Abbey United Reformed Church, Romsey

During our March meeting, we looked further at our quarterly theme of equality and the little things we can do to ensure all people who enter are doors feel included.  We talked about the merits of registering as a Sight Loss Friendly church and will look further into the opportunities this could provide for us.

However, looking at some of the suggestions offered to make our church more open to those suffering from sight loss or deterioration, there are some very basic pointers for us all to adopt, both in church and in other locations.  Here are just a few,

• When greeting a new-comer to our premises, do not presume they can see where you are pointing; offer to take them to the door leading into the toilets, the lounge, a suitable pew (including mentioning the step up before they trip on it!), etc.

• Offer the choice of hymn books available; do not presume a person wants a small print edition because he or she had one last time you were on door duty.

• When printing posters, notices etc, use colours which can be easily read; gold print on blue are thought to be the best colour combination for those with limited reading ability.

If you have any comments you would like to offer about this, or wish to join us in our discussions at our Outreach Meeting on 12 May please do contact me for more details.

Andy Bevan