The Royal Society for Blind Children is celebrating its first anniversary in its award-winning Richard Desmond’s Life Without Limits Centre (LWLC) for children, young people and their families in the heart of London.
RSBC’s CEO, Sue Sharp comments:
“We are excited to be celebrating our first year at the LWLC with the children, young people and families. This is their space after all. One where they can engage in activities, make new friends and grow the skills and confidence for life. It has been lovely to see and hear them enjoying the Centre and to hear their feedback.”
The space at 10 Lower Thames Street was made available to RSBC through the generosity of businessman and philanthropist Richard Desmond and designed by EPR architects who were supported by Hollis, Zumtobel and Team ITG. The build was very generously funded by a host of family and corporate foundations as well as individuals.
In the LWLC, the Royal Society for Blind Children has created a welcoming and friendly space for blind and partially sighted children and their families to enjoy. Over the last year they have been taking part in cooking and life skills classes in the bright and accessible kitchen space; creating their own podcasts and getting creative in the media and creatives suites; learning and upskilling in assistive tech and employment skills in the learning hub; and being able to have personal conversations in the cosy family rooms. The double-height, flexible atrium area has provided space for events including clay and animal workshops, and musical performances.
The children and young people have said:
“I just wanted to say thank you for the afternoon tea session today. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a brilliant event!”
“Thank you for welcoming me into the Sisterhood group, I enjoyed my first session and like that I have met other VI girls to talk to.”
“Continue to keep up the good work and providing activities.”
“I had the best day ever!”
The LWLC is also the head office of the RSBC and students from the Royal Society for Blind Children’s specialist Further Education college, Dorton College, also use the space to support their learning.
The organisation has been able to welcome a range of charity partners who have been able to utilise the flexible space and corporate supporters have also been welcomed.
The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) supports blind and partially sighted children and young people, and their families. The charity was founded by Thomas Lucas in 1838 to teach blind children to read.
Whilst education and learning remain at its heart, RSBC also offers a range of services and has established a dedicated families’ service – Families First – to support the whole family.
It is the only national charity focused solely on vision-impaired children and young people aged up to 25 years. There are an estimated 37,000 blind and partially sighted children and young people in England and Wales and every day, four more children will be diagnosed with sight loss.
At the birthday party on Saturday 11th March children, young people and families will be able to take part in a whole host of activities including birthday cupcake making; arts and crafts; gaming; trying out new technology; soft play; playing musical instruments as well as exploring the Centre.
The LWLC is hugely valuable to the children, young people and families, and the charity relies on the support of generous donors to keep the full range of activities running.
To find out more about how you can support the work of the Royal Society for Blind Children click here.
The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC), Percussion Play, and The Amber Trust are delighted to announce their collaboration with the aim to make outdoor musical instruments even more accessible, particularly to young people who are blind or partially sighted.
A workshop is to be held in April at the RSBC’s Life Without Limits Centre in London, to explore how Percussion Play’s instruments can be improved and made more accessible for vision-impaired children and young people.
The Amber Trust, which provides musical opportunities for blind and partially sighted children, will join forces with the RSBC and Percussion Play at the workshop on 12th April, sharing insight as a charity that supports children with a talent or a love for music. Amber Music Practitioner, Gennie Joy, will be facilitating the session, guiding children and their families in playing Percussion Play’s Babel Drums, Cyclone, Cavatina, Tubular Bells and much more.
Percussion Play is looking forward to learning which shapes, heights, colours and finishes are beneficial to people with vision impairments. There is also the possibility Percussion Play will create a new instrument during this collaboration.
With a diverse selection of musical and percussion instruments, Percussion Play is committed to making musical expression accessible to everyone, everywhere. Its instruments are designed to be fully inclusive and are enjoyed around the world in a range of settings from hospitals, museums, schools, parks, nursing homes and libraries.
Sue Sharp, RSBC Chief Executive said:
“Many of the children and young people we work with have a love of music, whether that is writing and performing their own music, singing, playing a musical instrument, or simply listening to it. Our Life Without Limits Centre often hosts their many musical talents and interests. The chance to influence the design of Percussion Play’s products is a great opportunity and I am sure that the children and young people will have a lot of ideas to share with the Jody and the team.”
