We are proud to present our new style Annual Report to the year ending 31^st March 2025.

There’s lots of extra information in the report that truly showcases who we are and how we work. We hope you enjoy it!

You can read the Annual Report here.

Journalist Lisa Byrne met with Lucy Edwards during the publicity tour for her new book-

British celebrities with visual impairments are showing the world that disabilities are no barrier to greatness. Firstly, comedian Chris McCausland slayed his rivals on Strictly Come Dancing to waltz off with the much-coveted Glitter Ball prize. Then charismatic presenter Lucy Edwards, published her first children’s book Ella Jones vs the Sun Stealer. This gorgeous 29-year-old Brummie is a radiant inspiration to us all. Yes, she has been through horrendously tough times and felt like giving up, but Lucy is a force of nature and has a steely focus which will ensure she continues to thrive.

Despite having a crazy schedule, the content creator, agreed to sit down with prestigious vision and hearing impairment charity, The Wilberforce Trust, to offer words of advice and motivation during an exclusive interview. Stating with huge conviction, ‘I lost my eyesight, not my vision.’

The writer was diagnosed blind at 17 due to the rare genetic disease Incontinentia Pigmenti. Rather than letting this disability control the rest of her life she has thrived and remains hugely ambitious. Lucy, lives in Birmingham with her visual effects’ artist husband Ollie Cave, and gorgeous guide dog Molly.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO THE WILBERFORCE TRUST’S CLUB WILBER CHILDREN, YOUNG ADULTS AND THEIR CARERS WHO ARE GOING THROUGH SIGHT IMPAIRMENT ISSUES?

I used to have horrendously low self-esteem and felt like such a burden to everyone around me. Life was like Groundhog Day, waking up feeling so low and bleak. But slowly over time I learnt to retrain my brain and would greet each day saying a mantra to myself, ‘I am amazing, I am beautiful, I am resilient’. There’s so much power in reframing your brain to believe in the positives of yourself and your life. You have to put one foot in front of the other and do things that take you out of your comfort zone as that’s what makes you strong. Do one thing at a time, such as make a cup of tea, go for a walk with your guide dog, somewhere you haven’t been before. It’s not a bad thing to feel grief stricken about losing your vision, it’s a natural human feeling. But believe me, the most important part of your life is your inner voice, changing it from a position of negativity to a positive tone is so powerful and transformational.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILDREN TRANSITIONING INTO ADULTHOOD?

You need to know your own mind and advocate for yourself. Draw up a document about what you want your life to look like, such as would you prefer to be guided or have a guide dog. If you have this document with your wants and needs, you can present it to potential bosses. What you truly do not want is to be treated differently by being covered up with bubble wrap. Being independent and free will give you so much power which in turn makes you feel happier. Rather than hide under the duvet, I made the decision that I was going to go out as much as I could with my guide dog Molly, goodness it’s hard but it is so worth it.

VISION REHABILITATION SERVICES ARE UNDER PRESSURE, WHAT’S BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE?

It’s been a real mix of positive and negative experiences. Funding was cut so I couldn’t have my Braille lessons, but my mother really fought my corner. And I had an amazing assistant who wouldn’t take no for an answer when I said I couldn’t do something like cook lasagna, she made sure I completed these kinds of tasks which gave me more independence. I managed to get into law school but soon dropped out due to my declining mental health, and thankfully I eventually got a job at the BBC has been amazing. Therapy wise I did EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) which was incredible, and I’d highly recommend it.

HOW HAVE YOUR PARENTS DEALT WITH EVERYTHING?

They have been absolutely incredible. I had an impairment throughout my childhood, my parents noticed something was wrong when I was four – they thought it was chicken pox. I was taken to hospital and became blind in my right eye at the age of 11. Over time my life gradually changed from what the other schoolkids were doing, I would have secret cane lessons while they’d be on the sports’ field. Then when I was older and going to pubs and clubs, I tried to hide the fact that I couldn’t see, but I often fell over so people assumed I was drunk. My friends have been so amazing though, they would let me dance in the middle of our group where I felt safe.

