The national deafblind charity Sense held a ground-breaking ceremony for TouchBase centre in Selly Oak this week.
Construction has begun on the new £14million TouchBase Centre for the deafblind community in Birmingham on 7th March and will bring many benefits to the people of Selly Oak according to Sense.
The Centre, due to open in summer 2017, will provide specialist services for people with sensory impairments and to help disabled people in the West Midlands and create over 130 new jobs in the local community.
Leader of Birmingham City Council, Cllr John Clancy said:
“This exciting project represents a real lifeline for disabled people in the West Midlands and will help many people lead richer, more independent lives.”
The hub will also provide wider community services, such as a café, arts and performance area, sensory garden and gallery.
The ‘champions’, who are deafblind, buried a commemorative time capsule, which highlighted visions of what they hope the world will be like for disabled people in the future.
Gillian Morbey OBE, Sense Chief Executive, said:
“We are delighted that construction for this major new centre is under it will be a hub for the wider community. The TouchBase Pears centre will make a huge difference to many people’s lives and we can’t wait to open the doors next year.”
