A group of vision impaired nature lovers from west Norfolk were taken on a special sensory tour of Wild Ken Hill to celebrate the launch of a new video celebrating how people living with sight loss can enjoy nature.
The film – a collaboration between filmmaker Pete Naylor, curator and programmer Ruth Dillon, Norfolk sight loss charity Vision Norfolk and community walking network organisation Slow Ways – features Gill, who has been blind since a car accident in her teens. With a guide, she is able to enjoy the hugely varied wildlife and habitats that make up Wild Ken Hill near Heacham.
To celebrate the making of the video, the vision impaired group toured the project, enjoying the sounds and smells as well as the sights of the plants, birds and wildlife which reside there.
Expert guide Carl Chapman was on hand to help with species identification and give an insight into the conservation and rewilding work taking place at Wild Ken Hill.
The film’s producer Ruth Dillon said, “We hope the piece inspires and encourages as many people as possible to come out and walk in the landscape. Building community and offering unique experiences in nature is key to the work of Wild Ken Hill.
“In the film, we join Gill on a walk with a companion. It’s late summer, the air is warm, you can feel the sun on your skin and the smells and colours of the season are appearing all around us.
“As we accompany them on their walk, we begin to understand a little more what it’s like to journey through a landscape with our focus on our other senses. Our route journeys through woodlands, wetlands and coastal habitats.
“The descriptions of what they are hearing, experiencing and feeling while on their walk tell a deeply personal story of what walking through countryside and connecting to the natural world means to them.”
Vision Norfolk west Norfolk hub co-ordinator Penny Whitby, who is blind herself, joined the group on the special guided tour, and said, “Wild Ken Hill is a magical place, and this project has demonstrated that people living with sight loss can explore and enjoy the nature and wildlife which thrive here.
“We were delighted to be asked to take part in the project and support the production of the film, and we hope very much that it encourages vision impaired people to come together, walk and enjoy nature more often.”
The film can be viewed online at https://buildstories.slowways.org/how-does-it-feel-to-walk-blind.
- Wild Ken Hill is a family-run farm in coastal West Norfolk comprising areas of regenerative farming, rewilding and traditional conservation. Its mission is to fight climate change, restore nature, and provide benefits to the local community. Engagement and education are at the heart of what they do. This is delivered through a programme of events, tours, schools visits, volunteering opportunities and open days.
