Harrogate district charity receives King’s Award for Voluntary ServicesA charity that supports visually impaired people across the Harrogate district has received the highest honour for voluntary groups in the UK.
Vision Support Harrogate District has been given the King’s Award for Voluntary Services, the equivalent of an MBE that recognises the country’s most inspiring volunteer-led groups.
Tanya Stimpson, the charity’s director of services, said everyone was “delighted and overwhelmed” to receive the award.
She said:
“Such a prestigious award recognises the dedication of our charity’s volunteers and the positive impact they have on our community. Some have been with us for 20, 30 and even 40 years. They give so freely their skills and experience, time, friendship and support; without them our charity would not exist.”
Vision Support Harrogate District offers practical services as well as emotional support, friendship and kindness to help visually impaired people live a full and independent life.
Among its long-serving volunteers is Ann Routledge, 85, who described the King’s Award as “wonderful news”.
She said:
“It just means everything to us. We are the only charity in the district for visually impaired people and this award is about recognising how much work we do.”
Volunteer Jerry, third from left, with his bowling group members
Ripon volunteer John with retired volunteers Doreen, right, and Joan.
Vision Support Harrogate District helps people develop new skills and take part in a range of social and wellbeing activities, both at a drop-in centre in Harrogate as well as satellite meetings in Ripon and Pateley Bridge. It also offers a helpline, telephone befriending service and home visits.
Helen McGrath joined as a member when she lost her sight suddenly nine years ago at the age of 42. She now volunteers for the charity, using her experience to help others. She said:
“I’d be lost without this place. What they have done for me is immeasurable.
“It’s very hard to be told you’re losing your sight; you can feel like your life has come to an end. But coming here made me feel like my life had restarted on a much more positive path.”
Val Pilkington, 75, worked at the charity before becoming a full-time volunteer along with her husband Steven when she retired around ten years ago. She said:
“Support is the big word; the members and the volunteers all support each other. It’s just like a family, everybody pulls together and it’s very rewarding indeed.”
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Tanya added:
“Throughout Vision Support Harrogate District’s 102 years of service, volunteers have led the charity and provide lifelong educational, social and wellbeing services and activities to those in our community who have sight loss. We will display this award with pride, remembering devoted volunteers past and present.”
Sculptures made by members of Vision Support Harrogate District will form part of an art exhibition at St Peter’s Church from November 21 to 26.
Sensory garden with braille plaques opens in HarrogateA sensory garden created purposefully for visually impaired people in Harrogate was officially opened today.
Spenceley Gardens on Station Parade in Harrogate was refurbished in a joint initiative between Harrogate Borough Council, RHS Garden Harlow Carr and Vision Support Harrogate District.
The gardens, which were originally created in 1973 after the land was gifted to the council by Alderman George Spenceley, has been planted with grasses and herbs to create a sensory area. Braille plaques have been installed to help visually impaired people identify the various plants.
Harrogate borough mayor, Councillor Victoria Oldham and deputy lord-lieutenant Simon Mackness opened the site today.
Councillor Sam Gibbs, the council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:
“I’m delighted to see Spenceley Gardens has been given a new lease of life. The Harrogate district is internationally recognised for its horticultural offering and this sensory garden perfectly complements that.”
The new garden was designed by Phil Keesing and planted by a team of horticulturists from RHS Harlow Carr with the support of students, following funding from local resident Patricia Swallow.
A new sign for the garden has also been designed and provided by Vision Support Harrogate.
Herbs in the garden include sage, rosemary, thyme and southernwood.
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Paul Cook, curator at RHS Garden Harlow Carr said:
“A key part of the RHS vision is to enrich everyone’s life through plants and so we wanted to create a garden full of flowers, herbs and grasses that heighten the senses of smell, touch and sound to ensure the garden is a truly immersive experience for visually impaired people to enjoy.
Who was George Spenceley?
Nick, Julian and Adrian Spenceley, grandchildren of George Spenceley, said in a statement:
“Our grandfather, George Albert Spenceley is fondly remembered by all of us.
“His abiding loves were music and gardens and helped establish the Harrogate cultural scene after the war, inviting Sir John Barbirolli and the Halle Orchestra up to perform in the town.
“Setting up the sensory garden was typical of the warm-hearted, generous grandad we knew. He was to pass away just two years after the garden was established, so this was the last public act he performed.
“He would be delighted to see that they have now got a new lease of life.”
Sensory garden for visually impaired to open in HarrogateA sensory garden has been planted in Harrogate town centre for visually impaired people.
Spenceley Gardens, which is opposite Waitrose on Station Parade, has been transformed as part of a joint initiative between Vision Support Harrogate District, RHS Harlow Carr and Harrogate Borough Council.
