News and What's On

TORCH AT TALKING NEWS FEDERATION NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Posted: 8th September 2010 by Lin Ball

Torch Trust will be represented at this weekend’s Talking News Federation National Conference in Peterborough.

The Federation represents around 400 of the country’s talking newspapers across the UK – mainly run by volunteers. They record local news and information into audio format for blind and partially sight people.

Lydia Tebbutt, Torch’s Publications Leader, will be looking to learn more about the way organisations working with people with sight loss are making the transition from audio cassette to digital recordings.

‘The TNF was one of the first organisations to phase out cassettes and move to using USB or data sticks,’ said Lydia.

‘This really is a good, cost-effective change, since the USB boom box – the most popular digital playback system on the market - is available for around £30 on the high street.

‘We will be attending the conference not only to demonstrate our partnership with TNF in the Reading Through Audio group, but also to learn firsthand from other people’s experiences of moving into digital communication.’

The conference programme will include a number of personalities from the world of sight loss, including the BBC presenter Peter White and John Godber of the RNIB.

Focus on safety out and about for blind people

Posted: 31st August 2010 by Lin Ball

Two upcoming radio programmes from Torch Trust will focus on issues of safe travel for people with sight loss.

Lots of town centres are introducing shared surface streets, where kerbs and controlled crossing points are being taken out. The idea is that it looks more attractive and it’s become a fashionable way to rejuvenate a town centre. Pedestrians and vehicles share the same space. But this design often doesn’t work for the most vulnerable in society - children, the elderly, people with learning difficulties, or those with sight loss. This kind of design can create real hazards.

Safe Travelling is the title of the Insight programme to be broadcast on Sunday 5 September. The programme, presented by Torch chair of trustees, well-known gospel singer-songwriter Marilyn Baker, includes an interview with David Cowdrey, Campaigns Manager from Guide Dogs, discussing the issues around shared surface streets.

In Out and About the following week, Sunday 12 September, interviewer Sarah Brookman goes out onto the streets with David Angell to explore the difficulties of getting around as a blind person. David was formerly on the staff of Torch Trust and his wife Sue currently works for Torch. David, a radio interviewer and producer, has been blind and a long white cane user for many years so says the actual logistics of following familiar routes don’t cause him any anxiety. But if he goes somewhere new, such as a train station, he tries to organise assistance ahead of time where possible. He will rehearse new routes he needs to follow. David prefers a cane to a guide dog; he says a cane gives you total independence when you have built up skill using it. The cane scans the pavement left and right in front of you, and walking gets into a rhythm. David finds people are generally very considerate of a cane user.

Sarah said that going out with David to make the programme made her very aware of how cluttered pavements can be, especially on bin collection day. She noticed that cafe signs and outside seating can also be problems for those with sight loss, as can delivery vans parked on the pavement.

Insight, produced by Torch Trust, is broadcast every Sunday at 4pm on Premier Christian Radio, available on DAB. If you can’t access DAB, then the programmes are available soon after broadcast dates on this Torch website: go to ‘downloads’ and scroll down to find the Insight audio downloads. Monthly CDs of the programmes are also available.

Making the volunteering experience positive

Posted: 17th August 2010 by Lin Ball

Catriona Cumming (27), who has joined the staff of Torch Trust as their Volunteer Coordinator, has a passion for making the volunteering experience a good one.

‘I see myself as a facilitator and enabler, helping the people who work at Torch – volunteers and staff – to do the work they enjoy doing as easily as possible.’

Catriona’s first task is to get to know around 25 volunteers who regularly help out in the various ministries at Torch House, and in time to contact the others who work from their homes around the UK.

Her home town is Market Harborough in Leicestershire, where Torch is based, so she’s no stranger to the organisation. She was a student at York University, where she did a BA in Politics and a Masters in Public Policy and Administration.

‘I’ve been exploring a call to ordination,’ Catriona says. ‘If that happens, it will be in the future, so for now I’m concentrating on God’s call for me within Torch.’

