As part of their 150^th anniversary celebrations, East Cheshire Eye Society has invited local schools to take part in an art competition, asking them to create works of art showing local places that are special to them. In doing this, they've been asked to consider how their work can be enjoyed by people with low vision. 

 We've received a wide variety of amazing entries, including paintings, collages, sculptures and sound recordings.

 All of this will be on display as a special exhibition, at the Silk Museum, Park Lane Macclesfield, until Saturday 19^th April. Entry is free, and you can just call in during the museum opening hours, which are Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm.

 We hope you can visit the exhibition.

 In addition, the Eye Society, working with the museum are running a series of free workshops throughout the exhibition.  Unless otherwise stated, telephone 01625 422602 to book your free place. The workshops are:

 ·     Wednesday 2^nd April – Charles Bonnet Syndrome Café – hosted by Pam Hodgkiss from the Eye Society, drop in anytime between 2pm and 4pm, for a cuppa and a chat and learn more about visual hallucinations related to sight loss. No need to book for this workshop.

·     Thursday 3^rd April 10am to 12 noon – Museum Tots – Have fun reading tactile books together and explore the Prior Tactile Pre-Braille learning system at the Silk Museum. Fun for all children, with or without experience of living with vision impairments.

·     Friday 4^th April 2pm to 4pm – Explore the handling collection at the Silk Museum – a chance to experience some of the museum's exhibits in a tactile way.

·     Wednesday 9^th April 2pm to 4pm - Explore the tactile world - How can people living with vision impairments make the most of the tactile clues around them to keep independent and active? Practical and fun ideas. Strategies for the home and out an about including telephones, cooking and games everyone can enjoy.

·     Thursday 10^th April 10am to 12 noon - Making tactile books for children and families - Tell a story that everyone can read and enjoy by making a tactile book: How do children affected by vision impairments enjoy books and share stories? Make your own book using lots of different textures and shapes to tell a story. Fun for all children, with or without experience of living with vision impairments.

·     Thursday 10^th April 2pm to 4pm - Reading and alternatives - Do you or someone you know have difficulty reading text? Come along and discover alternative ways to enjoy books, magazines and newspapers. From no tech to high tech, something for everyone to try. From tactile books and audiobooks to smartphones and dedicated OCR reading machines.

·     Friday 11^th April 2pm to 4pm - Explore the handling collection at the Silk Museum - a chance to experience some of the museum's exhibits in a tactile way.

·     Wednesday 16^th April 2pm to 4pm - Introduction to Braille - Braille is 200 years old and 150 years ago, East Cheshire Eye Society started teaching local people affected by sight loss how to read using first Moon then Braille. Come along a learn more about this fascinating reading system. Use a Perkins Brailler to type a message, try the Braille quiz and make some Braille Art

·     Thurs 17th April 10am to 12 pm and Thurs 17th April 2pm to 4pm - Crazy giant knitting and crochet - 150 years ago, local people who developed sight loss, could lose their jobs in the silk industry. East Cheshire Eye Society would teach them alternative ways of making a living such as basket weaving, rush seat making and sewing sacks. Come along and explore the Eye Societies archive and have fun making crazy scarves, bags and place mats using recycled t-shirts. Great fun for novice knitters and people with experience.

Our thanks to our sponsors: The Silk Museum; The Rotary Club of Macclesfield Castle, and Macclesfield and District Lions Club