Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS
Let's Talk|December 2020
He was a man without sight but with such vision. Derek James remembers Thomas Tawell who died 200 years ago.
Derek James
Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS

THEY ARE A WINDOW ON OUR WORLD which we tend to take for granted … but just imagine if the curtains were drawn and we were left to live the rest of our lives in darkness. Because we couldn’t see.

And consider the additional problems caused to members of the blind community this year with all the issues and restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

It is bad enough for us fortunate enough to be able to see what is going on but for those who cannot see and maybe rely on wonderful guide dogs, life must be a daily struggle.

People with sight problems are normally a tough, independent group of individuals who deserve our help and support.

I often think of a man I knew when we lived in Thetford – the one and only Ted Finch.

A man with a guide dog. He lost his sight but never his sense of humour, his strength and ability to get the best out of life. To say he was well-known is something of an understatement.

I think he would have got on well with a gentleman who went before him … Thomas Tawell. A blind ironmonger who died in 1820 and is buried at Norwich Cathedral, within the chapel of the blind bishop, Richard Nix.

This story is from the December 2020 edition of Let's Talk.

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This story is from the December 2020 edition of Let's Talk.

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