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1. The vistore is part of Vista, a local charity supporting local people with sight loss for over 150 years 1858 1859 1876 1915 1936 1966 1970 1975 1989 2003 1923 The Birth of Vista Our first shop Our first homes 1880 Doing our bit 1932 Our new homes Specialist workers Talking News 1979 VI + LD Building on our Heritage 2013 Robert Macklay persuades the Mayor of Leicester to hold a meeting in the Guildhall which leads to the formation of the Leicester Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the blind. In 1889 The Wycliffe Society for Helping the Blind was formed by Edwin Crew and Charles Harris. They had a vision of “a city for the blind” in North Evington and built homes and a hospital. The two societies come together in 1973 to become the organisation we know today. The first cottage home for the blind opened in Albion Street to provide care to four infirm blind women We build a new, larger workshop and shop at 42 Granby Street The annual report of 1915 says “Our blind workers have been doing ‘their bit’ towards helping the army in the field. The brush makers have made thousands of brushes for the troops. Baskets have also been made for military purposes. In our Chair Department the blind girls have caned many seats for war planes and those in the knitting room have been striving for months to steadily increase their output for men at the front, while keeping pace with the growing demand for these goods over the counter” We build a new workshop on a piece of land donated by Arthur Wakerley. This site on Margaret Road becomes our home for the next 94 years and would be the base to support thousands of blind and people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Social gatherings for the Blind forms a significant part of its work. Social groups still form an important part of the work of the charity , preventing social isolation. This is as true for children sight loss and their and families as it is for older people with sight loss. Our children’s groups have come a long way though since 1936! The Kathleen Rutland Home for the Blind in Leicester Forest East is built at a cost of £250,000. In 1976 we opened the New Wycliffe Home in Gleneagles. Both homes continue to provide excellent care to elderly people with sight loss, including those with dementia. The creation of the mobility service to train and support people blind people in getting out and about using long canes. Vista still supports people to develop new skills and to get out and about by using a team of Qualified Rehabilitation Workers The first edition of the talking newspaper service is released. Today we still work with the Leicester Mercury and other newspapers turning their papers into talking newspapers. We send out over 70,000 copies a year in English, Gujarati, Urdu and Hindi, thanks to a dedicated team of volunteer readers. The Save our services campaign is launched and raises over £100,000. Vista is a registered charity supporting the 6,500 people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland who have are blind or partially sighted. We still need to fundraise so if you’d like to donate to vista, either your time or money then please talk to member of staff. The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Society for the Blind becomes known as Vista. We’re proud of our heritage, but we are not stuck in the past. Our services have changed and grown as Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland have changed and grown. 150 years in we remain the leading provider of services to Blind and partially sighted people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. So if you see a person with sight loss being supported in the community, it’s likely that it’s Vista offering that support. Vista opens the Vistore on Hotel Street selling the things that make life easier for people with sight loss. This is just one of our services as we also provide support to people in hospitals, befrienders in the community, talking newspapers, residential homes, social groups, services to people who are deaf and blind, and of course we still work with people to learn new skills to get around and live their lives. If you’d like to know more, or get involved, than talk to a member of staff or go to www.vistablind.org.uk 6 blind people lived and worked at the shop at 86 High Street, Leicester. The shop sold goods made by blind people including baskets. Following a royal visit George 5th proclaimed that we should become The Royal Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland incorporated institution for the blind Applegarth the first specialist home in the country to support people with learning disabilities and sight loss opens in Leicester Forest East. This is followed in 1997 by New Simmins and Whitteney a collection of bungalows for 15 people with learning disabilities and sight loss.