A 22ft bionic ear is one of the many attractions at next week's Suffolk Show.The giant sculpture - 116 times the size of a human ear - is being displayed by The Hearing Care Centre and charity Deafness Research UK to teach people about the importance of hearing and risks from loud music.

A 22ft bionic ear is one of the many attractions at next week's Suffolk Show.

The giant sculpture - 116 times the size of a human ear - is being displayed by The Hearing Care Centre and charity Deafness Research UK to teach people about the importance of hearing and risks from loud music.

The Bionic Ear Show, funded by BUPA, is a series of 30 minute demonstrations over the two days of the Suffolk Show on Tuesday, June 2 and Wednesday, June 3.

The line up for the 179th show includes the Red Devils, the Apache helicopter, daredevil skateboarders, and show jumping.

There will also be sports to try out, skills competitions, plenty of shopping stands, a silent water feature and more than 1,000 animals.

The Hearing Care Centre, which has offices across the county including Halesworth and Southwold, has begun a campaign to raise awareness about hearing, hearing loss and how to prevent it from happening early.

'While the revolution in MP3 and phone technology has given us all the benefit of music on the move, an unwelcome side effect is we are pumping up the volume into our ears and at a far earlier age than ever before,' said Karen Finch, managing director of the centre.

'The fear is that many of us are playing music at such high volume that we risk permanent deafness and tinnitus far earlier than would be expected simply as a result of old age.

'One of the messages of the Bionic Ear Show is not to stop people using MP3 players, but to listen to their favourite sounds safely.'

The Suffolk Show is at the Suffolk Showground, Trinity Park, Ipswich. Adults tickets at the gate are �18, senior citizens �16, children �6 and a family ticket is �42.

Go to www.suffolkshow.co.uk or call 01473 707110 for more information.