The Sussex charity marks its 40th anniversary by depositing films with SASE.
Sightsavers celebrated 40 years on December 15 by releasing digitised films from its archives. The films show how the Sussex-based charity has transformed the lives of thousands of blind and disabled people over the last four decades. Sighstavers’ original films will be preserved and stored in Screen Archive South East’s vault at the West Sussex Record Office in Chichester.
Last year Sightsavers approached SASE to seek help in digitising the 16mm films discovered in Grosvenor Hall, the charity’s Haywards Heath headquarters. SASE staff transferred the material and archivist Ine van Dooren presented the DVDs to Lady Wilson, widow of Sightsavers' founder the late Sir John Wilson, and Elaine Ireland, Head of Policy at Sightsavers, at the December ceremony.
Watching the footage brought back poignant memories. Lady Wilson remarked: “I am immensely proud that 40 years later Sightsavers is still in Sussex. Better still Sightsavers is now the county’s largest international charity and raises millions of pounds every year to help vital work in over 30 developing countries treating and curing preventable blindness.” She added, “Sussex has provided a wonderful home for us for the last 40 years and thanks to the help of the Screen Archive we have the rare opportunity to reflect on how much has been achieved in this time.”
Elaine Ireland (Sightsavers), Ine van Dooren (SASE), Lady Wilson
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