BEING deaf hasn’t held two siblings back.

Paul Whittaker and his sister Mary have both been ordained into the Church.

Paul, 47, who founded the renowned charity Music and the Deaf in Huddersfield, has been made a Lay Canon by the Bishop of Wakefield.

And his sister Mary, 51, has become the first deaf person to be ordained into the Church of Scotland. It is a remarkable achievement for the Gledholt siblings.

Parents Peter and Margaret, of Gledholt, said their children’s latest achievements were proof that being deaf should not hold someone back.

Mrs Whittaker said: “They are both profoundly deaf and have been very determined to prove that if you’re deaf you’re not daft.

“I have to say they have both had incredible support from Anne, their sister. Without her I don’t think they’d have got to where they are now.

“When they were at school they’d come home with tapes and she’d type them out; she really has given them so much support and still does.”

The Rt Rev Stephen Platten, Bishop of Wakefield, said in a letter to Paul how he had ‘‘given uniquely’’ to deaf people: “You have contributed an extraordinary amount over the years with those who are profoundly deaf and have done so on a national level. Combined with that, your distinguished musical work means that you have given uniquely in this area.”

Paul, who is organist at St Cuthbert’s Church, Birkby, founded the charity Music and the Deaf in 1988 to help others overcome the difficulties and obstacles he encountered.

Paul, who now lives in Rishworth, received an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his work. He is an accomplished organist, a choirmaster, has a music degree from Oxford University and a postgraduate diploma from the Royal Northern College of Music.

Yet he has never heard a single tune. He was born with a hearing problem and his condition degenerated rapidly from the age of eight to 11. Equally, his sister Mary has not found her deafness to be a barrier to success.

Mary Whittaker is hoping to break down barriers to church life for people who, like her, rely on British Sign Language to communicate.

Her pastoral care covers the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles and Aberdeen.

Her ordination is the latest in a string of achievements. She was the first person to become an assessor and examiner for British Sign Language in Scotland; she has a degree in life sciences, is a registered massage therapist and has a diploma in dance and movement.