Show notes and further reading for episode 14 Blind George of Anstey

Blind George of Anstey

Memories of Hertfordshire has some further information about Blind George: https://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/content/herts-history/towns-and-villages/anstey/blind-fiddler-anstey

More information about the WW2 plane crash: https://www.398th.org/FlakNews/Articles/Ostrom/Ostrom_Anstey.html

Litha have information about the story on their website too: https://www.litha-music.com/index.php/de/11-news/27-blind-george-story

You can listen to the whole albumn, Dancing into the Light on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1TYePJFyFmu6EhP6PGPOeY

Or buy the CD here: https://musicscotland.com/products/litha-dancing-of-the-light

You can hear Fairport Convention’s take on the Blind George Legend here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlhzKB8UzKA

You can watch a live version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e63FlKCTb74

Wikipedia has a page on cultural depictions of blindness: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_blindness#:~:text=Other%20examples%20of%20mythological%20characters,Pandion%2C%20Polymestor%2C%20and%20Metope.

A fascinating, and hard hitting in depth look at depictions of blindness in myths, and more recently from The Unseen Minority by Frances Koestler 1974 available on the American Foundation of the Blind’s website: https://www.afb.org/about-afb/history/online-library/unseen-minority/chapter-1

Charles Bonnet Syndrome

RNIB have useful information about Charles Bonnet Syndrome here: https://www.rnib.org.uk/your-eyes/eye-conditions-az/charles-bonnet-syndrome/

RNIB also have really useful resources around visual impairment in general here: https://www.rnib.org.uk/living-with-sight-loss/

An article from 2000 about the prevalence of Charles Bonnet Syndrome and whether it could explain ghost sightings: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2000/oct/19/technology

Personal stories about Charles Bonnet Syndrome: https://www.charlesbonnetsyndrome.org/index.php/cbs-ii/personal-stories

Finally a photograph of Paul at an access campaign event at Biggleswade train station. The event was in 2018 organised by the Beds Rail Access Network. The then shadow transport minister and local MPs attended and Paul shared his experience of travelling with rail bosses. I’m pleased to say that, fingers crossed, by November this year Biggleswade will have a lift and level access for the first time. There’s already been a new bus station and zebra crossing added to the station.