Extract from WAB Mag Centenary Issue June 2011

WAB 1911-2011:  The first hundred years

The story of the first 100 years of WAB is above all
a history of social change. WAB started at the end
of the Edwardian era, only 3 years before World
War 1 changed life for ever. That was the
beginning of the modern era, as we know it,
when people began to have cars, electricity
and telephones. WAB was formed at a meeting
of the Midland Counties Union of lnstitutions and
Societies for the Blind held at Leamington Town
Hall on 2nd June 1911.

WAB was highly professional right from the start,
being led by Lord Algernon Percy, High Sheriff
of Warwickshire and Chairman of Warwickshire
County Council. We have copies of our Annual
Reports for the whole hundred years and have
taken information from these to provide the
following timeline.

1911-1921
Local correspondents and visitors were
appointed to cover all the areas of the county
(not Birmingham). They identified specific individuals, including children, who needed help. Small allowances were granted to people from
Government funds.

Training was provided at Birmingham Institute for
the Blind. A major aim was to find work for
trained adults and to provide financial help to
enable children to have hospital treatment and
start training as early as possible

Brailletyped magazines were circulated and
Leamington Library paid for the carriage of
hampers from the National Lending Library
for the Blind.

WAB made steady progress but the war prevented
fresh organisation. By 1917, 92 blind men,
126 blind women and 9 blind children had been
identified. 1918 saw WAB placed on the register
of Approved Societies and Agencies for the Blind,
which enabled some grants to be obtained.
This was the year that the Register of Blind People was begun.

1921-1931
WAB now worked in crose co-operation with the
county council, indeed quarterly meetings were
held immediately before County Council meetings.

On 1st September 1925 Miss Simpson, WAB's first
home teacher, was appointed. She travelled
around Warwickshire by bicycle and train, carrying
out 635 visits in the first 6 months. By 1929 she
was doing 100 visits per month. ln addition she
taught Braille, Moon, Music and Raffia. All this
effort led to her becoming County Supervisor for
the blind in 1930 but she still continued as a home
teacher. ln 1931 a car was provided - an Austin7.
She then managed 1,06s visits and 98 lessons in
one year. This wasn't to last though, in 1931 she
got married and resigned. Home working became
well established.

ln 1926 the first talking books were produced on
gramophone records, with a typical book fitting
onto ten 12" double-sided records.

1931-1941
WAB had an agreement with a shop in Warwick
Street, Leamington for the sale of articles made
by the Blind also white sticks, which were coming
into common use, these were sold at 1o%d.
Many people and companies donated to WAB.

ln 1933 Lord Algernon Percy died, to be replaced
as President by Mrs Katherine Heber-percy, his
daughter, who had been secretary. At the
outbreak of World War 2 she entertained guests to
a summer outing at her home and gave them gifts
of sweets and tobacco to take home.

There was much emphasis on social events
including Girl Guiding and bulb-growing
competitions. The Clubs closed temporarily at the
start of the war, but local organisations rallied to
keep the clubs and social centres running.

ln 1940-41 approximately 100 blind evacuees
passed through the hands of the Association,
of whom 60 remained in the area.

1941-51

By the end of the 1939-45 war, 624 people
were registered blind with 102 of them being
in employment. WAB ran social centres in
Leamington, Rugby, Shirley, Sutton Coldfield
and Tamworth. Able-bodied blind people were
encouraged to register under the Disabled
Persons Employment Act.

This decade marked the beginning of the welfare
state and in 1948 there was a huge change
nationally when the National Assistance Act came
into force. WAB's role changed: prior to 1950 the
Honorary Secretary of WAB, Miss Crossley,
had been the Principal Social Worker for the
County. By 1950 WAB functioned purely as an
organisation administering voluntary funds for the
blind. Most of the money came from the Midland
Societies for the Blind.

By 1941 Leamington had become an important
centre for residential institutions for the blind and
in 1943 Tower House, Hillmorton, Rugby was
bought by the county council and opened as a
hostel for blind working girls.

ln 1950 WAB purchased Hunfley Lodge,
Northumberland Road, Leamington as a home
for 22 elderly blind, this to be run by the County
Council. The money for this came from the
Midland Societies for the Blind, which was
funded in part by Warwickshire Miners.

1951-61
By 1953 wAB had purchased 26 Talking Book
machines for loan within the county.

The 1950s was the era of UK holidays and holiday
camps and WAB got into the spirit of things.
Provision of seaside holidays had been included
in the constitution since 1948. By 1958 coaches
ran at fortnightly intervals and by 1960 , 179 blind
and 92 sighted people were taken by coach to
Burnham-on-sea or Bournemouth at a cost of
£1 18s 1d per person. Holidays became the
responsibility of Warwickshire County Council
from 1976 onwards.

1961-1971
Mrs Heber-Percy, President since 1933, died.
WAB's constitution was extended to activities for
the partially sighted but finances were tight. Many
local organisations gave support.

1969- 1971 marked the introduction of new-style
welfare services and the formation of social
service Departments. ln 1970 the chronically
Sick and Disabled Persons Act was implemented
and the publicity led to an increase in the number
of people on the Register of the Blind to 1115.

1971-1981
Major changes resulted from the loss of Solihull,
Sutton coldfield and Meriden when the new
administrative county of Warwickshire was formed
in 1974. There were major deficits until 1978
when WAB finally became independent of the
County Council.

A new policy was formulated for the independent
role and two staff were employed. There was a
major input from Dr Gill and the university of
Wanruick Research Unit.

ln 1980 Huntley Lodge was sord and the money
returned to wAB. There were hundreds of
Volunteers. By 1980 there were five Branches
and five local Talking Newspapers.

1981-91
1981-86 was a time of great expansion with
Dr Fred Reid  as Chairman and George Marshall as vice-chairman.
WAB now acquired its own resource centre in
Puckerinqs Lane, Warwick; staff moved in on
2nd September 1983 and there was an official
opening by Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 1988.

Staff numbers increased to seven and by 1995
there was a Voluntary Help Organiser, Brenda
Watts, tooking after 500 volunteers. By 1987
finances were deteriorating and the population of
visually impaired people was changing as the
population became older. By 1990 there was a
drop in registration numbers and social clubs.

1991-2001
An RNIB report in 1991 showed that there were
three times more visuailv impaired peopre than
previously thought. A new development plan
for WAB was written and the previous informal
agency arrangement with social services was
formalised.

Social Serviced delegated keeping the Register for
Blind and Partially Sighted People to WAB
and by 1995, 2525 pLopte were registered.
Warwickshire Talking Book Service was set up in
1993 and by 2000 it had 454 users. There were
new clubs in Leamington and Rugby.

2001-2011
Big financial problems led to the sale of the
Puckering's Lane site and significant staff
restructuring in 2004. The office moved to rented
premises in Berrington Road, Leamington Spa.

Finances improved after 2004 and WAB became a
Company Limited by Guarantee (while remaining a
Registered Charity) in April 2008. ln 2009 WAB
rented new offices, back in Wanrvick.

WAB stopped running its Wanruickshire Talking
Book Service in 2010 as audio cassettes were
becoming obsolete and Calibre, a national charity,
offered a superior free service.

A weekly Drop-in Centre was opened at Nuneaton
in 2005 and by 2011 there were also Drop-in
Centres at Rugby, Stratford, Leamington, Bedworth
and Atherstone.