David's commentary helps blind canaries fans

Football-mad David Davenport (shown above) is so keen on helping others enjoy the beautiful game, that as well as helping to referee and run the Norfolk Christian Football League, David spends most Norwich City home games commentating on the latest fortunes of the team for blind supporters.

David is one of Norwich City's five volunteer Soccer Sight commentators who aim to give an unbiased kick-by-kick account of the home matches.

David's commentary is broadcast through radio transmission equipment and headsets provided by the Soccer Sight project to ensure that blind and partially sighted supporters have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful game and enjoy the atmosphere, in the stadium, as it happens.

David says the main difference between normal radio commentary and the Soccer Sight commentary is that they have to try and be very zonal.

During the match David describes the tackles, the behaviour of the referee, the appearance of some of the players and why the crowd were reacting in different ways.

"You can't go off and have a chat about what the players had for breakfast, because while details like that might be interesting for a sighted person, the blind people listening have come for the game - they want to know where the ball is, not about the manager's car having broken down on the way."

Soccer Sight aims to bring quality football commentary to blind and partially sighted people at every professional football club in the UK. The project, run by Action for Blind People, recruits and trains commentators who improve access to football for thousands of fans every year.

For information on Soccer Sight, contact Susan Neale on 01792 366756 or email susan.neale@actionforblindpeople.org.uk

Story reproduced with permission from Network Norwich and Norfolk, your local source of Christian news.

National celebration weekend concludes 50th anniversary year

Market Harborough Saturday 28th November 2009 2.30PM

Mervyn Ivany, the chairman of Norwich TFG and the blogger travelled to Market Harborough to join over 400 other Torch supporters in a special 50th Anniversary Thanksgiving service held in the town's Leisure Centre on Saturday 28th November 2009.

Staff, Trustees, representatives from 40 UK based Fellowship Groups and guests from other countries were identified and welcomed during the Roll Call led by Carol Noakes, one of the Regional Liaison team.

Contributors to the anniversary book "50 Steps Forward" were introduced and the book formally launched simultaneously in braille, giant print,DAISY audio and print. Every day starts with prayer at Torch HQ and the book has been compiled to encourage others to do the same.

Mike Townsend gave a tribute to Stella Heath, the co-founder of the Torch Trust who died recently.

Marilyn Baker introduced and taught us the Torch Family Song which she had been asked to compose especially for the anniversary and everyone joined in the repeat.

The words and music to the song will be published shortly.

Various people were invited onto the stage to talk about different aspects of Torch's activities:

• how the first Torch fellowship group started in a house in Birmingham and how this number has grown to 125 around the country with new locations planned,
• how the lack of accessible Christian material for the visually impaired prompted the Heaths to learn to braille and to start recording Christian books onto tape,
• how the library service has now grown to offer more than 3,500 titles to readers in over 100 countries in several languages (one lady said told that she was so happy to find Christian books when she visited Torch that she sat on the floor in the library and just "devoured" book after book),
• others gave a flavour of the holidays they had enjoyed both at Torch's own Holiday and Retreat Centre and elsewhere and
• Janet Stafford who leads the international ministry talked of how the work of helping to fulfil the practical and spiritual needs of visually impaired in third world countries had led to Torch establishing a production unit to serve Africa in Malawi.

Gordon Temple, the CEO of the Torch Trust, concluded the proceedings by presenting the Torch Trust's ambitions for the future – that no blind or partially sighted person should be denied the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel message, to grow in their faith, or to become a fully valued member of a local church community.

Refreshments were available afterwards and we took the opportunity to visit Torch House, which is nearby, to view the displays of equipment, literature and images like the photo montages of each decade shown above and to meet up with the staff.

We also had some interesting conversations with other Torch volunteers from Birmingham, Nottingham, Northern Ireland and Macedonia.

A recording of the service is available on loan from the Torch Library to registered borrowers.

About 90 people stayed at nearby Hothorpe Hall for a full weekend programme of anniversary events. ‘There was a great sense of reunion throughout the whole weekend,’ said Gordon Temple (pictured above with Mervyn Ivany). ‘People who had been associated with Torch throughout its half century came together to reinvigorate old friendships and make new ones.’

Thanks to Lin Ball of Torch for help in compiling this report

Just released and coming to a screen near you!

Torch has produced this five minute video for use in churches to help them identify the challenges that blind and partially sighted people often experience in church life. It concludes with an introduction to Torch's Foursight for the Church initiative that offers churches helpful guidance and resources.

Why not request a copy of the DVD to show to your church or group. The points raised in the video could be used as a discussion starter at a house group, deacons meeting or youth club.

