Vital charity still going strong after 150 years
IN SEPTEMBER 1860 Sheffield was a very different place to the city we know today.
With the progress of the Industrial Revolution had come the knock-on problems - amongst them the squalid conditions and associated disease.
One of the significant issues was a surge in the number of people living with blindness.
Sisters Eliza and Anne Harrison, who lived at what is now Weston Park Museum, used money left to them by their father to set up what is now the Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind.
It started life on a lease in a yard behind a stationer's in West Street, and originally acted as an industrial school for the blind where people learned trades such as basket making and weaving.
In 1867 the institution launched a fundraising appeal and within weeks 974 had been collected, which, when put together with 100 legacy, was enough to buy their own property.
Over the years the organisation grew, moved sites, and added Royal to its name following a visit from King George V in 1921 which made it the Royal Sheffield Institute for the Blind.
Then in 1937 the charity moved to its current site in Mappin Street, off West Street.
Since 1945 the type and scope of the services on offer there have been adapted to better suit people's needs, and in 1996 the name was changed to its current title to reflect its status as a "modern, progressive, voluntary organisation".
Last year the facilities were brought in line with their contemporary ideas when a multi-million refurb was completed at the Mappin Street centre. They even received the Royal seal of approval last month when the Earl of Wessex called in for a guided tour whilst on a trip to the city.
Today in 2010 the services offered may be very different to how the charity started out, but their ethos remains the same - to support and enable visually impaired people to live full and independent lives.
Sue Coggin, fundraising manager at the centre, knows first hand the difference the charity can make.
Her mum Myra Drummond suffered with macular disease - a vision deterioration relating to age - in the latter years of her life, and accessed support at the centre for around nine years.
Sue said: "The condition that mum suffered from is one of the most common and we support lots of elderly people who are living with its effects.
"It can be very frustrating, particularly because as you get older it becomes more difficult to deal and cope with. It was great for my mum to be able to come in and meet other people and to know that she was not on her own.
"We're trying to help people to carry on as much as normal as possible, and to allow them to stay in their own homes. It's very important to them."
But it's far from just a place for elderly people.
The centre provides support, advice, and recreational activities for anyone with sight problems from pre-school age into their 100s. There are several elements to the service they provide.
It can be something as simple as sending one of their dedicated volunteers round to someone's house to open some post, to offering expert advice on anything from benefits to tribunal hearings.
They also run a host of self-help, social and leisure groups covering specific conditions such as macular disease and Charles Bonnet syndrome - a condition which results in sufferers experiencing visual hallucinations.
The meetings offer the chance to meet others in the same situation as themselves, and also provide opportunities to take part in a host of pursuits including ten pin bowling, rambling, archery and creative writing.
There's also an activity group called the Little Sparklers - designed for pre-school children and their parents - which tailors its approach specifically for youngsters and their parents who may also be adjusting to the implications of having a visually impaired child.
Sue said the support of these groups was invaluable, and added: "Simply meeting and talking to people in a similar situation can be of huge benefit."
Three mini-buses operate from the centre each day, picking people up from around the city to attend at the centre. They currently have around 3,000 members and attract around 50 people through the doors each day.
Many head to the activities centre where they can tuck into a cooked meal each day, receive some pampering in the health and beauty room or get their IT skills up to speed in the computer room.
Others come to test out new gadgets in the new equipment centre to find out what impact they can have to make life easier for them at home.
"There's all sorts of different things in there," Sue said.
"There's a piece of equipment which can tell you what colour the clothes you are wearing are - it may sound silly, but it's important for people to be wearing matching outfits and sometimes there is no other way of knowing.
"There's also things like talking watches - telling the time is another thing sighted people take for granted - and talking mobile phones. They're all things aimed at helping to make life easier."
The Talking Book library service is also popular with members - the Society acts as the local agent for the Royal National Institute for the Blind, which is funded by Sheffield Council.
The charity, which has 149 regular volunteers, employs 55 staff. The total includes the running of Cairn residential home in Crosspool for blind and visually impaired people.
The cost of delivering the service exceeds 1 million each year.
They receive no grants from the local authority or government and rely entirely on fundraising work and charitable donations.
Sue said: "The charity is something that Sheffield should be proud of. It's a major achievement that we have been around for 150 years, and we hope we can carry on supporting blind and visually impaired people here for the next 150 years."
Call 0114 272 2757 to see how you can help.
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