This film is part of Free
Work at St. Dunstan's
Activities at St. Dunstan’s hostel for blind soldiers in Regent’s Park.
Overview
Boot-mending and basket-making are among the activities on offer at St. Dunstan’s hostel for blind soldiers in Regent’s Park. The ex-servicemen were provided retraining in various professions, including joinery and gardening, from instructors who were often blind themselves. The programme was intended to help soldiers adapt to their blindness, advocating an ethos of self-reliance that prepared them for future employment opportunities.
St. Dunstan’s was established in 1915, offering physical and emotional support to vision-impaired veterans. Initially based in elsewhere in London, they quickly outgrew their Baywater premises and needed a larger facility to cope with increased demand from soldiers, often suffering from the effects of mustard gas attacks, amongst other causes. This building in Regent’s Park was owned by Otto Kahn, a New Yorker banker, who loaned the fifteen acre property to the charity free of charge until 1920. The organisation is now known as Blind Veterans UK.
Related
Eyes of a Child Eyes of a Child
Government sponsored film 1961 31 mins Location: Dorton Ho (Sch)
Young imaginations run wild at School for Blind Children.
An Ordinary Life An Ordinary Life
1985 29 mins
“I’d much rather work at a computer than make wicker baskets” – disabled people hit the mainstream in 1980s Britain
It's a New World It's a New World
Instructional film/TV programme 1977 30 mins
Early attempts at inclusive swimming for disabled people.
Three for Society Three for Society
1969 29 mins
Feisty and free-spirited, three disabled people talk frankly and directly about the barriers they experience in the 1960s
Like Other People Like Other People
Documentary 1972 51 mins
Man Alive! moral panic, sex, and when professionals ruled – life as a disabled couple in 1972
Artificial Limb Making Artificial Limb Making
Non-Fiction 1916 1 mins Silent
Occupational therapy turns full circle, as amputee soldiers learn to make artificial limbs for others
New Architecture at the London Zoo New Architecture at the London Zoo
Documentary 1937 16 mins Silent Location: Whipsnade
Penguins get the VIP treatment in this artistic look at the Zoo's visionary 1930s revamp.
Jane at the Zoo Jane at the Zoo
School programme and Educational film 1959 8 mins Location: Regent's Park
Jane is taken to London Zoo by her Daddy and learns that she should use her eyes and ears just like the animals – always on the watch for danger.
The Torrens family visits Windsor, Kew and London The Torrens family visits Windsor, Kew and London
Amateur film 1955 8 mins Silent Location: Richmond
Join the Torrens family as they cram in as many sights as possible in their short trip to London - taking in Windsor Castle, Kew Gardens, the Tower of London and polar bears
London Symphony London Symphony
Documentary 1955 18 mins Location: Regent's Park
Impressionistic glimpses of London life from early morning to rush hour
Tragedy of Sam Tragedy of Sam
Non-Fiction 1925 1 mins Silent Location: Regent's Park
A eulogy to Sam, the London Zoo polar bear, who is due to be put down due to ill health
Sally the Sparrow Sally the Sparrow
Documentary 1945 9 mins Location: Camden Town
Explore London Zoo with one of its greediest residents, Sally the sparrow.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.