'Banbury residents are kind to partially sighted people - but e-scooters and phone zombies are a problem'

Tim Boddington began losing his eyesight around 18 years ago following a stroke while working in Germany.

Since then the 69-year-old says his life has mostly been the same apart from the fact that he now uses the bus to travel from his home in Byfield to Banbury instead of driving.

Tim visits Banbury roughly six days a week for evenings out, the gym, shopping, or to volunteer at the Royal Voluntary Service’s Cornhill Centre, where he runs the Talking Newspaper charity.

Tim said: “My experiences in Banbury have mostly been superb; I have only had three unpleasant incidents during the past 18 years.”

Unfortunately for Tim, two of those incidents took place last month while he was walking around the town centre

Tim added: “On Saturday (May 31), I was unfortunate to have two unpleasant experiences within the space of 15 minutes.

“The first occurred when I was walking across the Market Place waving my white stick, and some guy, who was buried in his mobile phone and trying to control a dog, walked into me.

“As he went past me, he said, ‘You hit me with your f***** g stick!’, I responded by saying that he was on his phone and wasn’t watching where he was walking.”

Only moments later, Tim had another unpleasant experience with a young man riding an electric scooter on Parsons Street.

He said: “A guy sped past me very closely on an e-scooter and said, ‘Get out of my way, you f*****g k******d!!'

“I was a little taken aback by both experiences.”

Tim still visits Banbury most days of the week and says these unsavoury experiences have not changed his high opinion of the town.

He said: “My experiences in Banbury have mostly been extremely positive. Banbury is a super town.

“If anything, I put these experiences down to ignorance and not discrimination. I think many people don’t know the significance of the white stick.”

The white stick is used by visually impaired people to help them locate obstacles like kerbs or steps, but it is also helpful for alerting other members of the public that the person has a visual impairment.

Tim continues: “I can see well enough to move around in public, but I like carrying the white stick, as it is a gentle warning to others about my impaired vision.

“Most people move out of the way, and many offer to help me cross the road or use traffic lights, and that’s great.

“If I were to send a message to fully sighted people, it would be to just bear in mind that the white stick means we can’t see very well, but we are still very normal and capable people.”

Another person who lives with partial vision is former Banbury Town Mayor Tina Wren, who has macular degeneration.

Tina began losing her vision a few years ago and says it has taken her a long time to get used to not being able to see as well as she once did.

Much like Tim, Tina has had mostly good experiences interacting with fully sighted people in and around Banbury.

However, one experience several years ago sadly left a mark on her and affected her confidence in being able to travel around town on her own.

Tina said: “Once I asked a woman if she could tell me if the road was clear to cross, and her reply was, ‘Look, darling, if you can’t see, you had better get yourself home because you are not only a liability to yourself, but you are also a liability to other people, and you should think about that.’

“Which, I thought, was damn rude! I was horrified at the time, and the experience has had a lasting impact on me.

Since then, Tina says she no longer asks women for help but prefers to instead ask nearby men.

She said: “I wouldn’t ask a woman again; I always ask men now because they always seem to respond kindly.

“Now, I don’t go into town at all unless I have someone with me, and I use taxis most of the time because I don’t feel safe using buses.”

Tim and Tina both agree that the rise in popularity of electric scooters and electric bikes has made trips around Banbury significantly more dangerous.

Tim said: “The electric scooters and bicycles in Banbury are a real pain and a danger not only to people with sight problems but also to people with full vision.

“They are not supposed to go on the pavements, but because the roads are so congested, they do, and you can even find them on the Market Place and Parsons Street.”

Nowadays, a big part of Tim and Tina’s lives is the Talking Newspaper charity, which Tim now runs and Tina is an avid supporter.

Tim said: “We are a very small but very efficient charity that provides a valuable service for particularly elderly residents with impaired vision.

Running on just £1,000 per year, the charity records audio versions of the Banbury Guardian and other titles to send to a readership of around 60 people each week.

The Talking Newspaper charity has now been running for more than 50 years and provides a valuable source of news and a social community for its members.

For more information about the Talking Newspapers, or to enquire about volunteering or making a donation, email Tim at: [email protected]