THE chairman of the Royal Blind yesterday thanked readers of The Scotsman who have donated almost £15,000 to the charity in our Christmas Appeal.
Douglas Osler said the money would be put to good use to support the Royal Blind School, the Scottish Braille Press and Braeside House for the elderly.
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Watch a video report featuring Ian RankinThe announcement of the total of £14,833 came at the start of National Braille Week as crime writer Ian Rankin launched a drive to refurbish the Scottish Braille Press.
Yesterday the Edinburgh author, whose son, Kit, attends the Royal Blind School, visited the Scottish Braille Press to mark the 200-year anniversary of the invention of Braille.
To mark the occasion a special edition of the Rebus novel Death is not the End was printed – the first time the author's work has appeared in Braille.
The 40 staff at Scottish Braille Press help produce six million pages in Braille every year, as well as issuing 13,000 audio tapes for the visually impaired.
Mr Rankin said: "It's close to my heart, partly because of my son but partly because I'm a writer. I want folk to read my books. The Braille Press creates stuff for the whole of the UK. It's a hugely valuable resource. They need some new premises and they need new equipment, so that in the 21st century Braille can continue to be as important to blind people as it is just now.
"A lot of the people who work at the Braille Press are actually from the blind community. It's not only a very, very useful thing for the community at large but it's bringing employment as well, so we should support it."
Mr Osler said he was delighted with the boost The Scotsman's Christmas Appeal had meant for the Royal Blind. Hundreds of readers sent donations after reading our stories about people whose lives had been transformed by the charity's work.
Readers gave generously after reading the stories of Libby Clegg, the paralympic silver medallist, of Stefan and Christina, who are pupils at the Royal Blind School, and of Archie Watt, who lives at Braeside House.
Mr Osler said: "We are absolutely delighted with the amount of money that has been raised. We are also very grateful to The Scotsman for taking an interest in this particular charity and the work we do.
"The kind of support you can give to people who are blind or visually impaired becomes more sophisticated as time goes on and we want to give people the best possible help."
Marketing and fundraising manager Helen Forrest said: "The contribution from readers has been outstanding, particularly considering the credit crunch. It lets us buy specialist equipment for the Royal Blind School and Braeside House.''
Mike Gilson, editor of The Scotsman, said: "Nearly £15,000 is a fantastic total. Thank you to everyone who took the time and trouble to donate. This money will go a long way to improving the lives of so many people.''
Richard Hellewell, chief executive of Royal Blind, said: "Braille is used all over the world but outside our community there is little knowledge or understanding about its use.
"We see National Braille Week as a great way to raise awareness, which we hope will inspire interest and support for Braille."
