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partially sighted people worldwide.
News and What's On
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 6th 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.
NEW AWARD FOR ACCESSIBLE PUBLISHING
Posted: 25th May 2010 by Lin Ball
Championing the publishing of books in accessible formats is one of the key aims of Torch Trust. Our own lending library contains over three and a half thousand Christian titles in braille, giant print and audio formats – but we know that so much more could be done. With 1.8 million people in Britain living with sight loss, many people are denied access to much of the wealth of Christian publishing. With that in mind, we presented the first ever Christian Resources Award for the Best Accessible Product 2010 at the annual Christian Resources Exhibition held this month in Esher, Surrey. Fifteen awards were presented across the range of print publishing, audio and video for adults and children – but this was the first time that an award was given for an accessible format title. We made the award to Cambridge University Press for their large print King James Version Bible, a hardback in good, clear large type which is still comfortable to hold. We wanted to celebrate the efforts made by Cambridge to include people with sight loss. We hope that making this award an annual event will encourage publishers to think more about accessible versions of their products for this often overlooked audience.
PHOTO: The award presented by Gordon Temple is received by a member of the Lion Hudson team on behalf of Cambridge University Press at the Christian Resources Awards. Photo taken by Dave Lock of Manna Christian Centre, Streatham.
DISABILITY SUNDAY - FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU AND YOUR CHURCH
Posted: 29th April 2010 by Lin Ball
Did you know that this year Disability Sunday has been moved from October to June 6?
Of course, you can choose to mark this day at any point in your church calendar that makes sense for you. But, whatever day you decide on, Torch Trust has produced a pack of materials to help you plan for it. We want to support you as you put on a creative and inclusive service that draws attention to the needs of people with disability and the mutual benefits of involving them more in church life.
In the pack you’ll find worship and sermon ideas as well as an outline for a children’s talk. There’s even a poster and advice on local publicity, including a draft press release for your local newspaper. You can also request a five-minute DVD of interviews with people with sight loss which powerfully demonstrates the difficulties they face in the church context. This DVD is included with our Foursight for the Church pack to anyone who registers for it. For a preview of this DVD, go to YouTube and search with ‘Torch Trust blind people in church’.
All these materials are available on the special Torch website (www.torchfoursight.org). You will need to register to be sent the free pack. If you have already registered, simply use the email address you registered with as your password.
Torch in the Zone at biggest ever CRE
Posted: 21st March 2010 by Gordon Temple
Once again, Torch will be exhibiting at the massive Christian Resources exhibition at Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, Surrey from Tuesday 11th to Friday 14th May. We have a number of complimentary tickets available – just let us know at Torch House (contact us) and we’ll put one (or more) in the post to you. The only ‘catch’ is that we’d love you to come and see us on the Torch Stand in the Surrey Hall. This year is the biggest yet in the 25 year+ history of CRE – over 400 exhibitors plus more than 100 practical workshops. When you receive the ticket you can then ‘register’ online if you wish to fast track your entry to the event when you arrive. Last year Torch celebrated its 50th anniversary. This year we are part of a new feature at CRE – the ‘Churches for All’ zone. Churches for All is a partnership of UK Christian disability organisations and the zone will include interactive activities, seminars and workshops, as well as the stands of the partner organisations. If you have not been to CRE before, the venue is within the M25 and you can park for free at the racecourse (postcode KT10 9AJ). Alternatively trains to Esher station run from London Waterloo and Clapham Junction approximately every 20 minutes and the journey time is 25 minutes. Esher station is approximately 10 minutes flat walk from the main entrance (or there is usually a free CRE courtesy bus). Full details at www.creonline.co.uk
2010 - Torch Year of Promise
Posted: 5th January 2010 by Dr Gordon Temple
2010 – Torch’s year of promise!
A New Year message from CEO Dr Gordon Temple
During 2009 Torch Trust celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. Our vision, our passion has been and remains that every blind or partially sighted person may:
- explore and discover the Christian faith
- grow as a Christian
- have a fulfilling devotional life
- join a church of their choice
- develop their invaluable God-given gifting
- contribute to the life of the church
- In the UK, 100 people learn every day that they are losing their sight and 1.8 million people live with sight loss beyond correction with spectacles – a statistic that will double by 2050.
- Worldwide, 160 million people are blind or partially sighted. They are counted among the poorest people on the planet, and arguably with the least access to the Christian message.
Never have we known such an appetite for what Torch does among blind and partially sighted people and among the organisations that serve and support them – with growing interest in our Fellowship Groups, our specialist holidays and, of course, our Christian literature in a range of formats. We are welcomed at exhibitions, events and conferences run by ‘blindness’ organisations of all kinds. We are encouraged by the UK Vision Strategy published by Vision 2020 and the RNIB in 2009, particularly in that it identifies the emotional support needs of people experiencing sight loss – an issue which Torch has long recognised and to which we respond through several aspects of our work.
2010 to be Torch’s Year of Promise!
We enter the New Year with a sense of expectation – despite the financial challenges of the present time, to which Torch is not immune. Looking back over the past 50 years we have seen God’s faithfulness and we are encouraged in our faith as we grasp the opportunities before us. The seeds of good things are evident in every area of our work:
· Our Foursight for the Church initiative has attracted registrations from almost 600 churches.
· Increasingly we are finding ourselves in mutually constructive relationships with other organisations working in areas of access for those with sight loss, and that includes a new initiative to make worship resources more accessible.
· We are working towards the launch of a new MP3 disk service for audio readers.
· Following the outstanding success of the DAISY format audio Bible, a King James DAISY version will be ready next year in time for the 400th anniversary of the translation’s first publication.
· There is interest from many areas in starting up new Torch Fellowship Groups.
· Growing numbers of people with sight loss are coming on Torch Holidays.
· Our international work is experiencing fresh growth, with an increasing network of mutually supportive partnerships and the prospect of a facilitating role in a massive project providing braille Scriptures in many more languages starting in 2010.
In Luke 14 we read Jesus’ story of a great celebration. Invitations went out to those who expected to be invited but their response was indifference. With the banquet ready but an absence of guests, the host sends his servants out onto the streets to those who would never expect a party invitation – blind people among them – to invite them personally. Torch has a global vision for its work – but it’s realised in a myriad of personal encounters. So much now depends on each of us – the Master’s servants – to bring the personal touch. A Happy New Year to all our friends and supporters! Please pray with us that 2010 will be for Torch a Year of Promise fulfilled!
God bless you, Gordon
CHRISTIAN PERSONALITIES CONTRIBUTE TO CHARITY
Posted: 16th December 2009 by Torch Trust