The garden encourages people with visual impairments to develop their sense of smell and touch and provides an area of relaxation for everyone.
The area has already been planted and is set to be in full bloom in time for an opening ceremony at the end of this month.
Ann Routledge, a volunteer at Vision Support, said lots of herbs and textured plants had been planted to allow the visually impaired to explore their other senses.
She said:
“The aim is to encourage wildlife, even though it’s next to a busy road, and give people a space to sit and reflect. Our members are very excited to use the space. I just think it’ll be great to have a space like this in the centre of town.”
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The charity, which has 400 members in the Harrogate district, offers support to anyone with a visual impairment.
It also hopes that having a garden in such a prominent location will raise awareness of the charity.
The area has been previously designated as a sensory garden but those involved in the project this time hope it will become more popular.
Family’s involvement in Harrogate charity ends after 100 yearsA Harrogate charity has said goodbye to one of its trustees after 42 years, ending a century-long family connection.
At its latest AGM, Vision Support Harrogate District gave a special thank-you to Bob Sergeant for his long service, bringing to an end his family’s involvement since the organisation’s early days.
Bob joined in 1979, following in the footsteps of various family members including his father, Russell Sergeant, after whom the charity’s drop-in centre in East Parade is named.
Russell Sergeant
The Sergeants first became involved with the Harrogate Society for the Blind, as it was then known, in 1923.
The organisation had been founded two years earlier to support local soldiers returning from the First World War with visual impairments caused by mustard gas.
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Bob’s grandparents, Henry and Marion Sergeant, were near neighbours of the charity’s founder Miss Fripp, who lived in Spring Grove.
Henry had a shop on James Street, where Waterstones is now situated, and offered to display and sell basketry work made by visually impaired people.
Henry Sergeant
Henry went on to become vice chairman of the charity for six years from 1932, while Marion continued to be involved as a committee member.
Later, their son — and Bob’s father — Russell, became a trustee, serving as secretary, chairman and president before being made honorary president in 1993. Russell’s sisters, Jean, Alison and Joyce, were volunteers at the charity’s social centre, while Jean’s husband Les Topham was on the committee.
Volunteers essential
Looking back over nearly a century, Bob said he was proud of his family’s connection and honoured to have been personally involved for so long. But he praised the hard work and commitment of many others in ensuring the society’s longevity and success. He said:
“There is no way that it could survive without the help of its loyal volunteers, some of whom have been there for a number of years.
“I also think the centre would not be here today without the very valuable help from the Rotary Club of Harrogate, which was formed in the same year as the society and has been involved since the start. The club’s members have been absolutely incredible over the decades.”
Bob said some of his highlights included the fundraising garden parties at Dacre Banks and the yearly trip to Scarborough for visually impaired people and their carers.
End of an era
He remembers big events like the annual Christmas party at The Lounge Hall, now Wetherspoons, which welcomed around 400 people. It was funded by the society, with transport arranged by the Rotary Club. He said:
“Funding has become more difficult now. But one of the society’s strengths has always been that over 90 per cent of the money we raise goes back to the direct benefit of the visually impaired people we support.”
Bob and his wife, Mary, still intend to be involved with the society in the future, but his resignation from the committee marks the end of an era as their two sons live too far away to continue the Sergeants’ active contribution. He said:
“Right the way through the charity’s history there has been the Sergeant family and the Rotary Club.
“It’s been part of my life and my family history for so long, but I feel that the time has now come to stand down.”
Harrogate’s visually impaired showcase their sculptureVisually impaired people from a Harrogate charity are showcasing their art alongside professional sculptors at an exhibition in Leeds.
Nine members of Vision Support Harrogate District’s ceramics class will join other sculptors displaying their work at the Sculpture Show North this month.
The show, at the Corn Exchange in Leeds from October 22 to 31, includes work by 16 local, national and international sculptors.
Members of Vision Support Harrogate District have created sculptures of animals, teddy bears’ picnics and heads.
Their tutor, sculptor Kay Latto, is also exhibiting at the show. She said:
“The class is really excited to be able to show their work to a wider audience, and we are very grateful to Sculpture Show North for giving us this opportunity.”
Vision Support Harrogate District president Pauline Nolan (left) holds her sculpture alongside Kay Latto.
Besides ceramics classes, Vision Support Harrogate District members are offered a variety of other arts and crafts classes as well as IT.
The charity works with over 300 visually impaired people regularly and is a point of contact for 400 more.
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The charity’s director, Tanya Stimpson said:
“Art can make a real difference to people experiencing sight loss, giving them a creative outlet and helping them to understand their capabilities and build their confidence for independent living.
