A LIFETIME spent around the roar of race engines and the buzz of the track has taken its toll on Murray Walker's ability to hear.

He now sports two hearing aids and is campaigning to encourage people to look after their own hearing.

"I've been round noisy engines all my life with my father who worked with them too and in more recent years on the F1 circuit," he said.

All too often hearing is taken for granted and when it starts to deterirate, it can often take a long time before you notice the loss - experts say 40 per cent of people over 50 suffer some degree of hearing loss.

"I suppose I first became aware that all was not well when my wife started to complain that the volume for the TV was very high.

"Often the person who is losing their hearing is the last to realise," said Murray, 83, who lives with his wife near Fordingbridge.

"It's true that people are not as comfortable with the idea of having a hearing test as they are to get their eyes looked at but it is really important that people get their hearing checked out especially as they get older," he said.