Catriona was brought up as a Christian. She says her commitment ‘hasn’t been about one amazing revelatory moment, but more about God’s gentle work in my life over time.’ A member of the town’s St Dionysius Church, she sings classical music with the Leicester Philharmonic Orchestra and enjoys reading, cooking for friends, jogging and cycling.

If you can spare a few hours on a regular basis, Torch has some interesting volunteering opportunities in a number of areas of the work – mainly at Torch House in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. If you think you could help with despatch in the mail room, with administration in the office, with audio work in the recording studio, or even with gardening or maintenance, Catriona would be delighted to hear from you. Call 01858 438267 or email volunteers@torchtrust.org

FROM MARKET HARBOROUGH WITH LOVE

Posted: 10th August 2010 by Lin Ball

Packing a container to take advantage of every square inch of space is something of an art – but every item in this one could make a real difference to someone’s life!

A forty-foot container has just left Torch House in Leicestershire bound for Malawi. It’s laden with a huge variety of items that will improve the daily life of people with sight loss there – soaps, toiletries, towels, lightweight clothing, braille materials, a braille embosser, second hand white canes and basic medical supplies. Also on board are tables and chairs which will be used to renovate a centre for blind children.

Torch International Leader, Janet Stafford, will be in Malawi to supervise the unloading of the container at the start of a three month stay in the country.

Janet says that the situation for many people in Malawi is desperate because of several years of drought and famine. People have little to eat; there isn’t even enough grass this year to roof their huts. Blind people are particularly affected and because of their vulnerability are frequently victims of robbery of even the little that they have. She expects to travel widely, especially in the rural areas, giving support and aid as well as encouraging and teaching Christians.

Torch sends a container of aid once or twice a year to Malawi. In the capital Blantyre, Torch supports a braille production centre, supplying scriptures in a range of African languages. Torch has also placed libraries of Christian books in several countries, particularly in Africa.

One of Janet’s goals is to be able to produce more Christian books at the Blantyre centre. She has already been asked for Christian braille libraries by six other countries.

CONFERENCE TO ENGAGE CHURCHES WITH DISABLED PEOPLE

Posted: 4th August 2010 by Lin Ball

With around one fifth of the UK population experiencing some recognisable level of disability, churches are keen to make their activities inclusive – but few have a clear understanding of how to achieve that ambition.

ENABLING CHURCH, a major one-day conference being held in October, will inspire and challenge church communities to engage with disabled people wholeheartedly within the life of the church.

Torch Trust, as part of Churches for All, will be involved in resourcing this key event.

‘In our churches we realise that our old ways of thinking about disability are no longer appropriate – but the challenge is to articulate a new understanding,’ said Dr Gordon Temple, Torch CEO.

‘The church that fails to include disabled people is itself disabled. We believe ENABLING CHURCH will be a significant event in equipping church communities to make real progress in reaching out to disabled people and using their gifting for the Kingdom of God. Through it we aim to take a fresh look at a biblical view of disability and start a conversation about an appropriate Christian response.’

The conference has attracted a number of influential Christian speakers for the programme of talks and seminars. Among them are Malcolm Duncan, who serves on a number of mission groups and regularly advises government on community renewal; international preacher and Bible expositor Jonathan Lamb; the Bishop of Exeter Michael Langrish; and Roy McCloughry, author on contemporary social issues and lecturer in ethics. Christian leaders of organisations representing people across the spectrum of disability including hearing loss, sight loss and learning disabilities will be present and leading seminars. There will also be a video message from arguably the most famous disabled person in the world, the American paraplegic writer and broadcaster Joni Eareckson.

ENABLING CHURCH: DISABILITY, WHOLENESS AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY takes place on Thursday October 7 at the Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, Central London, from 9am. The day costs £25. A person accompanying a disabled person specifically to support their participation in the conference may book a free place. The whole conference will be signed in BSL. For full details and to book go to www.premier.org.uk/events/premierevents/Enabling%20Church.aspx or call 0207 316 1313. Brochures with booking infomation are available in braille, large print and audio CD on request. To download a brochure select your preference: Enabling Church brochure PDF or Enabling Church brochure text

TORCH AT SIGHT VILLAGE

Posted: 7th July 2010 by Lin Ball

Torch Trust will be exhibiting again at Sight Village in Birmingham – the event described as ‘the premier exhibition for blind and partially sighted people in the UK’ and ‘the country’s leading expo of access tech solutions’.

