RNIB Connect Radio

Sight Village London 2025 Hear all the interviews from this year's Sight Village London.

Hear all the buzz from this year's Sight Village London.

RNIB Connect Radio's Hubert Pawelkiewicz explores UK's leading free event highlighting the latest technology, products, and support services designed to assist people with visual impairments.

It's a banger, but we had to narrow it down to just four choices! 😭

Photo of our radio studio set up for festivities. A happy little snowman wearing a red scarf and a Santa hat sits perched on top a speaker. Behind, a studio microphone wrapped in tinsel with colourful studio monitors, keyboards and control panels.

Which Christmas hit should kick off our festive season? Rocking out edition!

1. Bob Dylan Must Be Santa
2. Brenda Lee Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
3. Wizzard I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
4. Slade Merry Xmas Everybody

Winner will play on Daily Connect Monday 1st Dec after 9 am!

Soundplay Projects Tour Glasgow Soundplay bring music, visuals, tactile materials and technology together in their inclusive experiences to encourage a sense of play. Amelia visited their offices to speak to co-creator Bal Cooke a...

Soundplay Projects bring music, visuals, tactile materials and technology together for inclusive experiences to encourage a sense of play.

Amelia visited their offices to speak to co-creator Bal Cooke and try out some of the interactive experiences.

Charity Chief Exec's Customer Update 22/11/2025 Each week, RNIB Connect Radio's Allan Russell sits down with Matt Stringer, CEO of RNIB, to look at some of the big stories coming from the UK sight loss charity.

Let's chat biggest stories from this week with RNIB CEO, Matt Stringer.

This week: the charity’s Westminster event, taking part in a major piece of work around employment and a comment on the publication of the latest Covid-19 report.

Sophie Dodgeon, Head of Campaigns and Public Affairs at RNIB said:

“Today's report lays bare how the UK government too often failed to recognise and respond to the needs of disabled people, including blind and partially sighted people.

🎨 How do blind and partially sighted people explore their experiences through art?

For our latest roundtable discussion we're putting Sian, Kerrie, Julie and Alan in the hot seat.

Listen Friday 21st November at 11:30 am.

"I really believe in the power of music and the power of singing to lift a person's spirit."

This December, Get Gospel Choir is performing at RNIB's Evening of Festive Music in Westminster Chapel🎄

We spoke with founder of the Choir, Jules Rendell.

Merry Christmas from Afar With Singer Victoria Oruwari With Christmas just around the corner, we’re joined by freelance opera and classical singer Victoria Oruwari.

"When people hear this song, I want them to feel like they are not alone, in whatever it is they're dealing with at Christmas."

Acclaimed soprano Victoria Oruwari speaks with RNIB Connect Radio about her debut Christmas song 'Merry Christmas From Afar.'

What is it like being matched with a new guide dog?

Our presenter Toby Davey joins us for Guide Dog blogs on the Lunch Break today.

Listen from 12 noon.

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Reporting From Eye Care Support Pathway 2 Years On Event To mark two years since the launch of the Eye Care Support Pathway, RNIB brought together optometrists, sector leaders and partners at an event in Manchester. RNIB Connect Radio reports.

To mark two years since the launch of the Eye Care Support Pathway, RNIB brought together optometrists, sector leaders and partners at an event in Manchester.

RNIB Connect Radio's David Hogg reports 🎧

Charity Chief Exec's Customer Update 15/11/2025 Each week, RNIB Connect Radio's Allan Russell sits down with Matt Stringer, CEO of RNIB, to look at some of the big stories coming from the UK sight loss charity.

Hear the latest news from charity RNIB.

We caught up with CEO Matt Stringer to talk recent Eye Care Support Pathway event, look ahead to a Parliamentary reception, and finally big focus on employment.

Lee Mercer Talks Managing Diabetes With Sight Loss In this podcast, Hubert chats to Lee about his sight loss journey. They also discuss how Lee manages his diabetes with sight loss, and the technology he uses to help him.

"There are lots of people around that can help."

Lee Mercer lost his sight to proliferative diabetic retinopathy in 2018.

This World Diabetes Day he spoke with RNIB Connect Radio's Hubert about finding support, community, and assistive tech that helps him.

RNIB Connect Radio Survey Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

Help shape the future of RNIB Connect Radio!

We’re running a short survey to find out how you listen to our radio station, what you enjoy, and what you would like to hear more of.

Our short accessible survey is anonymous and you can take part here: surveymonkey.com/r/LTH7XBD

Access Becomes Art for World Ballet Day 2025 World Ballet Day on Wednesday 12 November 2025 is the global celebration of dance where artists and audiences are invited to experience ballet in new transformative ways as access becomes art.

