Home's royal day

From: icBirmingham, UK - Mar 26, 2003

By Neil Elkes, Evening Mail

Princess Anne was due in Birmingham today to open a new specialist home for people who are both deaf and blind.

The home, which is in Warren Farm Road, Kingstanding, is run by the national charity Sense, of which the Princess Royal is patron.

During her tour of the home this afternoon she was meeting four deaf-blind residents, their families and staff.

Manager Kate Towers said: "The home is tailor-made to meet the needs of the sensory impaired residents by giving them as much access, understanding and control of their world as possible."

She said it was designed with textured surfaces for touch, and uses colour, light and acoustics to maximise whatever residual vision and hearing the residents have.

The charity has relocated from its previous home in Church Road, Edgbaston following a major charity campaign - which included a £150,000 donation raised by John Crabtree of city legal firm Wragge and Co.

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