YOU’RE AN AUTHOR, CONTENT CREATOR AND BBC PRESENTER, WHO’S AMASSED A FOLLOWING OF OVER 2.8 MILLION! HOW DO YOU JUGGLE EVERYTHING?

I love everything I do, especially being a blind role model because it means I can communicate to the outside world what our lives can truly be like. However, although social media has been incredible for me and is a fantastic way to talk to people, it’s paramount not to let it reflect your inner self worth, people’s opinions are not important unless it’s those of the people who love you. In the morning all my notifications are turned off, instead I read a book, meditate on my Calm app or go to the gym. A while ago I became in such a rut, listening to all the negative comments I was getting, which would ruin my day – people can be so cruel. Recently I’ve started speaking about us beginning the process of IVF and someone commented that I should be sterilised and that it was great that I couldn’t have a child as I would probably choke the baby! But look, I am so, so lucky to have the people around me who steer me well away from these ugly voices. I aim to go through IVF and hopefully have a child but it’s so weird that I will never see my baby’s face

YOUR WEDDING DAY WAS BEAUTIFUL AND RATHER UNIQUE…

Yes! We made sure everyone, including my husband Ollie, were all blindfolded when I walked down the aisle. I wanted them to have an idea of what my life is like and to have their other senses heightened, it was incredible, and everyone reacted so well to it.

I met Ollie when I still had vision, so I didn’t think I’d be a blind bride. I wanted guests to walk in my footsteps by being blindfolded, everyone was crying but it was so amazing.

DO YOU EVER FEEL FRUSTRATED BY PEOPLE MOANING ABOUT SILLY THINGS?

No, because let’s face it, everything is relative. I just want to be a positive force. When I have a bad blind day, I put my headphones on and lie under my dementia blanket which has an amazing texture and makes me feel comforted.

HOW DO YOU RELAX?

I love ordering Margherita pizza and having a few cheeky glasses of Champagne! My perfect weekend waking up to read A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas, followed by indulging in a foot spa, back massage and manicure then binging on a Netflix series – just like everyone else.

YOUR BOOK ELLA JONES vs THE SUN STEALER IS A SENSATION! WHERE DID YOU GET THE CONCEPT OF A BLIND GIRL SAVING THE WORLD FROM DARKNESS CREATED BY VENGEFUL PAGAN GOD LUGH?

I went into an editorial meeting wanting so much for a character to be based on me, a very confident version of myself – as blind people aren’t often main characters. I worked in collaboration with fabulous children’s author Katy Birchall, who was amazing. I’ve plotted the story for years and years and wanted to make sure Ella was powerful and resilient. Holding my first copy of the book was so cool – it’s been a great year!

Ella Jones vs the Sun Stealer by Lucy Edwards in collaboration with Katy Birchall with cover illustration by Two Dots and interior illustrations by Caroline Garcia is £7.99 paperback also available eBook and audio and Braille for free via the RNIB. Published by Scholastic.

Back in March, we were delighted to host a group of visually impaired, Ukrainian students and their teachers, all the way from Poland. With assistance from the RNIB and the Thomas Pocklington Trust, the group were visiting Yorkshire and spent the day with us in York.

We welcomed them to Wilberforce House in the morning, to tell them about the trust and Club Wilber. We enjoyed making Easter buns together before lunch, which was followed by wonderful performance by some of the group, who are also part of an amazing choir back at home and in Poland. As well as a rousing rendition of our national anthem we were treated to a bit of The Beatles too!

In the afternoon we took them aboard one of York’s City Cruises for a tour on The Ouse and some history of our city. We were lucky as the sun came out for us after weeks and weeks of rain! After the boat trip, it was onto the National Railway Museum to experience the new Wonderlab and its brilliant, interactive features.

We really hope the group enjoyed their time in York, and the rest of their busy schedule while they are here, and that trips like this are the beacons of light in what is a difficult time for Ukrainians. We certainly felt like we gained so much from our short time together, and it shows how the barriers of sight loss and language differences don’t have to stand in our way when it comes to wonderful and new experiences.