You can register at www.torch-foursight.org to get a copy of the Foursight church pack which includes the DVD

50 years of Torch Celebration in Norwich

Over 40 people including representatives from a number of Norwich churches joined us for a local celebration meeting lead by a team from Torch HQ at Douro Place Chapel, Norwich last Saturday afternoon.

The Torch Trust is celebrating 50 years of providing Christian literature and fellowship to blind and partially sighted people in the UK and throughout the world.

Read a report of the event written by Helen Baldry of Network Norwich by clicking on this link

Stella "Mum" Heath has passed away

Gordon Temple, Chief Executive of the Torch Trust writes:

Torch's co-founder, Stella Heath, died peacefully in hospital on the evening of 29th September 2009. Though this will come as very sad news to many, we can rejoice and be thankful for a wonderful fruitful life.

The Torch Trust of today was formed in 1959 by Stella and her husband Ron who died in 1999. The gentle but purposeful way she and Ron developed the work of the Torch Trust led to those involved with them becoming known as the 'Torch Family' with Stella as 'Mum'.

Through Torch, and latterly 'Shalom', the ministry she started in retirement, many, many blind, partially sighted and deafblind people have been touched, helped, encouraged and blessed, right across Britain and around the world.

Please take a moment to thank God for her life and work

Members of the Norwich TFG can remember Mum and Dad Heath visiting Norwich in the mid seventies to encourage the fledgling fellowship group. Norwich TFG members also joined them for holidays and training weekends at Torch House at Hallaton and on holiday at Filey Week.

The family have planned a service of thanksgiving at Pulborough, West Sussex on 16th October. For more information call Torch House on 01858 438260 or email:info@torchtrust.org

Norwich TFG welcomes its first African member :-)

Sometimes when I am updating this blogspot, I wonder if anyone benefits from reading the articles posted here. Now I know they do!

In May 2009, I received an e-mail from a gentleman in northern Namibia in response to one of the articles on this BlogSpot. He requested Torch literature and I passed his request to the International department at Torch House in Market Harborough in Leicestershire as they have the resources and contacts to fulfil his requirements.

Last week I received another e-mail from him:

Thank you very much for your concern about my request i really appreaciate it. Last month i received the bi-monthly magazine of the torch trust. Im very much excited to be a member of your organisation. Good day

Intrigued, I decided to learn some more about this man's country.

Namibia is a country in Southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It's other borders are shared with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the east, and South Africa to the south and east

It is the second most sparsely populated country in the world after Mongolia and has a population of 1.8 million people. With a stable multiparty parliamentary democracy, the economy consists of agriculture, herding, tourism and the mining of precious stones and metals. Approximately half the population live below the international poverty line of U.S.$1.25 a day, and the nation has suffered heavily from the effects of HIV/AIDS, with 15% of the adult population infected with HIV in 2007.

Interestingly, there seemed to be a lot of churches in my contact's town and I have since found out that the Christian community makes up at least 80% of the population of the country. Missionary work during the 1800s drew many Namibians to Christianity. While 50% of Namibian Christians are Lutheran, there also are Roman Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, African Methodist Episcopal and Dutch Reformed Christians represented.

Premier Christian Radio goes national on DAB

From Monday 21st September , Premier Christian Radio will be broadcasting across Britain on DAB digital radio.

It’s a significant expansion for Premier which has come a long way since its launch as a medium wave local station in 1994 when it was only available in parts of London. Via the national commercial operator, Digital One, Premier will be available to more than 90% of the British population from Newcastle to Exeter and Southampton to Glasgow.

Premier's Chief Executive, Peter Kerridge is excited about the switch to national DAB digital radio. “ For the past few years it’s been our ambition to bring Christian radio to listeners across Britain. It’s a campaign that’s seen lobbying of Parliament, letter-writing campaigns to the regulator and people at prayer across the country. This is the biggest step for our radio station since its launch. We’re grateful to church leaders from all of the major Christian denominations who’ve supported this initiative, and to the thousands of individual listeners who are backing us financially to pay for national transmission.”

As well as Torch's own programme, Insight with Marilyn Baker broadcast on Sundays at 4PM you can listen to Inspirational Breakfast, the daily magazine show Woman to Woman, Premier Worship, Premier Drive and Worship and Gospel Tonight. Premier also broadcasts talks, discussion programmes and specialist music programmes (ranging from rock to R&B).

If Premier doesn't come up in your choice of stations, please tune to "D1 Test1" or do a Rescan/Autotune of your radio.

More information about how to receive Premier on DAB is available here

Disability Sunday October 4th 2009

Church presents challenges for people with sight loss

Are disabled people fully involved in the life of your church?

If the answer is "No" or "Not as much we would like", why not make a start by holding a Disability Sunday service on or near Sunday October 4th 2009?

