Welcome to Eye Matter Matters issue number nine. This is a fortnightly publication for you to share experiences, engage with our extensive range of activities and learn more about Eye Matter’s objectives for its members. If you would like to contribute an article to a future edition, please contact: fiona@eyematter.org.uk
This edition includes:
- How blind people play sport.
- Eye Matter is joining the renowned Greenwich Festival. In August.
- “I could have danced all night” with Eye Matter.
- Locking that spikey anxiety ball away!
- Eye Matter: the UK Tour!
- Bounce with Eye Matter.
Future events
- We still have tickets available for.
Future on-line events
How blind people play sport.
By Fiona Musgrove.
Eye Matter was delighted to welcome over 40 members and volunteers, to our second Sports Day, held at Islington Sports and Tennis Centre on Saturday, 22nd June. Participants were given the chance to try four accessible adapted sports including visually impaired (VI) football with Arsenal FC, cricket and tennis with Metro Blind Sport and “Showdown”, which was delivered by Croydon Showdown Club. Louise Dickson, from Illuminate Freedom, kicked off the day by putting everyone through a rigorous audio described warm up. Members were divided into groups according to sight classifications as defined by British Blind Sport and rotated between the various sports throughout the day.
For many members, myself included, this was our first time trying out a new VI sport. Originally developed in Canada and enjoyed in Australia as “Swish”, Showdown combines air hockey and table tennis, with a jingly ball skidding across a long table, divided by a Perspex screen, to the opposing goal. Robin Faulkner , whose background is in table tennis and Tom Britain ,formerly a Goalball player, supervised the games.
Odette from Metro Blind Sport, was soon donning a blindfold and like myself and Vicky, thrashed her opponent. Parm, one of our sighted volunteers, was challenged by a member to a match. After he emerged defeated 3-6 Palm laughed and said ”although I am used to wearing blind folds when delivering visual impairment training this is the first time I have used them to play sport.”
VI Cricket delivered by Robert McKenzie, Prem and Jarvid from Metro Blind Sport,provided members with the chance to bat and bowl using a small football whilst over on the tennis courts, Odette and Fiona encouraged members to try out the smaller, sponge Soundballs. Arsenal FC coaches Luke Howard and Abdul, used the larger rattling balls to be dribbled and shot into the goal.
One member said, “I really enjoyed the football and wonder if next year VI rugby could be included?”
Everyone enjoyed the delicious lunch provided by, “Tripoli express” whilst taking time to relax on a large picnic mat. Eye Matter would like to thank our amazing team of volunteers and coaches ( including Steve Reed) who made the day such a success.
Suzie said “I was delighted with the help we were given from everybody at Islington Tennis centre and Gym and we really admired the enthusiasm people showed towards all the sports. I was so delighted with all the positive feedback and I’m so pleased to say that we will be doing a sports day in 2025. I’m so grateful for all our wonderful sighted guides without whom we could not run such brilliant sessions. “
If you would like to share your thoughts regarding this year’s event or have any suggestions ahead of the Eye Matter Sports Day 2025, please email Eye Matter uk with the subject “Sports Day.”
Please click here to view our Facebook page and video of Eye Matter Sports Day 2024. our thanks to Richard Simpson. For kindly formatting this.
Eye Matter is joining the renowned Greenwich Festival. In August.
By Fiona Musgrove.
Kat Gill who recently appeared on our “Inspiring Speakers”event, , has worked as Access Producer, for Festival.org since March 2023, and is looking forward to her second Greenwich and Docklands International Festival this summer. She manages the creative development and implementation of the organisation’s sector-leading access provision across FESTIVAL.ORG’s projects, with a particular focus on Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (GDIF) which takes place from 25th August 2024 and this year will welcome Eye Matter..
The Greenwich and Docklands International Festival developed out of the former Greenwich Festival into a cross-river festival. Founded by Artistic Director Bradley Hemmings in 1995 and next year they will celebrate their 30th anniversary. In 2023 they welcomed 62,650+ audience members to GDIF2023, 17% of the audience identified as Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent. GDIF 2023, also featured 145 performances of 37 productions from local, national and international artists.
GDIF 2024 will feature 79 performances of 25 productions from local, national and international artists. It is estimated that over 60,000 people will once again attend these events.. Festivals.org is seeking to make this years events more accessible for blind and partially sighted people in a range of ways including; providing live audio description(AD) through headsets with highly skilled and experienced performance audio describers. Organising touch tours for performances where the scenic elements like set and costumes are an important part of the overall experience. Organising station meeting points to support travel to get to sites. Having a dedicated access phone line and email address for individual questions. Using Navi lens QR codes for digital audio descriptions and having trained volunteers and staff on hand to support with accessing digital audio description. They are also creating dedicated pages on their website to host digital audio description to minimise the need for scrolling.
Apart from requiring tickets for Bodies of Water All other performances are free, and you can just show up. In order to guarantee they have enough headsets for you to enjoy the live A.D., please contact Kat by calling: +07899 893 935 or by emailing: Access@festival.org“.
