BucksVision was officially founded as Buckinghamshire Association for the Blind on the 31 October 1911.
Buckinghamshire Association for the Blind (BAB) initially consisted of four divisions - North, North West, Mid and South. Its officials were: Lord Rothschild, President, Lord Cottesloe, Chairman, Mrs Katherine Knapp, Honorary Secretary
By the end of 1911 there were 280 members.
The Blind Persons Act 1920 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which has since being repealed. It provided a pension allowance for blind persons aged between 50 and 70 and was the first time local authorities were required to provide for the welfare of blind people. As a result Buckinghamshire Council Council agreed to work through BAB.
Credit - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Persons_Act_1920
In 1947 BAB purchased a large Arts and Crafts house with 8-10 acres for £8,000. It was managed jointly with Public Health & Housing Committee and County Council and was called the Katherine Knapp Home for the Blind in memory of Katherine Knapp who was Honorary Secretary from 1911-1925. The home was sold to the council in 1969.
Ellen Margaret De Fraine lived in Aylesbury for many years and lost her sight in her 70s. After she passed her daughter Gwendoline de Fraine wanted to perpetuate her mothers memory and so presented BAB with the de Fraine Shield. BAB committee decided its members should be able to participate in an inter-divisional competition for the handsome de Fraine shield with classes for handicrafts, cake baking, songs, poems etc. The competition produced wonderful artwork over the years and the competition celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2015, by now the de Fraine Shield was competely full of shields for the yearly winners.
BAB opens a shop in Hale Leys Square, Aylesbury selling craft goods made by members. It later moved to Kingsbury Square, Aylesbury and was called The Blind Shop.
After launching an appeal to raise £180,000 3 years earlier in 1985 to enable BAB to open a new home, one in which people could visit to see aids and gadgets, our new resource centre was officially opened by Sir Ian Gilmour (then the local MP) on 15 April 1988 (staff having moved in several months earlier). BucksVision remains in this office and owes a debt of gratitude to everyone who raised money to make the centre a reality.
BAB recognised the importance of catching people after diagnosis. Often people would be told life changing news about their sight but not informed about what support there was available for them so they decided to launch the hpsital information service which involved a team of volunteers based in the hosital eye clinics offering patients information and advice and the support available to them. Today this role is often delivered by Eye Care Liaison Officers (ECLOs) and BucksVision was instrumental in getting this role introduced to Buckinghamshire hospitals.
After nearly a decade of consideration the Trustees of BAB decide to change the name of the charity to BucksVision.
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