NINE-YEAR-OLD Tayla Reynolds has become one of the youngest people in the country to pass her sign language exams.

The St Paul’s primary pupil from Fensicowles successfully learnt more than 600 gestures to complete the Level 1 British Sign Language tests last month.

The gruelling 23-week course is usually only taken by adults Tayla began learning sign language after watching her mum Debbie, who has problems with her hearing and runs the School of Sign Language in Blackburn.

She said: “I saw my mum practising in the mirror one day and it looked like something reallly fun to do.

“The lessons were really hard but it’s a good feeling to know I can help people chat with each other.

“My favourite sign is the one for blue where you point towards the veins on your wrist due to their colour. I think that’s really clever.”

Lessons will begin again next month for the Level 2 certificate and she wants to use her talent to give the gift of communication to children with hearing problems.

Tayla said she would love to follow in her mum’s foosteps and create a business to help deaf people in East Lancashire.

Debbie 35, who set up the sign languague school at Ewood Park Enterprise Centre four years ago, said: “I’m extremely proud of my daughter and only wish I’d started learning at her age.

"If I had begun then I’d have been fully trained by the time I was 20.

“With every person who passes the tests, we get closer to getting rid of the horrible label I had to live with, growing up deaf and dumb.”

Debbie’s school has taught more than 10,000 schoolchildren and workers in the area from organisations such as Shuttleworth College, Royal Mail and Belthorn Primary how to communicate with the audiblly impaired.

The versatile entrepeneur has even found time to appear on the sofa of ‘This Morning’, voice a character in ITV animated show ‘Creature Comforts’ and finish in sixth place in the international Linguist of the Year competition three years ago.

British Sign Language was recognised by the government as an official language in 2004.

A spokesman for society the British Deaf Association commented: “We would like to congratulate Tayla on achieving her BSL level 1 at such a young age.

"She is a glowing example for all the school children who are taking part in the BDA’s Learn to Sign Week, from October 5 to 11 this year.”

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