“As a charity that depends on the support of our volunteers and trustees, we can’t thank Kay enough for her commitment to providing such enjoyable and valuable art classes for our members alongside her own work as a sculptor.”
Sight-impaired Ripon man calls for council boss to intervene over pavement cafe
A visually impaired man from Ripon has called on the Chief Executive of Harrogate Borough Council to intervene over a pavement cafe complaint.
Graham Wilkey has lodged a stage one complaint over the Caffe Nero outside space with the council. highlighting the issue about the amount of space that pavement licence holders are required to provide to ensure access can be maintained.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“Businesses that are given a licence to put tables and chairs outside their premises, should ensure that they are properly barriered off.
“They also need to ensure that the gap between the barriered off tables and chairs and edge of the kerb, is wide enough for people in two wheelchairs to safely pass by.”
Following the end of the first covid lockdown last summer, Mr Wilkey went out on his own into the city centre.
Graham Wilkey with the white stick that was bent after he collided with tables and chairs .
However, on his first solo walk in months, he collided with tables and chairs outside Caffe Nero in Market Place North.
His white stick got stuck and was bent out of shape.
Mr Wilkey, said:
“That shattered my confidence and made me wary about going out alone.”
He ;pointed out:
“I made a complaint to the council about the table licence that they gave to Caffe Nero
“I felt that council officers had not got the measurements right.
“I believe that the gap between the tables and chairs and the edge of the kerb is not wide enough.
“In addition to this, there are other obstructions on Market Place North, such as a lamp post.
“This makes it like an obstacle course for blind, partially sighted and disabled people in wheelchairs – that’s why I am calling on Mr Sampson’s intervention.
“I have asked the council’s corporate affairs team to bring this to his attention.”
In a written response to Mr Wilkey’s stage one complaint, the corporate affairs team, said that highways officers had visited the site during a consultation period and after the licence was granted and that they:
“Have confirmed that there is sufficient space.”
The letter goes on to say:
“Harrogate Borough Council is in agreement with this.
“Whilst there is no statutory requirement for barriers to be placed all around the site, Caffe Nero have confirmed their desire to deploy additional barriers.”
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Tanya Stimpson, director of Vision Support Harrogate District, said:
“With the easing of lockdown and more pavement licences issued, people with white sticks find it more difficult to navigate around the streets.
“I know this from personal experience, because I have my own white stick.”
She added:
“People who use white sticks are trained to walk close to the frontage of buildings.
“This becomes more problematic if there are tables and chairs in the way that hadn’t been in place previously.
“Where barriers have been put around seating areas, the barrier should go all the way to the ground, so that sticks can’t get stuck under them.”
Charity Corner: Harrogate sight loss charity celebrates 100 yearsThis Harrogate district charity has offered support to local people since war times and says it will continue to be there for the next 100 years.
Vision Support Harrogate District (VSHD), a sight loss charity, is celebrating is 100th anniversary this month.
It was set up in 1921 to help soldiers blinded during the First World War. Over the century it says it has diversified to meet peoples needs.
It now has a drop-in centre in Harrogate for regular eye clinics and classes. It also organises satellite meetings in Ripon and Pateley Bridge for those living rurally to still feel supported.
Members of the charity getting involved in a chair caning class.
The charity’s staff and volunteers work with anyone who has recently been diagnosed with an eye condition, is registered as sight impaired or needs help for someone they know who is experiencing sight loss.
During the pandemic, the day centre had to close and instead the team have been ringing members as often as they can and kept them up to date with newsletters.
The charity’s director Tanya Stimpson knows first-hand the impact of sight loss after becoming a member 24 years ago. She said:
“It’s been a difficult year but we’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of local people. We are so grateful to everyone involved in helping our organisation, not just at this challenging time, but over the last 100 years.
From our volunteers and trustees to all the local people and businesses who raise vital funds for us, we couldn’t have reached this amazing milestone without you.”
The charity works with Harrogate District Hospital’s eye clinic and low vision clinic patients through a referral service.
Charity members after their line dancing class – even the guide dog joined in!
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Founded on February 4 1921, a year after Parliament passed The Blind Persons Act, the charity began the Harrogate Blind Association. With Ripon being affiliated in 1922.
Ms Stimpson added:
“In some ways, what visually impaired people need and what we are doing now has not changed much in a century. We understand how frightening and lonely it can be for people experiencing sight loss, and we are here to help, support and advise them and their families as much as we can.”
In the 1930’s the members would sell what they had made in the charity shop.
It changed its name to Vision Support Harrogate District in 2016. It now has regular contact with over 300 visually impaired people, is a point of contact for 400 more and makes around 1,000 outreach visits each year.
Membership and most services are free to join.