Angel Eyes NI receives £1000 as part of Power NI’s Brighter Communities Initiative
Angel Eyes NI, which aims to give every blind and partially sighted child and young person access to services in order to reach their full potential, has won a Power NI £1000 Brighter Communities funding grant.
Established in 2007, Angel Eyes NI engage with children, young people, and their families across Northern Ireland to inform, empower and educate to bring change for those with vision impairment.
Power NI’s funding helped them to attend two evening performances at a pantomime in the Lyric Theatre in Belfast with a touch tour and audio description, to help blind or partially sighted children to immerse in the experience of theatre with this adapted performance.
CEO and founder of Angel Eyes NI Sara McCracken said: “I started this journey alongside other parents with visually impaired children so we could provide emotional support for each other. Now, we’re educating and empowering parents to help alleviate the stress, anxiety and worries that come with the challenges of having a blind or partially sighted child.
“Not only are we supporting other parents but we’re identifying and removing barriers so that children and young people with vision impairments have equal access to everything they need to develop and grow.
“Thanks to the funding from Power NI, we were able to attend the pantomime with audio descriptions and a touch tour, it was a really special experience for us. The pandemic has been particularly difficult and isolating for children who are visually impaired, so we were delighted to come together to give them this adapted experience.
“We’re really proud of the work we do, and awards like this can help us continue working with parents and stakeholders across Northern Ireland for the benefit of our blind and partially sighted young people.”
The Brighter Communities funding was first established by Power NI in 2018 and has since helped numerous charities and groups including Special Olympics athletes, stroke recovery groups and wheelchair basketball players.
Ashleigh O’Neill from Power NI said: “It’s vitally important that all of our children and young people are supported and included in our society, I’m delighted that Power NI can support a charity doing such. The work that Sara and her entire team are doing is making a real difference across communities in Northern Ireland, this funding will assist in ensuring their dedication can continue.”
