Get On Board with Living Paintings

Help us create a truck load of new books for blind children. We need to raise £50,000. Get on board and donate today.

#TruckLoadOfBooks

About our Lorry

Living Painting’s lorry with the Gruffalo is on the road in UK and Europe now! Adorned with images of 5 year old Tayen and the Gruffalo, from the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. This Ford, 44 tonne lorry is raising awareness of Living Paintings’ work for blind and partially sighted children.

Tayen is one of the thousands of blind and partially sighted children who have been able to ‘see’ the Gruffalo thanks to our unique library of Touch to See books. Tayen wants to change the lives of other blind and partially sighted children. That’s why she appears on the side of our lorry – because she wants to help us raise £50,000 to create a truck load of new books.

Please donate and if you eye spy the Gruffalo on our lorry #TootForTayen and send us a photo!

Why we need your help…

"Tots used to love reading before she lost her sight, and I thought her love of reading had gone. Living Paintings has given that back to her." Kali, Tot's mum

Tayen, aged 5, (known to everyone as Tots) lost her sight at 22 months old as a result of tumours on her optic nerves, caused by the condition neurofibromatosis or NF1.

Reading had been central to our children’s lives from very early on – Tots has 3 big, loving brothers. But for a long time, through illness, hospitalisation and then total blindness, Tots was simply too unwell to even enjoy any kind of book.

However, thanks to Living Paintings Tots has genuinely re-discovered her love of books. She often chats back at the audio description and talks about her own feelings in response to the image she’s reading with her fingers. It’s absolutely beautiful to watch Lucas, 8, reading to Tots, whilst she feels the pictures and asks him about the story and the illustrations.

Living Paintings need to raise £50,000 to create more of the accessible books that my daughter loves. Please donate to give Tots more stories to read, characters to feel and magical adventures to go on – just like with the Gruffalo! Thank you.

#TootForTayen if you spot the Gruffalo on Living Paintings’ lorry!

#NameOurLorry and win The Gruffalo goodies

Tweet @livingpaintings using the #NameOurLorry or enter via the form below.

Prizes include signed, limited edition print by Axel Scheffler, Gruffalo goodies and signed books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, T&Cs apply. Competition closes 4pm, Tuesday 31st October.

Win The Gruffalo goodies and a signed print by Axel Scheffler of Pip and Posy!

Celebrities Support Living Paintings

"I’m thrilled to be supporting Living Paintings, the work they do in making books accessible through touch and sound is incredible. It’s wonderful to know that so many children who are blind or partially sighted can enjoy The Gruffalo thanks to their free library"

Axel Scheffler

Illustrator of The Gruffalo

"I think the very best way to get children to develop a love of books is to share stories with them when they are little. But how can you interest a child in a picture book when they are blind? The answer is through the touch and sound publications that the award winning Living Paintings offer in their free national library - children can feel what The Gruffalo, Winnie the Pooh, Thomas the Tank Engine are like. And because of their unique design the books can be shared – everyone enjoying the story together."

Dame Jaqueline Wilson

Living Paintings Children’s Patron

"Living Paintings do a fantastic job of making books accessible to children without sight, and the finished touch and feel version of 'The Bear Who Went Boo!' is a thing of beauty."

David Walliams

Children's Author

Loading bay

Load up our truck stop gallery with your photos.

Have you spotted the Gruffalo on our lorry, on its journey around the UK and Europe?

Do you use our Touch to See books?

Send us your photos. Tweet us @LivingPaintings #TootForTayen or tag us in Instagram.

How Living Paintings Changes Lives

Nikhil's Story

"Inspired by your Touch to See book about Weather, Nikhil made his own four seasons picture and was able to describe what was happening in each drawing. As well as benefiting Nikhil, our only visually impaired pupil, your tactile books are a great resource for his classmates to share with him. The sighted children enjoy talking about the pictures with Nikhil, so it helps his interaction with his peers. What a wonderful free resource! We are so thankful for this!" Teacher

Ted's Story

We also change the lives of blind and partially sighted young people and adults at home, in school and in the community.

Stats Speak Volumes

blind people of all ages benefit from our Touch to See library

of blind children asked are more interested in reading

blind adults are members of our Touch to See Book Clubs nationwide

of blind children asked are more interested in learning

Bringing pictures to life!

Listen to our famous volunteers describe best-loved picture book characters for blind children.

Lauren Laverne describes The Gruffalo

David Walliams describes The Slightly Annoying Elephant

Hugh Bonneville describes Lost and Found

What We Do

We bring the visual world to life and share it with people with sight loss. We are the only charity in the UK who design, create and publish tactile and audio books for blind and partially sighted people of all ages. We call them Touch to See books and distribute them throughout the UK via our free, postal library.

Our Free Library

Our library of Touch to See books caters for all ages and we’ve got a wide range of subjects including The Gruffalo, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Wallace and Gromit, The International Space Station and much more. Our unique books provide relaxation and reading for pleasure, support education and lifelong learning, enhance lifestyle and inspire leisure interests.

Stay In Touch

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