Memories from a Sheffield family supported by sight loss charity

The move came after Danny Boyle was inspired saw a Facebook post by Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind (SRSB) about a storyline on ‘Call the Midwife’ earlier this year.

Danny’s parents, Jim and Ruth, were both clients of SRSB and he is one of their three sons. After he watched the programme, which featured a story about a young blind mother in the 1960s he said: “I can honestly say I wept tears of joy and tears of sadness, it was so true to life.”

Jim and Ruth were both blind and they met at the Sharrow Lane workshops, then married in 1952. When they had their first son a couple of years later, they were told that they couldn’t keep him because they couldn’t care for him properly.

This was when SRSB stepped in and moved them from private accommodation to a house that was specially adapted for blind people with children – Overend Cottages in Crosspoo).

When Danny arrived in 1955 they faced the same challenge again, as social services said that they couldn’t manage with two children. Luckily they had a formidable ally in a local doctor who fought their corner. Then in 1962 when their last son came along it all happened again, but the same doctor, along with a councillor ensured that the family stayed together.

Danny recalls his happy childhood: “Mum and Dad did us proud. It was tight but we never wanted for anything and everything was done with a smile.”

SRSB has been working on behalf of blind and partially sighted people for 160 years and is now collecting memories from its long history with Sheffield, and anyone who would like to contribute can contact [email protected]

SRSB is also holding an online event on the anniversary, September 17, as part of Heritage Open Days. There will be an online virtual tour of SRSB’s history and a Q&A session. More information can be found on the Heritage Open Days website: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/event/a-virtual-tour-of-srsbs-160-year-history-with-sheffield

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