Last September we were approached by Rotherham council who had reviewed their service provision for people with a sensory impairment and wanted to partner with SRSB to develop their service provision across the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council area. We are therefore contracting with Rotherham council to deliver a range of services which includes us establishing a centre in Rotherham.

We have identified a suitable building on Ship Hill in Rotherham, which is very close to the Town Hall and within walking distance of the bus interchange. We anticipate that we will be opening this new centre in late June or early July. We intend that we will have a cafe, equipment centre and technology training. We also hope to provide a base for a variety of self-help, sports and leisure groups etc. Our team of Community Advice Officers will also be operating throughout Rotherham and using the Rotherham Centre as a base.

As this is a sensory service we will also be delivering services to deaf people, both hearing aid users and British Sign Language (BSL) users, as well as people with a dual sensory loss (deafblind).

We have already had the first meeting of a service user group with representatives from visual impairment, hearing impairment, BSL users and Deafblind groups already operating in Rotherham. This first meeting was very positive and they have agreed the name for the service which is “Rotherham Sight and Sound”.

We will keep you updated with developments.