Celebrating accessibility this #WorldBalletDay!

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey caught up with Devon and Rob to find out about their collaborative work with The Royal Ballet , which will be streamed as part of today's celebrations.

Bonus: Booker Winner 2025 - David Szalay for Flesh (Extract) Full interview on Friday - but for now huge congratulations to David Szalay for his Booker win for Flesh - available in audio and Braille from RNIB Library.

Congratulations to David Szalay for winning #BookerPrize2025 with his novel Flesh 📖

Hear our conversation with David about his book on Read On: The Audiobook Show this Friday, but for now, a little teaser below.

New episodes of Read On with @talking-books.bsky.social out every Friday at 1 pm.

How Can Digital Engagement Improve Social Inclusion And Wellbeing For VI People? The University Of Bournemouth are exploring how training blind and partially sighted people in Digital Media can improve their wellbeing and social inclusion.

How can Digital Media improve wellbeing and social inclusion of blind and partially sighted people?

Amelia spoke to Catalin Brylla, Principal Lecturer in Film and Television, to learn more about their research.

Audioboom Host, distribute and monetize your podcast with Audioboom.

Baring it all in support of charity?

"We all felt so amazing afterwards, it was so liberating!"

Josephine Boulder came up with the idea for the Blind Naked Calendar to smash stereotypes around disability and also raise funds in support of her favourite charity, Deafblind UK.

Half Light by Holly Thomas Holly Thomas is a visually impaired Dance Artist, Choreographer and Audio Description Practitioner.

"I wanted to make a piece of dance work that played with the idea of how we might make dance or witness dance as audience members, that relied not solely and primarily on the visual but also our other senses."

Half Light by Holly Thomas is coming to Bristol's Arnolfini on Friday 14th of November.

Titch the Elf is back!

And busy practicing for the annual Elf Karaoke Contest and helping blind and partially sighted little ones get an accessible Letter from Santa🎅

Listen to Allan and Titch's adventure here: bit.ly/TitchTheElf2...

How To Support Your Guide Dog During Fireworks Season As the firework season is here, Hubert chats to Robert from Guide Dogs, and finds out how we can best support our guide dogs during a tricky time of year.

Worried how firework season will impact your pooch? 🐶

RNIB Connect Radio's Hubert chats to Robert from @guidedogsuk.bsky.social to find out how we can best support our dogs and guide dogs during this tricky time of the year.

"That was the first time I'd ever heard about any kind of support that I could get. From my rehabilitation worker, 12 years after my diagnosis."

Following her sight loss diagnosis, Bhavini had to put her life on pause.

Join RNIB's call for change: https://bit.ly/RNIBOutOfSight

@guidedogsuk.bsky.social

Happy Halloween from Grimm Russell and his guide dog Grimm Jayson 🎃

A classic book cover for The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A monstrous black hound stands on the moonlit moors and bares its teeth in warning.

The beast, the fog of the moor, and the discovery of a body.

This Halloween, listen to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles on Talking Books.

This gripping tale runs over 7 episodes and you have until Tuesday to listen.

Find it here: https://bit.ly/RNIBConnectRadioTalkingBooks

Prepare Early For Christmas With Christmas Products From The RNIB Shop In this podcast, Hubert chats to Claire Maxwell from our very own shop, as she gives us the lowdown of what's available for customers who would like to start getting ready for Christmas early.

🎁 Do you like starting your Christmas planning early?

The RNIB Shop has many items available like tactile gift tags, inclusive Christmas cards, decorations, and even some great accessible gifts.

Highlighting some stand out items, it's Hubert, Claire and Charlie.

Spooky Rock and Roll vibes anyone?🦇

Gary Moritz has a special show heading your way tomorrow, don't miss it.

We'll know if you did...

Following eye complications, David had to leave a successful job in IT and move back home with his parents.

18 months on, he was still waiting for a vision rehabilitation assessment from his local authority.

Sign RNIB’s petition calling for change: bit.ly/RNIBOutOfSight

Audioboom Host, distribute and monetize your podcast with Audioboom.

Time for our Allan Russell to chat biggest stories from the week with RNIB CEO Matt Stringer.

This week they cover the launch of Out Of Sight campaign and petition, take a look ahead to some big events in November, and a Christmas nod to the RNIB shop.

"(On bin day) I used to bounce around Glasgow like a municipal pinball."

Actor and Comedian Jamie MacDonald sits down with RNIB Connect Radio’s Allan Russell for a new series looking at life as a blind person.

Hear their full conversation here: https://bit.ly/JamieMacDonaldPodcast