Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind (SRSB) is a local charity that aims to help people cope with their sight loss in Sheffield and provide the support needed to regain their confidence.

For this project, SRSB created a ‘Memory Poem Boulder’ with local sculptor, Jason Turpin-Thomson, providing an opportunity to educate the wider public about how the visually impaired community was impacted by the pandemic. The boulder is situated at the new sensory and heritage garden developed as part of the Rose Garden at Graves Park. The poem presented on the boulder was written by the Mappin Street Writers, a visually impaired creative writing group, who meet weekly at SRSB’s Mappin Street centre.

Stealthily Covid came

Times of isolation, loss and pain

Great thanks to those who shared our loss

SRSB and RSS

Some lives lost, but mainly saved

They helped us through the darkest days

we all clapped and cheered

Laughed and cried through the tears

For the people gave themselves to help