Mario Cavagnetto with Betty Bullock, the first patient to be treated in the hearing specialist’s new testing room at St Sampson’s Medical Centre. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0824307)

THE increasing deafness of a relative was the inspiration for one Guernseyman to switch direction mid-career.

Fifteen years later, and after retraining as a hearing aid audiologist and establishing a practice at St Sampson’s Medical Centre, Mario Cavagnetto has expanded his business with cutting edge technology.

The former director of Gruts Photographics handed a bottle of champagne to the first patient through the door of his new soundproof advanced testing room last week.

Elderly hearing aid user Betty Bullock was as impressed with the Advanced Hearing Services practice’s developments as the surprise bubbly.

‘They are brilliant,’ she said.  ‘I always come here because I need hearing aids as I get older and this really helps my quality of life.’

Mr Cavagnetto, 48, said his passion for helping people with hearing conditions was a result of personal experience.

‘This all started because my father-in-law had bilateral hearing loss and it had a profound effect on me,’ he said.

‘I saw his quality of life decreasing and in our endeavours to help him with his problems, I found the inspiration that spurred me to re-qualify and then head back to Guernsey.’

He and his wife Janet, receptionist at Advanced Hearing Services, returned to the island in 2000 and built the business they run today.