London Masons and the Masonic Charitable Foundation has donated £4,000 per year for the next three years to London based charity ClearVision, giving thousands of visually impaired children a chance to be able to develop braille literacy early in life. 

ClearVision, based in South West London, exists to promote & further the education of blind and partially sighted persons, by creating dual print and braille books, and operating a free children’s postal lending library of over 14,000 books to families and organisations across the UK. Early developmental braille literacy requires engagement with predominantly sighted family members who generally have no braille experience, making dual print and braille children’s books vital to allow meaningful interaction through shared reading. This service makes over 9,000 loans a year and is currently implementing an online catalogue to increase efficiency and reach more beneficiaries.

The grant from London Masons will allow the charity to continue to create dual print and braille books so sighted families around the country can continue to share the joy of reading books with their visually impaired children.

Alexandra Britton, Director, ClearVision Project said “We are delighted to receive this grant from London Masons and the Masonic Charitable Foundation, not simply because the money will help us to bring our library service to new borrowers who need it, but because it is a demonstration of support from the community, which means a great deal when you’re a small charity. We know that our library service is unique, and that it makes a real difference to the children who use it, but also that there are more families out there who would benefit. This grant will help us to reach them and offer them beautiful, funny, enlightening, inspiring books which we hope will support their education, reduce their isolation and help them embrace the life-long pleasure of reading.”

Adrian Hodgson of London Freemasons said: “We’re proud to have supported such a worthwhile cause. The work that ClearVision does is inspiring and changes a lot of lives for the better. Their work is vital to so many visually impaired children, and our grant will help them to continue to reach these children and their families.

This is another example of Freemasons supporting the London community. This donation follows on from a £1,250,000 donation, of a £2.5 million funding pledge from London Freemasons to London Fire Brigade. The funding will provide London Fire Brigade with two extended height aerial vehicles.”