A marathon-length sponsored walk is being planned by the mother of a deaf baby girl from Lower Froyle to help raise £18,000 for her speech and language therapy.

Katie Edbrook gave birth to her daughter Tiggy in January. After failing two hearing tests Tiggy was diagnosed as profoundly deaf in late February.

Katie said: “This came as quite a shock as we have no known hearing loss on either side of the family. We worried what the future may hold for our baby girl.”

On November 5 Katie was told Tiggy could have cochlear implants to give her access to sound.

But Katie also wants speech and language therapy to give Tiggy the best chance in a hearing world.

The charity Auditory Verbal UK offers a programme to further a deaf child’s concept of sound.

Eighty per cent of children attending AVUK courses for at least two years will have age appropriate language, rising to 97 per cent if the child has no additional needs.

Katie, who used to be a postwoman in Farnham, said: “We went and met with AVUK to discuss if this would be a suitable option for Tiggy. It absolutely is, however there is no funding via the NHS.

“A successful AVUK approach is bi-monthly for an average of three years. With only 30 trained therapists in the UK, this specialised therapy is circa £6,000 per annum.

“Our goal is to help Tiggy find her voice and have equal opportunities like her hearing peers. We would welcome any support.”

The Tiggy Talk Walk will be a distance of 26.2 miles on the Clarendon Way Walk from Salisbury to Winchester over two days, probably in April.

Katie said: “Let’s get Tiggy’s voice heard. If you can donate it would mean the world to our family.”