It will combine historical archives, personal stories and contemporary footage
A new film telling the 160-year story of sight loss charity, Seescape is going into production after securing major funding.
To mark its anniversary this year, Fife-based Seecape has received more than £40,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to capture the stories and experiences of people with sight loss in the area over the past 16 decades.
Visions of Hope: 160 years will use voices and images from the charity’s history as it celebrates its landmark anniversary this year. It will combine historical archives, personal stories and contemporary footage, ensuring the story of Fife’s visually impaired community endures for future generations.
The film will preserve first-hand accounts and memories, with personal stories showing how visual impairment support has evolved in Fife, from the teaching of Moon Type and Braille in people's homes to the introduction of talking newspapers and early assistive technologies.
It will also showcase historical items, including early teaching materials, equipment, photographs, and documents that tell the story of living with and support for sight loss over the decades.
Seescape plans to work with Fife Cultural Trust and the National Library of Scotland’s moving image archive to create the film, which will be produced by the media co-op. The finished film will be screened at the Adam Smith theatre in Kirkcaldy.
Seescape, which was founded in 1865 as the Fife and Kinross Society for Teaching the Blind to Read in Their Own Homes, is marking 16 decades of supporting people who are blind or partially sighted live full and independent lives throughout this year.
It has played an important role in the lives of people in Fife who are affected by sight loss. These include former prime minister Gordon Brown, who is now the charity’s honorary president, and paralympic climber Garry Morrison.
Seescape has grown to support more than 3,500 people every year across Fife who are blind or have sight loss to live independent, full lives.
Chief executive Lesley Carcary said: “We are proud and excited to produce this social history film, which, thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, will provide invaluable insights into the history of sight loss here in Fife.
“By documenting our evolution from Victorian-era charity to modern service provider, we'll preserve social history while demonstrating our ongoing relevance and innovation.
“Throughout our history, there are consistent threads, including our 90 years of association with the Nairn family, whose leadership and support proved instrumental to our development; our ability to adapt services to meet changing community needs while maintaining our core mission; and our pioneering approach to supporting visual impairment in Fife.
“We are over the moon that our film will bring this rich heritage to life through archival materials, personal stories, and demonstrations of how historic innovations - from Victorian-era MoonType to modern assistive technology - have transformed lives.
“Our heritage doesn’t only tell the story of the charity but reflects broader social changes in attitudes toward disability, the evolution of social care, and the development of visual impairment support in Scotland. We can’t wait to share it.”
Caroline Clark, National Lottery Heritage Fund director for Scotland, added: “Seescape has a remarkable story to tell covering its 160 year history as Fife’s own sight loss charity.
“We are delighted that thanks to National Lottery players Seescape and people throughout Fife involved with the organisation have been able to explore that heritage and share the Seescape story in their own voices.”