‘Sight Village brings together under one roof all sorts of technologies and services for blind and partially sighted people, allowing you the rare opportunity to compare one with another,’ says Sheila Armstrong of Torch’s text transcription department.

‘For example, you can see synthesised speech readers, reading machines and magnifiers. I don’t plan to buy anything this year but it’s just good to see what’s new and to keep up to date with what’s available. I usually go to one or two relevant seminars.’

Torch Literature Leader Lydia Tebbutt described Sight Village as ‘a great opportunity to meet three main audiences.’

‘There are professionals working in the field of sight loss who need to know what we can offer their contacts, the newly blind who want to know about the many resources we offer, and also our Torch friends – people who know us and want to hear the latest news about what we’re doing,’ she said.

New this year on the Torch stand will be the first-ever DAISY catalogue, available in DAISY and print – a listing of around 450 titles now available in this format. Recent additions to Torch DAISY books include classic Christian titles such as David Wilkerson’s ‘The Cross and The Switchblade’ and Jackie Pullinger’s ‘Chasing the Dragon’ through to newer bestsellers such as ‘Planetwise’ by Dave Bookless and Jonathan Lamb’s ‘Integrity’.

Admission to Sight Village is free. The venue is the New Bingley Hall in Birmingham and you can find the Torch stand in the Reading Room. The exhibition is open from 10am to 4.30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, July 13-15. For more information: qac.sight village Guide dogs will be provided with water and a spending facility. Sighted guides will be available to accompany blind visitors.

Make yourselves at home!

Posted: 29th June 2010 by Lin Ball

It’s ‘open house’ – and you’ll be made very welcome!

Torch House, the purpose-built home of Torch Trust which is surrounded by some lovely Leicestershire countryside and sits on the edge of the charming town of Market Harborough, is throwing wide its doors for an Open Evening on Thursday July 8.

‘Come and see for yourself how the work of Torch is enabling blind and partially sighted people in the UK and around the world to realise their full potential, especially within the church community,’ says assistant CEO Andrew Nicholson.

‘You will be able to see something of every aspect of Torch work and talk to the staff who make it all happen. And if you are looking to serve the Lord in ministry to people with sight loss, we can help you identify volunteer opportunities to match your skills and availability.’

All departments of the work – from the amazing braille and giant print library and the braille production unit to the audio recording studios and displays about our UK regional and international work – will be available to tour. There will be some interactive displays and workshops and plenty of opportunity to ask questions. All ages are welcome, so it will be a real family occasion.

The Open Evening runs from 6 to 9pm but feel free to arrive when you can. A barbecue supper will be served between 6 and 8pm. There is no charge but it would be helpful to know if you are coming so that we can cater without waste.

To book your place for you and your family or church group, call 01858 438206 or email info@torchtrust.org

A real high flyer!

Posted: 18th June 2010 by Lin Ball

Miles Hilton-Barber, who started to lose his sight in his twenties, has become a record-breaking adventurer on a grand scale. The blind 61-year-old, who was born in Zimbabwe and now lives in Derby in the UK Midlands, has flown solo from London to Sydney, driven the Malaysian Grand Prix, completed numerous desert marathons, hauled a sledge to the South Pole and climbed many mountains.

Says Miles: ‘The only barrier to achieving your dreams is not your disability but your attitude to your disability! The only limits in our lives are those we accept ourselves.’ Small wonder, then, that Miles is a motivational speaker of international repute, travelling to address corporate conferences around the globe.

Miles was recently interviewed by Torch Trust and his story features in two radio programmes to be broadcast on Premier Christian Radio (DAB) at 4pm on Sunday June 27 and Sunday July 18.

Miles’ father was the director of civil aviation in Zimbabwe and so the young Miles was fascinated by planes. His desire was to be a pilot. But starting to lose his sight around the age of 21 through retinitis pigmentosa put paid to that ambition. At first Miles was in denial of his condition. He had become a Christian in his late teens and he thought God might heal him. But God showed him that more would be achieved for the kingdom if he could live a happy and fulfilled life as a blind man.

