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In Touch: Matchday Mayhem; The Great Outdoors

31/05/2022

Matchday Mayhem; The Great Outdoors

BBC Radio 4 - In Touch, Matchday Mayhem; The Great Outdoors

We hear from visually impaired Liverpool FC fans about the mayhem that unfolded in Paris.

Top tips on how to get more involved with the natural world, from gardener Andrew Hesser and inclusion advocate Andy Shipley.

Visually impaired Liverpool FC fans Dave Williams and Aj Ahmed were at the Stade de France last weekend, as Liverpool prepared to meet Real Madrid in the Champions League final. News headlines have been dominated by the mayhem that unfolded there, including the use of tear gas and dangerous overcrowding. The two tell us what happened to them, whilst caught up in it. 

A lot of the great outdoors can be quite inaccessible, especially if you are completely blind. Nature is often synonymous with visual beauty and, with the exception of birds, a lot of wildlife can be rather quiet. We speak to two avid visually impaired naturists about how they create access opportunities for themselves. Andrew Hesser has recently appeared on BBC Two's Gardeners' World and he shares his top tips for introducing a little more gardening and nature into your life. Andy Shipley has dedicated himself to the idea of involving other visually impaired people in all aspects of enjoying the natural world. Under his organisation called Natural Inclusion, Andy provides disability inclusion training to heritage sites and parks and facilitates workshops to encourage people to experience nature with more senses than just sight. Andy tells us about some of the projects he's worked on.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: two women on a hike in Munnar, India. One woman is visually impaired and is using a cane. Behind them, stretches green fields and trees.

Link to Andrew Hesser's Facebook group, for tips and advice on gardening: https://www.facebook.com/groups/385503852747202
Link to Andy Shipley's Natural Inclusion: https://www.natural-inclusion.org/

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