Eye Matter will be organising group trips to Life Lines and Dancing City. We willalso be promoteing their other audio described events. Here is a list of the opportunities available for members to attend:
Life Lines presented By Lézard Bleus
31 August – 1 September, 4pm, NOW Gallery, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0SQ
Five parkour performers take an unforgettable journey through Greenwich Peninsula’s stunning architectural landscapes.
Featuring a jaw-dropping integration of movement and climbing skills, this breathtaking performance receives its UK premiere at GDIF.
Duration: 1 Hour
FREE
Live Audio Description available.
Audio Flyer:
Dancing City 2024
Saturday 7 September | 1pm-6pm | Stratford
London’s much-loved, annual, celebration of free outdoor dance showcases a host of exceptional homegrown and international talent in amazing outdoor spaces across Stratford – in the new East Bank and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
FREE
Live Audio Description Assisted Route for blind and visually impaired audiences with EyeMatter.
12pm Meet at Stratford Station in the ticket hall of the Westfield Stratford City exit/entrance.
1.15pm Land Empathy Touch Tour
1.35pm Land Empathy Performance
2pm Break / Move to next site
2.30pm Patois Touch Tour
2.45pm Patois Performance
3.15pm Break/ Move to next site
3.45pm Frock Touch Tour
4pm Frock Performance
4.45pm Synergy Performance
5pm Walk back to Stratford Station
Audio Flyer:
Other Live Audio Described Events:
ParkWorks
Sunday 25 August 1pm-6pm
Stratford Park, West Ham Lane, Newham, E154PT
Free
Family-friendly street theatre, circus, dance and installations transform Stratford Park into a theatrical and creative playground for children and their families for two magical days.
FREE – just show up.
Live Audio Description Assisted Route for blind and visually impaired audiences – to book email access@festival.org
12 Meet at Stratford Station – the entrance on Station Street, opposite the bus station and Stratford Shopping Centre. Or meet at 12.40 at the access info point near Whalebone Lane and the Sensory Garden entrance to Stratford Park.
12.45 Touch Tour The Awakening
1 The Awakening Performance
1.15 Lunch break
2.15 Touch Tour Pram People
2.35 Pram People Performance
3.15 Break
3.45 Touch Tour Beautiful Butterfly Performance
4.35 Manjis join in weaving
Audio Flyer:
Bodies of Water by Actors Touring Company
31 August 7pm
Ahoy Centre, Borthwick Street, SE8 RJY
Duration: 40 Minutes
Ticketed: Email access@festival.org to book Audio Description
“No one leaves home… Unless home is the mouth of a shark”
Sharing the stories of those who have travelled across land and water to seek refuge. Staged on the banks of the Thames, this theatrical experience mixes the soul-stirring poetry with live performance live music and live audio description.
Audio Flyer:
World Kiosk by Variable Matter
29 August – 1 September | 12pm – 6pm | Queen’s Square, Green Street, Newham , E13 9JJ
Duration: Stay for as little or as long as you like (Durational)
A magical kiosk pops up in Green Street offering a haven of calm and connection.
Take a seat, put on your headphones and be transported to a place where stories come alive. Sip tea while making new connections. In person individualised audio description available at all times.
Free- Just Show Up.
Audio Flyer:
A Ballad of Thamesmead by A Dante or Die production
6 September 2024 8.30pm Touch tour at 8pm
Thamesmead Clocktower, 26 Meadowford Cl, London SE28 8GG
Duration: 45 minutes
A Ballad of Thamesmead gently peeks into how the world around us impacts how we feel about our home. Live folk songs by Abbey Wood native Marie Bashiru alongside Thamesmead Community Choir interweave with a soaring sound design that includes local peoples’ voices, culminating in the clocktower illuminated like never before.
Free.
To book audio description email access@festival.org
Audio flyer: https://soundcloud.com/gdif/thamesmead-1#t=0:00
If you would like to take part in either Life Lines or Dancing City, please email Eye Matter with the subject. Title “Life Lines” or “Dancing City:. We would appreciate a £2 per person donation to cover our volunteer expenses and to ensure future opportunities.
“I could have danced all night” with Eye Matter.
By Fiona Musgrove.
Tuesday nights are social nights for Eye Matter members.
On a rainy Tuesday evening (9th July) Eleven members, joined Sarah and Steve for an informal social discussion and musical quiz on Zoom. The hour long quiz featured songs from the “Lion King”, “Evita”,“Cabaret” and “Wicked” amongst others. From the short piece of music members had to guess the shows name, song title and the year they were first performed in London.
Sarah stunned everyone when she answered 1958 for “My Fair Lady” and Angela Lansbury receiving a Tony award for her role in “The Gypsy”(1969). Chanel correctly identified the name of the drag queen, Zsa Zsa from the show “Le Cage aux Falls” )which Eye matter had seen in 2023). Malcolm was able to answer a question on Billy Elliot and Alexandra knew Billys father was a coal miner.
