Pupils At Yorkshire School ‘Dine In The Dark’ To Raise Awareness About Vision Loss

Published by Ashville College on Friday 2nd of June 2023

 YOUNG pupils at a Harrogate school donned blindfolds and dined in the dark to raise awareness about vision loss and to gain a deeper understanding of life as a blind or partially sighted person.

The event put Prep School pupils from Ashville College in the shoes of a blind individual by navigating mealtime without their vision. The idea was to give pupils a small snippet of life with vision loss whilst also raising money for their chosen charity.

The Dine in the Dark lunch is one of a series of events hosted by Ashville Prep School’s Charity Club, which is supporting Guide Dogs UK.

As well as raising money, pupils are taking part in a series of activities to increase awareness about the challenges facing blind and partially sighted people every day.

The Charity Club, which is a co-curricular initiative for pupils in Years 3 to 6, has set itself a £2,500 fundraising target. The money will go towards naming a guide dog.

The club has set up fundraising events to help the children reach their goal, including a PJ and movie night, prize draw and now this event.

Pupils have also been learning first-hand about what goes into training a guide dog.

Kate Hammond, a retired GP and dermatologist from Harrogate, and her guide dog Sheba, attended a school assembly alongside two representatives from Guide Dogs UK, Nicola Ridgway and Gill Darbyshire, who educated pupils about the time and cost of training guide dogs.

Mrs Rhiannon Wilkinson, Head of Ashville College, said: “Dine in the Dark gave the pupils a sense of what is like to live with blindness, or visual impairment, and will help them empathise with the difficulties presented by not being able to see what’s around you.

“The Charity Club has done a fantastic job promoting fundraising for Guide Dogs UK, whilst also raising awareness about the reality of vision loss. We are proud to see the pupils engaged and enthusiastic about this strand of charitable work.”