A FAMILY left devastated by the redundancies at Crown Wallcoverings last July have finally found a reason to celebrate this Christmas.

Despite the financial blow and upset when Nigel Jones lost his job, he and his wife Tracy have ended the year on a high with news that their daughter, who has limited hearing, has been given the all-clear from doctors.

Seven-year-old Caitlin suffers from a rare growth disease which left her with only one ear and poor hearing in the other.

But, on her latest visit to the doctor, her parents were told that her hearing in her remaining ear was now as normal as any other child.

Tracy, 40, said: "Caitlin only has one ear and she was off school for five days with a horrendous cold and she lost her hearing completely. She has to go for audiology tests and, because she had been so ill in the month leading up to it, we were expecting it to be a poor reading but we got brilliant news. They said she had her first normal reading which means she might not need to have any more operations on her ear.

"Nigel and I couldn't stop smirking when the doctor told us. It is the best news we have received all year and overtakes any of the bad news we have had."

Caitlin will still face operations on her face, as the bones there have not grown as quickly as they should, but doctors are waiting for her bones to grow thicker before they do anything further.

Caitlin said: "I've been wishing that my hearing would be good and I am very happy now. I got a sticker for being good too."

Caitlin suffers from Goldenhar Syndrome, which left the right side of her body under developed from birth, meaning she needs equipment to help her breathe. She also has autism.

When Nigel, 42, lost his job, the couple's first concern was how they could afford to take Caitlin to Birmingham several times a month for her check-ups.

The family, of Somerset Avenue, were also planning to go on holiday to Christchurch near Bournemouth at the end of August, but had to cancel when they heard Nigel was to lose his job, their only income.

But Nigel's determination to find another job paid off in August when he found alternative employment at Colourfast, in Blackburn, and the pair are now hoping that 2004 will be a new start for them. After the job losses, Tracy set up a fund to help the children of redundant workers.