About our work

A description of what we do

The Living Paintings Trust is a charity that was established to enrich the lives of visually impaired adults, young people and children throughout Britain, by giving them the chance to explore and enjoy the visual arts. We currently run unique programmes which improve the lives of thousands of visually impaired people by opening for them doors to a world of colour and perception which they had thought shut forever.

Formed in 1989, the Trust has designed a touch and sound system which brings pictures to life. Using this system we create unique packs. The essential components for which are threefold:

1. Raised images, known as thermoforms, which explain the special shape and characteristics of the pictures that are being "looked" at through touch;

2. Audio descriptions which tell the stories of the pictures, describe their wonderful visual features and provide instructions for touching and interpreting the thermoforms;

3. Colour reproductions of the pictures which, very importantly, make it possible for the packs to be shared with sighted friends, family and peers.

To Date:

For Adults there are 28 collections comprising at least 10 works of art, known as Albums, have been created covering subjects as diverse as 'Stepping Stones in the History of Western Art' and 'British Architecture'.

For Children aged 3-18 years we have a growing range of touch and sound packs, designed for use at home and/or in school. They include Living Picture Books which bring the magical world of illustrated story books to life and Teacher Resource Packs which are designed to include visually impaired pupils in the visual aspect of everyday classroom studies.

The Living Paintings Trust Library Service is the way in which all these specialist touch and sound packs are made available to blind and partially sighted children, young people and adults throughout the UK and Eire.

At the 31st May 2004 there were 5,500 beneficiaries of the Library Service,
2 ,600 Children/Youngsters and 2,900 Adults.

* Any blind or partially sighted person young or old can join the Library as can their carers, teachers and families. It is a principle of the Trust to lend to any person or organisation who will benefit.

* The Service is FREE. It is a principle of the Trust that the Library Service is, and will remain, free to all beneficiaries so ensuring that there are no financial barriers for blind and partially sighted people wishing to benefit.

* The Library Service is delivered via the post and so anyone in the UK and Eire can receive loans wherever they may be. Loans are made not only to the home but also to schools and other organisations supporting visually impaired people.

* Joining the Library is designed to be as easy as possible – just a telephone call will
do – the new Library Member will firstly receive an introduction to the service and products available. Thereafter they will receive as many loans as they wish every year.

Also, the LPT's unique Bats service supplies galleries and museums with the Trust's touch and sound adaptations of works of art for the enjoyment of their visually impaired visitors.

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Who Benefits from what we do

The following are three examples of people who have benefitted from the work of our charity:

Gioya was 19 when the Second World War broke out. During the war Gioya's eyes were badly scarred leaving her partially sighted.
At 40 an eye operation to correct the scarring went wrong leaving Gioya with only one working eye that had virtually no sight. At the same time she found she was pregnant with her third child, a fourth followed 18 months later. Gioya's children were bought up by "touch and smell".

In her mid 60's life became calmer for Gioya and she found, with the children grown up, she actually had time on her hands. Having left school at 14 Gioya returned to the classroom at 64, to study art. She was given a thermoform and an audio tape by the Trust at an art event and has not looked back from this point. As well as being a demonstrator for the Trust which involves her in travelling all over the country, she is also working with galleries and she is advising the new Tate Modern on its Touch Tour facility. She is an artist herself creating amazing images and now, at the age of 80, wants to dedicate more time to her writing.

Gioya believes that without the Living Paintings Trust a door would have always remained closed to her. "Without the Trust there would have been no rich later life for me, I am exceedingly lucky."

Torie was 6 months old when her parents received the devastating news that she was blind. However as time has passed she has developed into a bright, happy little girl. Her parents describe themselves as very visual people and wanted to share their love of pictures with Torie as they do with her twin sister and brothers. "I loved watching their faces as they discovered the pictures on the pages. Torie missed out on this."

Thanks to their social worker, Torie and her family were introduced to the Living Paintings Trust and she has been a regular borrow for 6 years now. Recently Torie became an 'editor' for the Trust's children's packs and "she takes the job very seriously". Her mother wrote of Torie's delight at discovering an extra thermoform in one of the books that she had edited - an addition made at her suggestion.

"The Living Picture Books have opened up a whole new world to Torie, a world we thought was lost to her. They have given her a gift which will last a lifetime by encouraging her imagination."

Jack has been blind since birth. Now ten years old he is a busy, inquisitive child with a huge love of learning. One of the greatest sorrows for his mother was not being able to share the simple pleasure of reading a book together. "I could read to him and I could describe the pictures but it didn't quite gel."

Discovering the Trust and its Living Picture Books was the breakthrough Jack and his mother needed. From exploring his first book to his subsequent appearances on television, and his role on the Trust's Children's Advisory Panel, Jack has proved a wonderful advocate for the power of the simple message behind the Trust's work. As his mother says: "..it has helped open up what would otherwise have been a closed book."

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What visually impaired people and their carers say about our work

"Words cannot express how I felt when I opened the box containing these pictures. I am a totally blind widow and spend most of the day on my own. I have been blind for 41 years and vaguely remember colours. I am just so excited about this marvellous new venture. I cannot thank you enough for bringing such joy and pleasure into my life."

"Dear All - I am returning "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" which my 6 year old son enjoyed over and over again. He has only limited sight, but the bold colours were soon recognised and he loved the feely caterpillar and butterfly. His 2 year old sister was able to sit and look at the book with him, something she hasn't been able to do with his brown paper Braille books from school. It was so nice to see them together and both enjoying the one book. My son took the book to school and to his grandparents; he wanted to share it with everyone he could. He is looking forward to his next book with great excitement."

"It is impossible for me to describe the depth of pleasure, sense of awe and wonder, and feeling of exhilaration I experience during this enlightening process. Because my sight has been poor since early childhood, the world of paintings has hitherto been beyond my reach. Now, with your help, I hold the key which opens for me the door to this wonderful world."

"Megan really loved the living picture book and read it many times. She even took it to school to share with her classmates, and dressed up as Baby Duck on World Book Day!"

"You have given me a new way of thinking of what I might see if I could. I know there is something there, and not just a huge empty space, so I cannot thank you enough because the paintings have given me more confidence" (Adult Library Member)

"Thank you again. I have really enjoyed working with your superb books and tapes. Keep up the good work. The service you provide is so important for blind children" (Teacher)

"I just can't put into words the amount of pleasure you have brought to my home" (Adult Library Member)

"They thought the packs were lovely and kept asking for them again and again" (Teacher)

"I have experienced a new way of looking at life through the paintings. The memory of each painting has coloured my conversation." (Adult Library Member)

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