BEING profoundly deaf can sometimes be a barrier to achieving ambitions and aspirations in life and result in limited self-confidence, but not for Claire Seaman.

She has made it her mission to excel in everything she does from from skydiving, bungee jumping and even setting up her own business.

Claire, 29, was born with total hearing loss, but with the latest digital hearing aids and the ability to lip read, she communicates and understands well and coherently.

With ten years experience of working in salons, Claire decided to branch out on her own running a mobile beauty business called Be Beautiful by Claire.

None of this would have been possible without the help, support and financial backing of her parents, Sue and Tony, she says.

She said: “Because I can’t use the phone, my mum is my receptionist. She takes all the calls, bookings and inquiries for me.

“They have helped me fund the whole thing, setting up, buying the products and equipment, everything. They’ve been great.”

Claire, of Deepdene Avenue, Rayleigh, is one of triplets and, determined not to be any different to sister Lucy and brother Martyn.

She attended Glebe Primary School and then went to Sweyne Park School, after the family moved from Thundersley to Rayleigh so she could benefit from the specialist teaching at Sweyne.

She said: “I wanted to go to a hearing school so it wouldn’t affect my speech.

“I didn’t want to go to a boarding school where all the pupils were deaf and I had to sign.

“I want as much as possible to communicate by listening, talking and lip reading as I can. I can even lip read upside down, so when I’m doing a facial I can still chat to my clients.

“I don’t sign and don’t feel I need to as I can lip read and am fine one-to-one with clients when there’s no background noise.

“People are very understanding and will slow down their speech if I need them to. After the first booking, I tend to deal with my clients via text and e-mail.

“I don’t see me being deaf as a disability. It doesn’t stop me doing anything but it can be frustrating at times.”

Claire trained to level 3 City & Guilds in hair and beauty at Thurrock College. She worked for a variety of companies locally and further afield, even spending some time at the prestigious celebrity hide out, Ragdale Hall spa, in Leicestershire.

Until a year ago she worked as assistant manager at a salon in South-church Road before leaving to go travelling with her boyfriend, Simon.

She said: “It was amazing. I did things I wouldn’t normally, like skydiving and a bungee jump. I came home and decided it was time to set up my own business.

“I’d been thinking about it for some time.”

Despite the country being gripped by the deepening financial crisis, Claire is not fazed by the challenges she faces.

She said: “I went to the job centre and got help from an agency there with starting off. It has been difficult to get going.

“I have been doing leaflet drops and trying to get known. I feel quite positive, despite the economy and now just really want to make this work. It’s a difficult time to start up, but I’m determined.”

Mum Sue said: “As a triplet, she has grown up with siblings learning a similar vocabulary at the same time which has been an advantage.

“If she’d been an only child it would have been quite hard. Claire’s intonation is very good and she’s easy to understand.

“We’ve helped her get started and want her to be able to achieve. This is her dream.”

Setting her aside from other beauty therapists, she offers eye lash perming, which can take up to an hour, make up for brides on their wedding day and princess parties, where mini-makeovers and nail painting is given to girls and early teens.

She was helped with a free training course and one-to-one help and advice by the enterprise agency NWES.

The agency offers business support and encourages enterprise.

  • Be Beautiful by Claire can be contacted by calling 01268 783197 or 07771 752361.