ABA recognised by The Duke of York's Community Initiative

Photos by Simon Kench

On Thursday 10th October, two of ABA's service users and two of our staff went to The Spa theatre in Bridlington to receive an award from the Duke of York's Community Initiative on ABA's behalf.

The Community Initiative was founded by HRH Prince Andrew, The Duke of York to recognise the work of voluntary organisations in Yorkshire who do exceptional work to meet the needs of their local communities.

Awards were given to 40 organisations from across the region. Other award winners from the Leeds area included The Growing Zone in Kippax, Leeds Mencap, Friends of PHAB, St Andrews Pantomime Group, Gipton Together and Canopy Housing.

The award is a recognition of the hard work and commitment from ABA's members, volunteers and staff.

The citation for ABA stated that "Association of Blind Asians started in Leeds in 1989 and it is the only service of its kind in the UK. It supports people who have (or are at risk of) visual impairment, and who are mainly but not exclusively from the South Asian community. ABA is an exemplar of how an activity initially created to meet a 'single issue' demand can grow and develop into a comprehensive support system for people of all ages, and increasingly all communities. ABA turns people's lives around and gives them independence in their own homes."