They are based in the north of England with centres and communities in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Harrogate & Knaresborough – each centre offering different services and programmes.

Thomas Henshaw, a businessman based in Oldham, established an ‘Asylum for the Indigent Blind’ in Manchester through his will, and it opened its doors in Old Trafford in 1837.

Henshaws currently offer:

• Slight Loss Support Team – centres based in Greater Manchester & Merseyside offering a range of services to provide visually impaired people with an improved quality of life.
• Children & Families – based in Greater Manchester & Merseyside – working with children and parents with sight loss
• Hospital Support – based at Manchester Royal Eye hospital, patient support offered 5 days a week
• College - residential & day students aged 18-25 years with a range of disabilities, based in Harrogate
• Arts & Crafts Centre – based in Knaresborough, offers training to people with disabilities, fully licensed café & shop, woodland walk, regular events (exhibitions, live music, theatre, crafts)

If you would be interested in getting involved by volunteering or donating click here

One of the most interesting venues for Henshaws is the Arts & Crafts Centre, as this is open to the public and hosts several events for the whole community.  It opened in 1998 and is a great venue for people wanting to host their own event.  The centre is a great place to visit and it is important to thank some amazing volunteers like Guy and John, who have helped tremendously in getting things going.

Art Maker Chris has cerebral palsy, a hearing impairment, mild learning difficulties and is completely blind. He explains how Henshaws have supported him:

“I’ve been coming to Henshaws Arts & Crafts Centre for 7 years now. I like the music and multisensory workshops, but the paper workshop is my favourite.

The process of mark making and creating art really interests me and is something I love to do.

I get to be independent at the Arts & Crafts Centre and make my own decisions, which is really important to me. There are such a lot of friendly people here, and there’s always different activities going on; I recently entered our talent contest, playing African drums! I’ve also learnt some computer skills from one of the workshop volunteers, and am excited about using the internet more.

Life’s never dull or boring here! I’d recommend the Arts & Crafts Centre to everybody. There’s always something to look forward to, I’m gaining skills all the time, making friends at the Centre, and I feel really positive about my future.”