it doesn’t have to mean the end of the world,” said Abdul. 

This year’s Mayor’s charity choice is a marked change of pace from last year’s: Jonathan Simpson, the outgoing Mayor, spent the past year on the DJ decks and promoting live music in Camden. One of the awareness campaigns from Action On Hearing Loss is to warn people they are at risk of doing permanent damage to their hearing by playing music too loud.

Abdul, in his second stint as a Labour councillor, represents Bloomsbury but previously was a ward member in Highgate. 

He said: “For me, I have problems when people speak softly. You have to be extra careful if you want to know what people are saying. But there are people who can help. You can get hearing aids that help for free. From this year, we want to get awareness up and make those affected feel that they are not on their own.”

The Mayor was invited to Prince Philip’s birthday celebrations on Friday – the Queen’s husband being a patron of his chosen charity.

“It is the charity’s centenary year and they are looking to find a base in Camden – that’s part of the reason we chose them for the Mayor’s charity,” said Abdul. 

Council staff and councillors will be among people taking on the BT Tower challenge  in September – to climb up the building using the stairs rather than a lift. 

But before then, Abdul was rattling collection buckets in King’s Cross station to kick off his fundraising.

“I know that from the day of the bomb at the BT Tower onwards, I had hearing problems but I didn’t get hearing aids from the Hearing Aid Centre until 1977 or 1978 – that was a great help. It is not ideal but you can get on. 

“Anyway, the joke I make is that sometimes it’s better to not hear everything in some of our council meetings.”

• For more on the Mayor’s fundraising, contact the Mayor’s parlour at the Town Hall in King’s Cross or go to www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk