Rnib Connect

Each week, RNIB Connect Radio's Allan Russell sits down with Simon Antrobus, CEO of RNIB, to look at some of the big stories coming from the UK sight loss charity.This week Simon talks about budgets, fundraising and employment.If you, or someone you know, would like information on the support and services available from RNIB, go to www.rnib.org.ukYou can call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or ask your Smart speaker to call RNIB's Helpline.#RNIBConnect Image shows Simon smiling for the camera. He is a white man with neat, short fair hair, dressed in a white shirt and charcoal suit jacket.

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the channel Islands for another audio described theatre review.This week we have Malorie Blackman’s gripping Romeo and Juliet story ‘Noughts and Crosses’ at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre with description by Professional Audio Describer Carolyn Smith. About ‘Noughts and Crosses’“Why love, if losing hurts so much?”Sephy and Callum sit together on a beach. They are in love. It is forbidden.Sephy is a Cross and Callum is a Nought. Between Noughts and Crosses there are racial and social divides. A segregated society teeters on a volatile knife edge.  As violence breaks out, Sephy and Callum draw closer, but this is a romance that will lead them into terrible danger. This gripping Romeo and Juliet story by acclaimed writer Malorie Blackman is a captivating drama of love, revolution and what it means to grow up in a divided world.To find out more about

RNIB Scotland has produced it’s Manifesto, which will be shared with political parties, ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary elections on May 7th. RNIB Connect Radio’s Allan Russell spoke to Catriona Burness, from RNIB Scotland, to find out why charities do this and how they promote the asks to the political parties and candidates. For more info on RNIB Scotland, go to www.rnib.org.uk/scotland#RNIBConnectImage Shows RNIB Connect Radio Logo, White Background, RNIB In Bold Black Letters, A Solid Pink Line Below With Connect Radio Underneath

Now for the next in our regular slots here on RNIB Connect Radio highlighting what is on offer at the National Theatre in London for blind and partially sighted people with audio description.RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey was joined again by David Bellwood, Head of Access at the National Theatre to chat about a few up-coming audio described shows at the NT and a couple that are available online with audio description via ntathome.comAudio described performances included: ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses,’ - Saturday 25 April, 1.30pm, touch tour 11.30am and Thursday 14 May, 7pm, touch tour 5pm, National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theatre‘War Horse’, Saturday 20 June, 2.15pm, touch tour 12:15pm, Friday 24 July 7.30pm, touch tour 5.30pm, National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre,‘The Misanthrope’, Saturday 11 July, 2.30pm, touch tour at 12.30pm, Friday 31 July 7.30pm, touch tour 5.30pm, National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theatre.From NT at home with audio description David recommended ‘The importance of being Ernest’ and The Other Place

A new voting tool has been created to help blind and partially sighted people, in Scotland, cast their votes independently and in secret.RNIB Connect Radio’s Allan Russell spoke to Catriona Burness, from RNIB Scotland, to learn more about the new changes for the forthcoming 2026 elections.For more on the improvements, go to www.rnib.org.uk/scotland#RNIBConnectImage Shows RNIB Connect Radio Logo, White Background, RNIB In Bold Black Letters, A Solid Pink Line Below With Connect Radio Underneath

Each week, RNIB Connect Radio's Allan Russell sits down with Simon Antrobus, CEO of RNIB, to look at some of the big stories coming from the UK sight loss charity.This week Simon talks about visiting services in Surrey, accessible voting and what it’s like having a Lived Experience coach.If you, or someone you know, would like information on the support and services available from RNIB, go to www.rnib.org.uk You can call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999Or ask your Smart speaker to call RNIB's Helpline.#RNIBConnect Image shows Simon smiling for the camera. He is a white man with neat, short fair hair, dressed in a white shirt and charcoal suit jacket.

Following a year long trial, blind and partially sighted rail passengers in Scotland with the eye plus one national entitlement card can travel with a companion at no extra cost. David Hogg finds out more…

Imagine if there was a website where you could look for audio described tv programmes and it would tell you what provider, what channel and when it was on?RNIB Connect Radio’s Allan Russell spoke to Jez Watts who may have the answer.For more info, go to www.insideaccess.live#RNIBConnectImage Shows RNIB Connect Radio Logo, White Background, RNIB In Bold Black Letters, A Solid Pink Line Below With Connect Radio Underneath

The critically acclaimed theatre show ‘The City for Incurable Women’ by International theatre-collective fish in a dress will be ending it’s tour at Home In Manchester on Saturday 4 April at 7.45pm with integrated audio description as part of the performance making the show accessible to blind and partially sighted people.RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey was joined by Helena McBurney, co-founder of the International theatre-collective fish in a dress to find out more about ‘The City for Incurable Women’  and how the play has been made accessible to everyone too.To find out more about fish in a dress do search for them on Instagram and for more about the performance of ‘The City for Incurable Women’ at Home in Manchester on Saturday 4 April at 7.45pm do visit - https://homemcr.org/whats-on/the-city-for-incurable-women-ttyc (Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is wri

Take your family on a magical adventure through the interactive Fairytales exhibition at the British Library until 23 August 2026 which has been made accessible to young blind and partially sighted people and their families too.  Explore enchanted lands, magical creatures, iconic characters and timeless tales, brought to life through books, theatre costumes, puppets, pop-ups, artwork and illustrations.   RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey caught up with Rebecca Campbell-Gay, one of the Curators of the Fairytales exhibition to find out how the stories of many of those classic fairytales have been brought to life within the exhibition and how the British Library have been working with the RNIB to make the exhibition as accessible as possible to young blind and partially sighted people. For more about the Fairytales exhibition at the British Library which is on until 23 August 2026 do visit - https://events.bl.uk/exhibitions/fairy-tales (Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written

RNIB Scotland is running their Getting Back Out There Project, an initiative aiming to provide more advise and a support to blind and partially sighted people living in rural areas of Scotland, where these services are hard to reach and limited.RNIB Connect Radio's Paulina spoke with dad Kevin Byron and his son James, to find out why more support is needed in rural areas like Tarbert, Argyll and Bute.Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font. 

Let’s hear from someone who’s raising money for the RNIB by running his first marathon. David Hogg finds out more…

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for another audio described theatre review.This week Vidar and Toby chat about the 10th anniversary of Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes as the 20226 tour visited the Birmingham Hippodrome with description by Professional Audio Describer Caroline Burn.About Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes The double Olivier Award-winning smash hit returnsA timeless fairytale and Academy Award-winning movie, The Red Shoes has captivated audiences and inspired generations of dancers with its powerful tale of obsession, possession and one girl’s dream to be the greatest dancer in the world. Victoria Page lives to dance but her ambitions become a fierce struggle between the two men who inspire her passion.Matthew Bourne’s magical double Olivier Award-winning production of the legendary Powell and Pressburger film is set to a score orchestrated by Terry

Each week, on RNIB Connect Radio we sit down with Simon Antrobus, CEO of RNIB, to look at some of the big stories coming from the UK sight loss charity.This week Simon talks about attending the Anthropy conference in Cornwall which brings CEOs from across the charitable, social justice and social care sectors together to discuss ways of creating a more united society plus the cane walk and handing in of the Life on Pause petition to Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which happened on Tuesday calling for action to be taken on Vision Rehabilitation Services so that blind and partially sighted people’s lives are not put on pause.  If you, or someone you know, would like information on the support and services available from RNIB, go to www.rnib.org.ukYou can call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999Or ask your Amazon smart speaker to call RNIB's Helpline.#RNIBConnectImage shows Simon smiling for the camera. He is a white man with neat, short fair hair, dressed in a white shirt and charc

Each month, RNIB Connect Radio's Allan Russell is joined by some of RNIB Northern Ireland’s Campaigns Team to discuss some of the big projects they’re working on.This month’s topics include a recent Stormont event and work on a Disability Strategy.If you’d like to find out more, or get involved in campaigning, email campaignsni@rnib.org.uk#RNIBConnectImage shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font. 

Take your family on a magical adventure through the interactive Fairytales exhibition at the British Library until 23 August 2026 which has been made accessible to young blind and partially sighted people and their families too.  Explore enchanted lands, magical creatures, iconic characters and timeless tales, brought to life through books, theatre costumes, puppets, pop-ups, artwork and illustrations.   RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey caught up with Rebecca Campbell-Gay, one of the Curators of the Fairytales exhibition to find out how the stories of many of those classic fairytales have been brought to life within the exhibition and how the British Library have been working with the RNIB to make the exhibition as accessible as possible to young blind and partially sighted people. For more about the Fairytales exhibition at the British Library which is on until 23 August 2026 do visit - https://events.bl.uk/exhibitions/fairy-tales (Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written

Each month, RNIB Connect Radio speak to some of the RNIB Campaigns Team to discuss some of the big projects they’re working on at the moment. Hywel Davies has been finding out more.If you’d like more information on campaigns or want to get involved , email campaigns@rnib.org.ukYou can visit rnib.org.uk/news or call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999Follow @RNIB_Campaigns on your socials or search for RNIB Campaigns

Sight Village exhibitions are a great way to learn more about products and services designed for blind and partially sighted people in your area. Hywel Davies has been hearing all about plans for this year’s Sight Village Exeter.For more information, visit the QAC website - Sight Village Exeter, Devon in 2026 - Queen Alexandra College

On Tuesday 24 March 2026 a number of blind and partially sighted people took part in a RNIB cane walk from Parliament Square in central London to the Department of Health and Social Care to hand in the RNIB Life on Pause petition, made up of over 48,000 signatures, calling on Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to take action on Vision Rehabilitation Services to ensure that blind and partially sighted people get the right support when they need it and not to have their lives put on pause.RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey was there for the cane walk and, after the handing in of the Life on Pause petition, caught up with Rob Sears - Athlete and Content Creator, Claire Sisk - RNIB Ambassador, Content Creator and Radio Broadcaster plus Mike Wordingham - RNIB’s Head of Policy to find out why it is so important for Wes Streeting the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to take action on Vision Rehabilitation Services and what it was like for Rob and Claire taking part in the ca

In this podcast, Hubert chats to Shauna from RNIB's Digital skills team about their service, what they offer, what sort of questions people come with, and how you can benefit from the support from the team.