Wilberforce Trust

08/04/2026

A throw back to the end of March, and a HUGE thank you to Jo from Tesco Askham Bar for the generous donation of Easter Eggs before Club Wilber's hunt AND for surprising our families on the day!

Jo arrived dressed as the Easter Bunny and gave eggs to all of the children as they crafted and enjoyed Weston's Cafe.

Thank you Jo!

07/04/2026

Did you know that Braille is a universal form of tactile code and communication that can be adapted to different languages. These are examples of Braille were spotted on a team member's recent trip to Greece...

06/04/2026

We thought that the staff at one of our services in Tadcaster did the most amazing job of decorating the house for Easter and making sure all of the tenants in their care had themed treats and toys.

Going that extra mile to celebrate, and to bring some joy to the house, is why we think our support staff are amazing!

05/04/2026

Wishing all of those who celebrate a very Happy Easter from all of us at the Wilberforce Trust!

We hope the Easter Bunny delivered you plenty of chocolate...

04/04/2026

This week has been Community Garden Week, and we love having a set of raised beds in the grounds of Wilberforce House. Over the last few years we have run a tenant gardening club and now the beds are tended too by a few of our green-fingered tenants that have found a real love of gardening.

Our Sensory Garden too is enjoyed not just by tenants and the staff that work here, but also by our residential neighbours, and those from St Leonard's Hospice and York College.

We all know the benefits of getting outside, and a community garden is the perfect place to do this. There are a number that can be found across York, including Scarcroft Road, St Paul's Terrace and off Leeman Road.

03/04/2026

There is plenty to do at Wilberforce House, even with the Easter Holidays, so have a look at our April Activities list.

We have Visual Impairment friendly board games afternoon, Therapy Dog sessions and regular Coffee Mornings. We hope to see you soon!

01/04/2026

We wanted to dedicate a post to say thank you to our wonderful volunteers who help us set up, run and tidy down after events, time after time. Especially, this week, those who helped at last weekend's Easter Egg Hunt. Our volunteers who made sure all of the children left with armfulls of Easter Eggs, and those who crafted with families and kept the hot drinks flowing.

We are lucky to have a diverse pool of volunteers; long term people who have been with the trust for many years with lots of experience, and newer ones currently studying and bringing a new perspective and enthusiasm to our events.

If you are interested in joining our volunteer group, get in touch with Emily on volunteering@wilberforcetrust.org.uk

31/03/2026

Last weekend saw the return of our flagship event; our accessible Easter Egg Hunt! This event launched Club Wilber back in 2019 and uses specially made eggs with a sound mechanism inside so they can be found by using hearing rather than sight.

Continuing the success of the last two years, the event was spread across the inside of Wilberforce House, and the grounds. Inside our community space, families could take part in different, free Easter themed crafts and enjoy treats from Weston’s Café. The amazing Alex from joined us again to paint little, and a lot, of big faces. Her enthusiastic yet gentle nature is perfect for our Club Wilber families and her beautiful works of art are done so quickly!

Outside at the hunt, the bleeping eggs, and little eggs, were hidden in baskets, on little stations to draw the children in. The aim was to collect as many little eggs as possible to exchange for a larger chocolate ones. Plenty managed more than one go round the course!

We were joined by a very special guest, the Easter Bunny, who greeted the families on the hunt and in the cafe. We also were treated to a visit by our local Tesco Community Champion, Jo, who arrived dressed as the Easter Bunny too, and handed out eggs to the children.

Sighted siblings could join in the fun, and use just their hearing too if they wanted, by donning an eye mask to fully experience this unique, sensory activity. The egg hunt is one of the biggest on our Club Wilber calendar and has always been hugely popular. On its first year, the event won the Silver Award in the Charity Event category at the Minster FM People’s Choice Awards.

For both the Club Wilber families and the staff and volunteers, the egg hunt isn’t just a chance for a chocolate haul, but also an opportunity to catch up and spend time with people that share experiences. A huge thank you to our volunteers on the day, and to Alex from Face Paint York and Jo from Tesco Askham Bar, for also being there on the day.

30/03/2026

With people taking time off over the next few weeks its a good opportunity to head out for a walk. In York, we're lucky to have the brilliant cycle path network taking us out of the city to various locations but this article has other, wheelchair accessible, routes you can visit in the UK this Easter.

With many historic sites re-opening in April across the UK, we share 12 places you can explore from the National Cycle Network. From clifftop castles to grand halls and gardens, these routes offer the perfect blend of fresh air, spring scenery and rich heritage 🌸🏰

Click the link in comments to read more 👇

National Trust National Trust for Scotland Historic Scotland English Heritage
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📷 Brian Sweeney

30/03/2026

The next meet-up for our Tinnitus Support Group is Wednesday 15th April at 2pm. These sessions are welcoming and relaxed and provide an opportunity to meet with other people living with tinnitus and share experiences and advice.

The group is held in collaboration and with the support of Tinnitus UK Charity

Wednesday 15th April, 2-4pm
Wilberforce House, The Grove, York, YO24 1AN
For more information email LLZ@wilberforcetrust.org.uk

27/03/2026

Our 'Did you Know for March is here...

Did you know that daily tasks such as taking tablets and changing hearing aid batteries can be more difficult for people with a visual impairment.

Tablets and batteries can easily bounce off hard surfaces, for example kitchen counter tops, tables and bathroom sinks and be difficult to locate and find.

Experiment with taking medication or changing hearing aid batteries over a tray, lined with a contrasting cloth to reduce the potential to bounce and make easier to locate.