Lasting Fruit

PUBLISHED - 20th January 2026

Torch has been sending magazines worldwide since its beginning back in 1959. Many of these were in the form of children’s magazines in braille. There were blind schools across the globe who received them, including a school in Benin City, Nigeria, where Susan was given one, which was her first introduction to Torch Trust and our ministry. Zoë spoke to Susan to hear some more of her story…

Susan came to a Torch House coffee morning in late 2024, after having first connected with Torch back in 1985. “I was introduced to Torch when a Catholic priest visited my primary school and distributed braille magazines to the children.” 

It was so wonderful for us to see that a braille magazine from 40 years ago is still having an impact today. The effect of Torch has been long-standing, as Susan used Torch’s pen-pal section in the magazine. “Through Torch’s pen-pal pages, I made many lasting friendships with readers, many of those friends I met while I was in secondary school and some of us still keep in touch and support one another to this day.”

Susan explains her journey with sight loss, “When I was six years old I lost my sight after a severe measles infection. I was given incorrect medication which caused my skin to peel and left me with a corneal ulcer and extensive scarring on my body and eyes. This was a huge change for me and my family. My parents were frightened and uncertain, and they searched until they found a school for the blind where I learned to read by touch.” It was while at this school that Torch became known to Susan and, to her joy, it changed the way she was able to interact with her friends and the Bible. “I was thrilled – my siblings and friends had printed magazines and Christian literature they could read and compare, but because of my sight loss I couldn’t join in. When Torch began sending me braille Bible stories and recorded cassettes, everything changed. The dramatised Bible stories and gospel songs they sent drew my siblings and friends to listen with me and those recordings made me feel included and inspired.” 

Torch aims to make Christianity accessible to those with sight loss, leading them to feel a sense of belonging and inclusivity. By sending resources to Susan as she grew up, we were able to keep her feeling welcome and a part of her church family in Nigeria.

Born into a Christian home, Susan was raised to follow God, which was strengthened by the Torch materials she received as a child. “Hearing and reading dramatised Bible stories and believers’ testimonies from Torch had a profound impact on my spiritual growth. Even as a child those stories and the love they shared formed a deep part of my faith.” She shares, “Torch played a significant part in my faith journey. The Bible stories, Christian magazines (including Scripture Union books) and gospel songs helped to keep me rooted in Christ.” 

We want to play a part in many more children’s faith journeys, which has, in part, inspired our Hope for All project. We have embedded the audio of The Jesus Storybook Bible into some cuddly lambs and are freely offering them to children with visual impairments. We have also added a new category onto the eShop on our website just for children’s books, which consists of more than 80 books! If you know a child with visual impairments who would love to engage with the Bible in an accessible way, then please check out the shop on our website or get in contact to order a lamb audio Bible.