SEEING Dolci Davies perform on stage she appears a confident and happy little schoolgirl.

But just a few months ago mum Donna Hamilton would never have believed her shy and severely deaf daughter could be so bold.

The five-year-old lost her hearing after contracting meningitis when she was a baby.

Donna, who works at Next in Sealand Road, Chester, says it is her daughter’s red hair which gave her the determination to pull through the potentially fatal disease and all the illness that has followed.

The trauma of Dolci’s experiences took their toll though.

She was plagued by nightmares and would cling to her mum through the day.

That was until Donna, Dolci and her 10-year-old brother Corey-Jay Davies joined the Singing Hands Sign Choir which is currently based in Ellesmere Port but is due to move to Chester in the New Year.

Proud Donna says the transformation in her little gir is incredible.

And when the choir performed at Ysgol Bro Carmel, in Carmel, last week Dolci was right at the front and even performed a short duet.

Donna said: “We have only been going for six weeks and the change in her is just amazing. Her confidence has gone through the roof.”

The Singing Hands Sign Choir perform a mix of modern and classic songs by singing and signing at the same time.

Their aim is to raise deaf awareness and promote sign language while having fun and collecting money for charity.

Donna says joining the choir has been perfect timing for Dolci because the cochlear implant she had fitted two years ago to boost her hearing is starting to work properly.

The 34-year-old mum-of-two only found out about the choir by accident when a work colleague said she was a member.

Donna and Corey-Jay, who is a big Liverpool fan, joined at the same time to encourage Dolci and they have been spending many Saturdays performing at Cheshire Oaks outlet village.

An extra special performance came last Tuesday when the choir sang at Ysgol Bro Carmel.

Dolci is one of two pupils at the school with hearing problems and they have one-to-one support with sign language.

Seeing the choir was a chance for all the schoolchildren to learn more about sign language.

The performance of new songs like Amy Winehouse’s Rehab and Christmas classics such as Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer were a huge hit.

“It was absolutely stunning,” said headteacher Jo Garbutt.

“All of the children in school were thrilled and they are still talking about it.”

Donna would like to say an extra special thank you to everyone who has helped Dolci during the past few years, especially those at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan, the Nottingham Cochlear Implant Programme and at Ysgol Bro Carmel.

The Singing Hands Sign Choir was launched in July and now has 23 members who can each raise money for a charity of their choice.

For more information about the choir, or if you would like to join, call choir secretary Andrea Lunney on 07984 405869.