Hearing tests
Full hearing test
How to reach us
01632 960500Sandra answers, and works out what to book.
Mon–Fri09:00 to 17:30
Sat09:00 to 13:00
12 Market Place, Kingsmere WX5 1EP
Getting in
- Level entrance from Market Place, no steps anywhere on the ground floor
- Hearing loop at the desk and in both test rooms; we speak clearly and face you
A full hour with an audiologist. Free if you are 50 or over, or thinking about hearing aids.
Seen within a week; same day if your hearing changed suddenly
Free to start
Free hearing tests this week
In plain words
What this is
This is the appointment most people start with. It is unhurried, it is explained as we go, and you leave knowing exactly where you stand.
What happens
- We talk first: where hearing is hard for you, and what you would like back
- We look in your ears with a small camera, and you see the picture too
- In the quiet booth you press a button when you hear a tone; we test each ear and each pitch
- We test how well you follow words with noise behind them, because that is real life
- We show you the result on one sheet and say plainly what it means
If hearing aids would help, we say so and you can listen to a pair in the room that day. If they would not help, we say that too. Nobody at Fenwick is paid on what you buy.
The test is free if you are 50 or over or you are thinking about hearing aids. Otherwise it is £65. Bring someone with you if you like; a familiar voice is a useful thing to test with.
How long
60 min
What it costs
Free 50+, otherwise £65
What you leave with
Same day, on one sheet
At home
Yes, £95
Which door
Front door, 12 Market Place (level) · step-free
Two disabled bays outside the bank, thirty seconds away; one-hour free bays around the market cross except Wednesday, market day
Last year, counted1,840 tests last year; 46% showed no loss needing aids and were told so (2025, demonstration data)
The price
Free
Free if you are 50 or over, or considering hearing aids. Otherwise £65.
- How long
- 60 minutes
- Seen
- Within a week; same day if your hearing changed suddenly
Who you will see
“If the aids are in a drawer, we failed, not you. Bring them back and we will start again.”
Book with AlanWhat to bring
- Your glasses, if you wear them
- Any hearing aids you own, with their charger or batteries
- A list of the rooms and people that are hardest to hear
- Someone whose voice you know
Step by step
What happens,
in order
Nothing here is hurried. Each step is explained before it happens, and written down for you afterwards in large print.
Bring someone with you
Bring a relative or friend into the appointment; we encourage it. A familiar voice is the best thing to test with, and two people remember more than one.
Before you come
If your ears feel blocked, book wax removal first so the test is accurate. Sandra will ask on the phone.
The hour
Talking, a look in your ears, the booth, the words-in-noise test, then the result explained.
Same day
You take your results sheet home. If you asked for it, a copy goes to your GP within two working days.
If aids would help
You listen to a pair in the room. No decision is needed on the day, and the price list is on the wall.
Is it for you?
Good for,
not for
We would rather say no at the desk than fit something that will end up in a drawer.
Good for
- Anyone who has been told the TV is too loud
- Finding restaurants and family gatherings hard work
- Asking people to repeat themselves
- A first test after 50, even if you think you are fine
- Anyone weighing up the NHS route against private
Not for
- Hearing that dropped suddenly in the last three days: phone us today, or go to A&E; it is treated as an emergency
- Ear pain or discharge: see your GP or pharmacist first
- Children under 16: the NHS paediatric audiology service is the right place, and we will tell you how to reach it
The whole price
What you get
for it
What the price covers, the plain facts, and the honest bit: what can go wrong, and what is normal in the first week.
Included in the price
- Talking about where hearing is difficult
- Video otoscopy: a look inside each ear, on a screen you can see
- Pure-tone audiometry in a sound-treated booth
- Speech-in-noise test
- Your results on one sheet, in plain words, to take home
- A listen to hearing aids in the room if you want one, no obligation
The honest bit
- None from the test itself. Headphones can feel odd; the booth door is never locked
- Wax in the ear can make a test read worse than your hearing really is, which is why we look first
- A test is a snapshot; hearing changes slowly, so we suggest one every two years after 50
Questions people ask
People ask
Why is it free?
Because most people over 50 who come for a test go on to think about hearing aids, and we would rather the test cost nothing than have anyone put it off. Nobody here is paid on sales, and half the people we test are told they do not need aids yet.
Will I be sold hearing aids?
No. You will be told what we found and what would help. If that is hearing aids, you can listen to some that day and go home to think. The prices are on the wall and on this website.
Also here
Related appointments
More from hearing tests and the departments next door.
Hearing tests
Diagnostic hearing assessment with report
The full test plus middle-ear testing and a written report for your GP, ENT consultant, employer or insurer.
- You leave with:
- Report in 2 working days
- At home:
- No
- Price
- From £95
- How long
- 75 minutes
- Seen
- Within a week; same day if your hearing changed suddenly
Hearing aids
Hearing aids, fitted with real-ear measurement
Every maker, four technology levels, fitted to a measurement of your own ear, with four years of aftercare and a 60-day money-back promise.
- You leave with:
- Real-ear measured, every fitting
- At home:
- Yes, fitted at home
- Price
- From £1,495
- A pair at Essential level; single aid about 55% of the pair price
- How long
- 90 minutes to fit; 4 years of care
- Seen
- Fitted about nine days after your test
Hearing aids
Two-week take-home trial
Not ready to decide? Take a pair home for two weeks, fitted properly, for a deposit that comes straight back.
- You leave with:
- Your own verdict
- At home:
- Yes
- Price
- From £95
- Refunded in full whether you buy or not
- How long
- 2 weeks
- Seen
- Fitted about nine days after your test
Free hearing tests this week
Call us.
01632 960500Sandra answers. Ring me if you are not sure. Working out what to book is my job, not yours.
Mon–Fri09:00 to 17:30
Sat09:00 to 13:00
Getting in
12 Market Place, Kingsmere WX5 1EP.
- Level entrance from Market Place, no steps anywhere on the ground floor
- Hearing loop at the desk and in both test rooms; we speak clearly and face you
- Large-print price list and appointment cards; everything we say is also written down for you
The rules on the wall
- Real-ear measurement on every fitting; 91% of pairs kept after the 60-day promise
- The test is free from 50, the prices are on the wall, and nobody here is paid on sales
- Independent since 2009: every maker, four levels, four years of aftercare with the same faces