27.06.2003
Standard Life helps children with sight loss explore nature
Standard Life staff members have accepted a "Garden Challenge", volunteering to create a child friendly sensory garden at the Royal National Institute of the Blind, Scotland's (RNIB Scotland) Pathway Service, based within the Fife Sensory Impairment Centre in Kirkcaldy. Children attending the Pathway Services after school club will be the primary users of the garden, but visually impaired adults who visit the Service during the day will also be encouraged to experience the smells and textures of the garden.
A small group of Standard Life employees from the company's Corporate Development department laid a path for the garden on 11 June. On Thursday, 3 July, around 20 people from the department will put in the planting and add other sensory items designed to appeal to people with sight problems.
The project has been generously supported by two businesses in Kirkcaldy, Keyline Builders Merchants and Hewden Hire Centres, and by Dobbies Garden Centre in Dalgety Bay.
Paul Henderson of RNIB Scotland's Pathway Project, said:
"Many children with complex needs also have sight problems. This new, specially designed sensory garden creates a safe area for them to explore and enjoy. The garden is a colourful culmination to RNIB Scotland's work with Fife Council's Childcare Strategy Team to provide a specialist after school club for children in central Fife."
Mike Cairns, Director, RNIB Scotland, said:
"We know that at least one in three children with complex needs will have a sight problem and will have difficulty getting access to the play and learning opportunities that most children take for granted. Standard Life are helping to create a stimulating sensory environment for them and are to be commended for their enthusiasm, hard work and commitment to the project."
Jim Clark, Corporate Development Consultant at Standard Life, said:
"Our department is happy to take on the challenge of creating a garden for RNIB Scotland, which is a Standard Life charity partner. As well as helping the community, this project is a valuable team-building exercise for our department."
"My colleagues and I spend most of our time in an office, so we look forward to spending a day in the fresh air, mucking in for a good cause!"
Press photographers are invited to a photocall on Thursday 3 July at 10.30am at the Fife Sensory Impairment Centre garden, Wilson Avenue, Kirkcaldy, where they will have the opportunity to photograph children who attend the centre and their teachers.
For more information, please contact:
Mike Brown, RNIB Scotland Press Office: 0131 311 8500/ 0776 668 6402
Gordon Matheson, RNIB Scotland Press Office: 0131 311 8500/07803 207 798
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1. Royal National Institute of the Blind, Scotland (RNIB Scotland) works on behalf of the 180,000 people in Scotland with sight problems. The charity deliver a range of services in the fields of social work and rehabilitation, education, employment, family support, social care, accessible information and the built environment. RNIB Scotland also campaign for the full civil rights of people with sight problems in Scotland.
RNIB Scotland is a devolved and rapidly growing part of RNIB, one of the largest charities in the UK.
2. RNIB Pathway Service is part of the Royal National Institute of the Blind's Multiple Disability Service. This service developed to meet the needs of the high number of people with learning disabilities who also have a significant sight loss, yet who have tended to fall though the net of traditional services. Pathway is part of a ?model of excellence' partnership between Health and Social Work, the first of such centres in Scotland. The project supports adults and children with a learning disability and sight loss.
Pathway covers Fife and the east of Scotland and offers innovative support services for children and adults. These include adult visual assessment, mobility, communication and independent living skills and an adult outreach service. Pathway also operate a children's toy library and resource base, a children's information service, and are soon to start an after school club for children with multiple disabilities.
3. Standard Life is Europe's largest mutual life assurance company with assets under management of approximately £80billion. The company's financial strength is regarded as "very strong" by Standard & Poor's (AA) and "excellent" by Moody's (Aa2).
4. Standard Life first teamed up with RNIB for the launch of the "See It Right" Accessible Website Initiative in February 2002. The partnership offered a website auditing service free of charge to companies seeking to make their sites fully accessible to all users. They were subsequently provided with a detailed report on what needed done to ensure that a blind or partially sighted person could use their site.