History of HERIB
In 1863, Mr Moon came to Hull to stay with his friend Mr Joseph Akester and told him about the work that was being done in London for the blind. So Mr Akester met with Alderman Lambert, who was himself blind, and through him, in 1864, the Hull Blind Institute was formed.
In the years that followed, HERIB began the Home Teaching Service which provided tuition to teach Braille in the home. This service has since developed into our Home Visiting Service.
Image montage celebrating 140 years of HERIB
Workshops were built, that provided jobs for people with sight loss, making a wide range of brushes, mats, furniture and furnishings. These items were sold in our retail shop on Beverley Road and in community halls throughout the East Riding area as the ’buy from the blind’ scheme. However, over the years this service gradually decreased and in 1984 the Hull City Council bought the workshops. Sheltered workshops continued under the Hull City Council who still employ people with sight loss in a range of jobs.
HERIB also provided accommodation, initially for people who worked in our workshops. Seaborough House in Beverley catered for the women and Rockliffe House catered for the men. Seaborough House closed in 1998 and remaining residents moved to Rockliffe House. In February 2004, Rockliffe House was sold but has remained a residential home for people with sight loss.
HERIB now offers help and support to all people with sight loss in Hull and the East Riding through a variety of services. Throughout this website further information is available.
