Crafty vision impaired people in Great Yarmouth have been discovering the joys of rug-making, thanks to a new joint initiative between Norfolk’s sight loss charity and a new Norfolk family business set up by two sisters who were inspired by how their mother dealt with losing her sight in the years before she died.
Ruskin’s Rugs was set up by sisters Christine Pyzer and Angela Ellmore after the death of their 93 year-old mum, who as her sight deteriorated in the last decade of her life took up rug-making, creating over 100 rugs, mostly for children’s bedrooms and dog friends.
The business designs sustainably sourced rug kits, including kits which are designed with vision impaired people in mind.
Now Ruskin’s Rugs has got together with Vision Norfolk to offer free monthly rug-making workshops at the charity’s Great Yarmouth hub on Hall Quay.
“We know from our mother what a challenge living with sight loss can be, but we also saw how being able to remain creative gave her so much fulfilment and enjoyment,” said Mrs Pyzer. “That inspired us to create Ruskin’s Rugs in her memory, and we were determined to make kits which anybody could use, whether fully sighted or vision impaired.”
Attending the October workshop was Dawn Wright, who started to lose her sight 20 years ago, and now has blurry vision, and no peripheral vision at all.
“I am really enjoying the challenge, creating something using just my very limited sight and doing the rest by feel” said Dawn. “When I could see I used to love knitting, and activities like rug-making and basket-weaving which are offered by Vision Norfolk have enabled me to carry on crafting, as well as allowing me to meet others at the sessions.”
The social aspect of activities such as the workshops play an important role in tackling the isolation which can result from sight loss, according to Ed Bates, hub co-ordinator at Vision Norfolk’s Great Yarmouth hub, who has himself been totally blind since birth.
“Our rug-making workshop is one of many activities we co-ordinate to help tackle the social isolation which people living with sight loss can experience,” said Mr Bates. “It is always reaffirming to see the skill with which even people living with severe sight loss can undertake craft activities, and we are very grateful to Christine and Angela from Ruskin’s Rugs for their inspiration and support in allowing us to offer these workshops.”
The rug-making workshops take place on the last Friday of each month from 10am-12pm at the Vision Norfolk Great Yarmouth hub at 12 Hall Quay, Great Yarmouth. The workshops are free. For more details, visit www.visionnorfolk.org.uk/rug-workshops.
