Les, get in touch with Action on hearing loss (formerly RNID). They have a lot of goodies for free loan, like a round-the-neck hearing loop infra-red thingy for listening to music/radio/telly without deafening the rest of the household. And if you're registered deaf (they can do it for you) you can get a disabled person's free bus pass without having to wait till you're old enough (assuming you're not!) You maybe able to use it for peak-time travel too.