Churches are encouraged to hold a Disability Sunday service with the following objectives:

• Demonstrate that God responds to and uses disability in many different ways
• Show disabled people that God cares about them and their needs
  
• Raise awareness of disability and the needs of disabled people
  
• Give people affected by disability a voice

Torch Trust have produced a free Disability Sunday pack which contains a range of material to help you hold a service including:

• a five minute DVD which graphically demonstrates the difficulties faced by people with sight loss in the church context;
• a creative service outline;
• Ideas for local publicity including a draft press release for the
  local media and a poster;
• Sermon ideas;
• and an outline children's talk.

To obtain your copy contact David Palmer or Carol Nokes by phone on 01858 438260 or e-mail David Palmer

If you do plan to hold a service as a result of reading this, please let us know with a quick e-mail. Thanks

Torch celebrated 50 years of service this month

The Torch Trust for the Blind celebrated its fiftieth anniversary this month (June 2009). A series of special events are being held throughout 2009 to mark the 50th anniversary and Norwich TFG will be hosting the Torch Choir as part of the celebrations on October 10th

On the actual anniversary date of June 8, Torch staff, volunteers and supporters gathered for a Day of Prayer at Torch House in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. Torch supporters from around the country were able to listen and take part through a conference call phone-in for an hour in the middle of the day.

Torch’s Chief Executive Dr Gordon Temple said, ‘The day was one of thanksgiving to God for 50 years of growth and blessing – but it’s also been about the future. There’s much to be done to fulfil Torch’s aims to reach more people with sight loss. In this country alone, 100 people every day learn that they are losing their sight.’

1959 - 2009

The story began when Stella and Ron Heath opened their home to blind young men and women from a training school in Surrey. They were confronted with how difficult it was for blind people to be included in church life and to have access to the Bible and other Christian books. The Heaths learned braille and recruited volunteers to help them in the work of transcribing, later moving into making audio recordings. On June 8, 1959, they formally took over a magazine for blind people called The Torch and the formative trust behind it.

Under their pioneering and inspirational leadership, the work grew amazingly. Twenty years ago they expanded the work into Africa, setting up a braille production centre for African scriptures in Malawi. Today Torch Trust provides Christian literature for thousands of blind people and reaches into 100 countries. It also runs the largest Christian lending library in the UK for those with sight loss, with over 3,500 titles in a mix of braille, giant print and audio formats. Torch also supports over 120 fellowship groups for blind and partially sighted people around the UK, and puts on a programme of specialised holidays every year from its own holiday and retreat centre in Sussex.

Want to keep up to date with the work of the Torch Trust throughout the UK and overseas?

A special Golden Anniversary edition of Torch Family News is now available for distribution from the Norwich Torch Fellowship.

If you would like to be sent a copy of the Golden Anniversary edition of the Torch Family News, please e-mail us with your postal address

Louis Braille Bicentenary Celebration 21st March 2009

Over 450 people, the majority visually impaired and from all over the UK, celebrated the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth at a special church service held in St Martin in the Fields Church, Trafalgar Square, London on Saturday 21st March 2009.

The service, which is one of a number of events being held throughout 2009 to commemorate the life of Louis Braille, was led throughout by Braille users accompanied by blind musicians.

Afterwards, visitors were able to view an exhibition of braille resources provided by Compass Braille, Torch Trust for the Blind, the Association of Church Braillists, the Bible Society and the Royal National Institute for the Blind

Braille enables blind people to read using a system of six dots embosssed into thick paper.

Our chairman, Mervyn Ivany is shown above standing in front of St Martin in the Fields Church prior to attending the service.

Christian Resources Catalogue

The Torch Trust have just released the third edition of their "Christian Resources from Torch Trust" Catalogue.

The catalogue lists a range of items which the Torch Trust has produced for blind and partially sighted people and is designed to assist those who have wanted to help blind and partially sighted contacts obtain Christian material. The list includes some books, leaflets,resources for churches, greetings cards and promotional items.

If the recipient is registered blind or partially sighted, and provided that any printed matter is at least 16 point or greater then Torch accessible media can be sent via Royal Mail through "Articles for the Blind" free post. This type of order is best placed direct with Torch by the disabled person.

If accessible articles are being ordered along with printed materials or promotional items for delivery to the church, christian group or individual supporter, then a delivery charge will be incurred.

To request a catalogue for your church or group or to find out what is available to blind and partially sighted Christians who are based in the area, please contact us in the first instance.

Christian Books in accessible media available for loan

The Torch Trust operate a library service from their headquarters at Market Harborough and to find out what is available for registered visually impaired people you can search The Torch Trust Literature Catalogue online.

Due to copyright and postal restrictions, these books are ONLY available to registered visually impaired people, or those whose sight is less than N12 as certified by a medical practitioner. A suitable form for this latter purpose is available from the Torch Trust.