Rasen Freemasons box clever for blind society funds

Members of Bayons Lodge donated £500 from their charity fund to the Lincoln and Lindsey Blind Society (LLBS) to help fund boomboxes.

The society’s fundraising and publicity manager, Elena Fraser-Green, said: “By using a memory stick in a specialised boombox, blind people can now skip through chapters as easily as someone would skip through the pages of a book, or change the speed of reading by altering the speed of the playback.

“The specialised boombox is proving very easy to use and is a big hit with users.

“Thanks to all the Bayons Lodge members, the society will be able to provide a boombox for another 16 blind or severely sight impaired people in and around Market Rasen.”

LLBS is a small, independent charity founded in 1921, which aims to enhance the quality of life for blind, partially sighted and visually impaired people whatever their age or personal circumstances in life by giving practical help and assistance.

In the Market Rasen area, there are 51 people registered blind or severely sight impaired.

Making a difference:

An LLBS client, who recently lost his sight, said: “Nothing will ever prepare you for not being able to see. It’s as simple as that.

“Just after my diagnosis, I had lost my job, my income, my identity as a teacher, my driving licence, my social network and my independence.

“The worst of all was not being able to read any more.

“The talking books and papers have helped me feel that I’m at least getting some of my life back.

“Thanks to LLBS, I now have a boombox which makes it much easier to listen.”