At the age of 50, Miles was inspired by the solo sailing achievements of his brother, who had also become blind through the same inherited condition. Miles realised that his own problem was not his blindness but his attitude to his blindness. His brother challenged him to realise his ambition to fly. Using speech output technology, Miles did learn to fly, using a microlight, flying from London to Sydney. Since then he’s flown lots of other kinds of aircraft, some of them supersonic. He’s also set an impressive number of sporting records for extreme sports such as scuba diving, mountaineering and desert marathons.

When asked about which of his adventures means the most to him, Miles says that flying to Australia was very special because of his childhood dream to be a pilot. He particularly recalls flying over Lebanon in a terrible snowstorm, being thrown around in the sky like a ‘demented leaf’. Even though it was quite frightening, he was touched to be flying over places of significance in the Holy Land and felt keenly aware that God was close to him. This storm was only one of a number of tight corners he got into.

If you would like to learn more about Miles, you can visit his website: www.mileshilton-barber.com

Blind walkers launch festival

Posted: 11th June 2010 by Lin Ball

In a first-time venture, blind and partially sighted people from local Torch Fellowship Groups launched the 6^th Gower Walking Festival by walking along the beautiful Swansea Bay coast earlier this month.

The walk was organised by Torch regional coordinator Verena Walder, and followed on immediately after the official opening of the Festival by Welsh Assembly member Mrs Edwina Hart.

‘The day was just for fun and we took the walk in a very leisurely way because several members had other disabilities,’ reports Verena, who is partially sighted and will be 60 in November.

‘But it was a great success. Twenty-seven blind and partially sighted people took part, along with friends and families. Two children of six and nine did the walk, there was one baby in arms and there were people in their late 70s. A number of people we met along the way joined in with us.’

Verena says the Torch walkers are planning to take part in the Festival again next year, perhaps walking a different stretch of coast.

‘Through the walk we made a number of new contacts, such as the Swansea Bowls for the Blind Association, who saw that we were taking part and came along to chat to us.’

The Swansea TFG is a thriving group of about 60 members with a strong committee, says Verena. There are four other TFGs in South Wales - based at Bridgend, Ammanford, Pontypridd and Llanelli – which between them have a further 120 members. And a prayer group of 12 to 15 people has begun in Barry, in advance of the formation of a new group there.

Verena moved to the Mumbles area over four years ago from Bromley in Kent, and for the past two years has been the hugely enthusiastic regional coordinator of Torch work.

‘I meet such lovely people doing this work!’ she says.

‘I’ve been a Christian since 1967 and a Torch Library borrower of Giant Print books since 1974.

‘Since moving here and having some revolutionary lens exchange treatment for my rather specialist cornea disease, the vision I have has been maximised and so I felt I could take the Torch work on.’

Verena is a reader in the Anglican Church and she finds this gives her many opportunities for speaking engagements about Torch across a number of denominations.

Hidden Treasures!

Posted: 3rd June 2010 by Lin Ball

What about doing some treasure hunting this Sunday?

Actually, any Sunday will do. But this Sunday, June 6, is the official date of Disability Sunday 2010.

David Coffey, President of the Baptist World Alliance, has said, ‘The life of a local church is enriched when it takes positive steps to encourage the gifted contributions of disabled people. I encourage you to release the hidden treasures in your congregation.’

From a recent survey carried out by the Premier Media Group and ComRes, 66 per cent of churches said they needed ideas for how to include disabled people in church activities. Perhaps your church is in this significant majority?

If you need ideas for holding a creative and inclusive service this Sunday – or any time of the year – here are a couple of places to go:

· Churches for All, of which Torch Trust is a member, is offering a free pack, Finding Hidden Treasure, at www.churchesforall.org.uk

· Torch Trust has a special website www.torchfoursight.org where you can register for a free pack of materials – from worship and sermon ideas to an outline for a children’s talk, from a poster to a draft press release and advice on other kinds of publicity. Also available is a five-minute DVD of interviews with people with sight loss which powerfully demonstrates the difficulties they face in churchgoing.