If you would like to take part in our next on-line session please email Eye Matter with the title “Tuesday socials”.
Locking that spikey anxiety ball away!
By Fiona Musgrove.
On Monday 24th June at 1.30pm sixteen members attended the fourth session of our new “Turning Surviving into Thriving” programme live on Zoom. Facilitated by Joanna Williams, writer, workshop leader and therapist the group discussed the complexities around anxiety.
According to Mind.org.uk each week in the UK, 8 in 100 people are suffering from some sort of depression or anxiety, 6 in 100 people suffer from GAD (General Anxiety Disorder and 4 in 100 people suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
This week’s session explored anxiety in relation to grief and sight loss. Members openly discussed their own relation to anxiety and its debilitating effect upon their everyday life. Joanne discussed the concept of “Visualisation” in owning the anxiety but, also, its importance to keep us safe.
These twice a month sessions have been kindly funded by the Marway family and Natasha Cazin to allow blind and partially sighted people a chance to explore a range of different topics related to sight-loss.
If you would like to find out more about these sessions or, join us, please email: suzie@eyematter.org.uk with the subject “thriving”.
Eye Matter: the UK Tour!
Eye Matter is delighted to announce that our award-winning founder, Suzie Simons, will be visiting Sight Villages across the UK to promote the charity’s fantastic work. Eye Matter currently reaches more than 200 visually impaired people and hopes to attract many more to its free membership and exciting program of in-person and Zoom events. Together with an expert team of facilitators, volunteers and partner organisations, Eye Matter offers something for everyone.
From Monday 8th-9th July Suzie attended the Birmingham Sight Village where she met representatives from other sight loss organisations. It was also a chance for her to meet some of Eye Matters members such as Alexandra and tell potential members about the fantastic opportunities Eye Matter provides.
Suzie said “It was lovely to meet so many other organisations supporting people with sight loss, such as; Seable Holidays, Thomas Pocklington, RNIB and VocalEyes. Our stall had lots of visitors and I was able to talk about the many activities we are delivering to people all across the UK.”
Please come and say hello to Suzie and the team at the following sight villages later this year:
Sight Village North
Leeds
Royal Armouries
Tuesday, 24th September
https://www.qac.ac.uk/exhibitions/sight-village-north–leeds/1216.htm
Sight- Village South East, London
Kensington Town Hall
Tuesday, 5th November 2024
https://www.qac.ac.uk/exhibitions/sight-village-southeast/3.htm
If you would like to find out more about these sessions or, join us, please email: suzie@eyematter.org.uk
Bounce with Eye Matter.
Sixteen Eye Matter members attended our monthly Bounce session on Wednesday 12th June at 11am. This provides a chance for members to share their concerns or recommendations, on products and services available for blind and partially sighted people.
Thanks to all of our members for their contributions and to Rachel for collating these wonderful notes
Here are some highlights for a full list of their discussions please contact Suzie: suzie@eyematter.org.uk
Apple VIs is well worth signing up to and subscribing to their online newsletter:
RNIB Helpline: 0303 123 9999
Question 1: How to easily save events from Gmail into an iPhone calendar?
To read the full article please click here
If you would like to join in our monthly meetings, please email: suzie@eyematter.org.uk
Future events
All our events are accessed here
Here are a few highlights:
We still have tickets available for:
Fiddler on the Roof Saturday 31st August £15
Sailing Wednesday 4th September £5
Confidence Building Workshop with Vic Hogg and Steve Reed 21st September £5
Visually impaired group grief workshop session to be held in Kings cross Sommers Town Hall 2pm to 5pm with refreshments 28th September £5
Come from Away 9th October £18.20
TINA The Tina Turner Musical 16th October £39.50
For more information or to book your place contact Suzie
Suzie@eyematter.org.uk with subject [Name of event].
Future on-line events
Keep up to date with our activities here.
No matter where you are located in the UK, come and join our growing on-line group of friends on Zoom.
Tuesday 16th July 6pm:
Fun and Friendly social followed by audio described chair yoga
Wednesday 17th July, 11am:
VI Cookery, easy and delicious recipes
Friday 19th July, 11am:
Fun and friendly social, session to be confirmed
Monday 22nd July, 1.30 to 3.00pm:
New Surviving to Thriving facilitated by Joanna Williams, writer, workshop leader and therapist. These sessions explore the complexities and concerns around living with sight-loss.
Tuesday 23rd July, 6pm:
Fun and friendly social followed by Lindy Hop trial session. This is an audio described dance session with Lesta. This is a taster session to see if we like it. As always, your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Friday 26th July, 11am:
Fun and friendly social, session to be confirmed
Tuesday 30th July, 6pm:
Fun and friendly social followed by a concert, artist to be confirmed.
Wednesday 31st July, 11am:
Bookworms, our monthly book club, discussing An Angel Called My Name: Incredible True Stories from the Other Side by Theresa Cheung
If you want more information about any of the above events, please email us: suzie@eyematter.org.uk