In August, for the first time, Wales Millennium Centre will be introducing special tours of the building for blind and visually impaired people.  The tours have been developed in partnership with the RNIB Cymru Group.

Centre staff have been fully trained by Cardiff Vales and Valleys, (formerly Cardiff Institute for the Blind) to guide individuals around the Centre using touch and description.

Those participating on the tour will be invited to touch samples of materials used in the construction of the Centre, including Welsh slate, wood, steel and gypsum. They will also visit the Centre’s dressing rooms to feel the wealth of fabric used in numerous productions at the Centre and have the opportunity to try on some hats that may have graced many a famous head!

One member of the Centre’s staff will lead each tour, which lasts approximately one and a half hours, while another will help guide visitors.  12 spaces are available per tour, priced at £4.50 per person; companions and guide dogs are welcome, free of charge.

Leonie Wallace, Head of Visitor Services at Wales Millennium Centre, and a member of UKAN (UK Access Network) said, ‘We pride ourselves on our accessibility policies, and are recognised throughout the UK for our commitment. But we never rest on our laurels – we are always looking at ways to make a visit to the Centre a memorable experience for all our visitors. This is the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at continually improving the quality of our service. We are particularly grateful for the support RNIB Cymru has given in developing our tours for visitors with a visual impairment.

Welsh rugby legend, Gareth Edwards CBE, President of RNIB Cymru Group experienced the tour for himself. He said: “Wales Millennium Centre is to be commended for providing blind and visually impaired people with greater engagement in its work, through these very welcome tours for visually impaired people.  We are striving for much better accessibility to the arts and entertainment in Wales, and we hope this will set the stage for similar developments in other major venues.”

Sandy Mewies AM, Chair of the National Assembly’s Cross Party Vision Group welcomed the new tour. She said “I congratulate Wales Millennium Centre for introducing the special tours; this is a wonderful service for people with vision problems. We must take every chance to ensure visually impaired individuals can access both work and leisure opportunities.”

The first public tour will be on August 7th. Bookings are also open for December 12th and January 12th when musical Mamma Mia! is showing at the Centre. All scheduled tours can be found on the Centre’s website: www.wmc.org.uk/tours