[bcab] VisCane

Hi all,

I received this today, those interested should contact Somerwood directly.

Cheers,

Terry
************

omerwood Limited

POBox 109 Saffron Walden Essex CB114WZ


Tel: +44 (0)845 644 2279

Fax:+44 (0)1799 500180

Mobile:+44 (0)7850 182730

E-Mail: sales@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Web: www.somerwoodwalkingaids.com




Terry Robinson 82 Albert Rd. Crosshill Glasgow G42 8DR


28 January 2007


Dear Terry,


Re: International IRC Award for VizCane®


We have recently won in International Award for the Best Success Story 
within the Innovation Relay Centres' network. This award was presented to us 
just before Christmas by MEP Richard Howitt.


Although it was very nice to receive such an award, there was no money 
attached to it and we are still looking for investors in order to realise 
the true global potential of our product. We are hoping that the publicity 
this award brings might just attract some investment.

Please feel free to use this press release in any way that you think 
appropriate. Yours sincerely,


Leah Hunter

Director


Directors: G Hunter E L Hunter Registered in England Registration No: 
3845334




RICHARD HOWITT MEP

LABOUR'S MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN

PARLIAMENT


News release for immediate use


Saffron Walden Cane Company Wins European

Innovation Award


A Saffron Walden based company which has created an illuminated folding 
cane, called VizCane® to help make blind and partially sighted people more 
visible to other pedestrians and road users has won a prestigious European 
Innovation Award which they received just before Christmas.


Essex Euro MP Richard Howitt visited Leah and Graham Hunter of Somerwood Ltd 
in Saffron Walden to present them with their Best Success Story Award from 
the European Relay Centre Innovation Network. They beat off competition from 
across Europe to win this award.


They were nominated for the award by the East of England Innovation Relay 
Centre (IRC), which has worked with them to take the project from the idea 
stage, through testing with European blind organisations, and has now has 
helped them identify a production company in Hungary.


Labour's Richard Howitt MEP, who is President of the European Parliament's 
Disability Rights Group of MEPs said:


"There are up to ten million blind and partially sighted people in Europe 
and this simple but effective idea has the real potential to make their 
lives easier and safer, especially at this time of year in the dark nights 
of winter.

"This cane is a great local idea and I look forward to seeing it in use by 
blind and partially sighted people from Essex to Estonia, my congratulations 
to Leah and Graham for winning this award and I am sure that with VizCane® 
their future looks bright!


A new invention will soon be making life safer for Britain's 200,000 blind 
and partially-sighted people. VizCane® is the first ever 'white cane' to 
feature lights designed to make it highly visible to motorists and 
pedestrians.


The bright white illuminated "rings" along the VizCane® make the cane 
clearly identifiable in darkness, adding extra assurance for blind and 
partially-sighted people travelling at night. It also makes the cane more 
eye-catching to partially sighted people, making it easy to see if put down 
or misplaced.


Leah and Graham Hunter, Directors of VizCane® manufacturer Somerwood Ltd, 
came across the idea while visiting friends in Denmark. When an early 
prototype featuring lights on the handle was shown to them, they were so 
impressed with the idea that they invested their own money from the proceeds 
of a house sale to further the project's development.


"We immediately spotted the potential of this idea to change lives," said 
Leah Hunter. "Since beginning the development I have been given the chance 
to work with many blind and partially sighted people who have guided the 
project and given us helpful feedback. Really it has been built by these 
individuals, and we know that it will make a huge difference to the whole 
blind community"


"This will make a huge difference to independent blind and partially-sighted 
people, as well as providing piece of mind to concerned family and friends," 
said one of our blind testers.


"When walking in busy places, particularly in low light conditions, canes 
are often difficult to see, tripped on, or bumped into. Motorists in 
particular will often struggle to see a standard white cane."


At exactly the same weight and length of a standard blind cane, VizCane® can 
be folded and stored into a compact package




ordinary cane users are familiar with. When reassembled, it uses standard 
batteries to power bright white LEDs inside the handle, activated by a 
simple button press.


VizCane® has also proved popular with children and young people, as it 
offers a stylish and novel alternative to a standard cane. Featuring an 
aluminium handle and clear polycarbonate body, its aesthetic appeal has led 
to lots of enquiries from those that fear they will lose their sight but are 
unwilling to carry an "ordinary" cane.


Leah & Graham have received a lot of help from the School of Engineering at 
Greenwich University's Medway Campus. Both the Technical Staff and second 
year engineering students have helped in the development of VizCane® with 
particular help from Dr Raj Bhatti, the Senior Lecturer at Medway.


Following the collaborative work done by Greenwich University, Dr Andrew 
Goldsbrough of the Cambridge office of the Innovation Relay Centre helped to 
find the Hungarian company Ferrit Elektro as a potential manufacturing 
partner. Mr Janos Gal and his staff took the prototype VizCane® and turned 
it into a product ready for manufacture. Many pre-production prototypes have 
been made which enabled trials to be carried out, prior to setting up mass 
production.


VizCane® has been trialled by various European Blind Societies and several 
blind individuals in the UK with very positive feedback. "All we need now is 
some further investment to enable full automated production to begin and the 
product to realise its full global potential," said Graham Hunter.


Any interested parties should contact:

Leah

& Graham Hunter Tel: 01799 500180

SomerwoodLtd Mob: 07850 182730

PO Box 109 e-mail: leah@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Saffron Walden

Essex

CB11 4WZ


************************************************************

DESCRIBE ONLINE - MAKING IT EASIER THROUGH TEXT

Terry Robinson B.Sc
82 Albert Rd.
Crosshill
Glasgow
G42 8DR
Tel: 0141 423 2683 - Mobile: 07771 610002
Web: www.describe-online.com


***  BCAB List administration ***

If you wish to unsubscribe, set vacation,, request a digest or carry out 
routine maintenance on your subscription to the list then go to:
http://www.bcab.org.uk/mailing-list.html

Alternatively, send an email to bcab-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word faqin 
the subject line. You'll receive an email with advice on managing your 
subscription to the list.
 
If you wish to discuss the administration of the list then contact:
bcab-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Other related posts: