Sensory charity welcomes visitors from Falkirk’s twin town in France for first stop on visit
Forth Valley Sensory Centre logo.
A sensory charity that supports thousands of people in the Forth Valley was the first stop for visitors from Falkirk’s twin town in France.
Forth Valley Sensory Centre welcomed a delegation from Créteil as they visited Falkirk to celebrate the link between the two towns. The delegation, made up of Soraya Cardinal President of Twinning, Françoise Andreau Vice President, Frederique Giacomini, Julie Bertholom, Romain Guimber, accompanied by Pat Reid, Elaine Mitchell, Ian Burt from Falkirk Twinning Association, enjoyed a tour of the centre, including its community sensory garden, and popular café, to learn about the support it offers to people with sight and/or hearing loss across the Forth Valley.
A group of 13 men and women dressed in coats and scarves, one with a cane and another with a black guide dog standing in the FVSC sensory garden on a patch of grass with a yellow path with a tin man statue. Trees and fences are in the background.
They enjoyed some Scottish shortbread prepared by FVSC’s chef, David Black, who is blind. The group also listened to a presentation from Centre Volunteer Sally Work who spoke about the importance of having a Sensory Centre for the local deaf community, as it helps break down barriers and reduce feelings of isolation. FVSC’s Braille tutor Christine Moroney provided a demonstration of Braille and spoke of the importance of this communication aid and the positive impact the centre has on the lives of many blind and partially sighted people.
Créteil, which lies to the south of Paris, has been twinned with Falkirk for more than 40 years. The partnership was designed to promote connections between the two places to enable people to learn about other cultures and services and exchange ideas.
FVSC has supported people with sensory loss and their families who live in central Scotland, including Stirling and Clackmannanshire, for almost 20 years. It acts as a community hub, offering support, advice, practical help, and social opportunities. The centre has around 20,000 visitors every year and is funded by a mix of grant funding, contributions from partners and donations.
Soraya Cardinal, President of Créteil Twinning Association"We were impressed and pleasantly surprised to discover this place of life that welcomes and supports people with disabilities. A dynamic multidisciplinary team and volunteers involved with their peers. This structure listens to the needs of its beneficiaries and provides them with the tools to enable them to regain real autonomy. Strong links are maintained with the public authorities to improve their living environment."
"Créteil is a city that since 1989 has signed the Charter for the Integration of People with Disabilities and has been promoting "Living Together" for all these years. Many specialized structures play a role similar to that of FVSC. We hope that a fruitful partnership can be established in the coming months for the benefit of people with disabilities and their families."
Jacquie Winning MBE, Forth Valley Chief Executive“We were delighted to welcome our friends from France to our centre to share all the work we do to support people with sight and/or hearing loss and to introduce them to our community here. We are very proud of the unique place we have in Falkirk and beyond and of the people here who make it so special and it was wonderful to be able to provide a warm welcome to our visitors on their first stop in Falkirk. We look forward to strengthening our bonds with Créteil and continuing to share our insights on sensory loss with our French friends.”
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