DAY CENTRE FOR SCOTTISH WAR BLINDED CELEBRATES TWO YEARS
An award winning day centre for veterans living in Scotland who have lost their sight will celebrate its second birthday tomorrow (31 May 2013).
The Linburn Centre in Wilkieston, which was built to provide day centre facilities for Scottish War Blinded members, will celebrate its second anniversary with a 1950’s themed evening of fashion, photos, memorabilia and music.
The centre, which won the RICS Scottish Project of the Year 2012 award, has grown from strength to strength, providing life changing experiences and skills to Scottish War Blinded members. The centre offers a wide range of leisure and social activities for free, including arts, crafts, daily living skills, IT, gym and relaxation in addition to training opportunities.
Sheila Mutch, Linburn Centre Manager, commented:
“Our main focus over our first two years has been establishing a needs-led service and exploring a variety of interests for our members. These have included pursuits both in and out with the centre, including 4x4 driving, 10-pin bowling, golf, acoustic shooting, archery, woodwork projects, art and craft sessions, personal training sessions in our gym, cooking and IT skills to name a few.
“The Linburn Centre has flourished into a bustling hub of social activity, thanks to the ideas and creativity from our team. We look forward to the future as Linburn continues to evolve into a vibrant, social centre.”
The second year birthday celebration will also highlight some of the centre’s achievements with visually impaired veterans, developing skills and experiences that are not usually associated with the blind, such as art. Scottish War Blinded member Derek O’Rourke from Edinburgh chose to take up art seriously at the Linburn centre two years ago and is now flourishing as an independent artist. Derek has painted a portrait for actress Judy Dench and produced a number of emotive military themed pieces. Derek has set up his own website showcasing his work www.blindpainter.co.uk
In addition to the day centre at Linburn, Scottish War Blinded recently set up an outreach service providing support to blind and visually impaired veterans across Scotland. To be eligible for the service members only have to have served in the armed forces for a minimum of one day. The outreach workers are based in Edinburgh, Fife, Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Perth & Kinross.
For further information please contact:
Gary Seath, Marketing Assistant, Scottish War Blinded
Email: gary.seath@royalblind.org Telephone: 0131 333 1369
Notes to Editors
Scottish War Blinded was established in 1915 to care for Scotland’s service men and women blinded during the First World War.
The Linburn workshop opened during World War Two to support young veterans, with a visual impairment, to attain vocational skills and build an independent future.
The award winning Linburn centre has been built to respond to the evolving needs of Scottish War Blinded members providing a tailor made facility for ex-servicemen and women who have a visual impairment.The Linburn Centre is a drop-in for ex-servicemen and women who are visually impaired. The centre can accommodate up to 35 members and the service is provided free of charge.
Scottish War Blinded is a registered charity www.scottishwarblinded.org
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