Bristol comedy night raises awareness of sight loss

Bristol's Tobacco Factory Theatres hosted a new comedy night featuring blind and partially-sighted performers

Comedians with various visual impairments have taken to the stage to raise awareness about sight loss.

The comedy show Blindingly Funny made its debut at Bristol's Tobacco Factory Theatres on 6 February.

It was produced by local charity Sight Support West of England - an organisation which supports blind and partially-sighted people.

Among the performers was Lizzy Lenco, who said comedy became a lifeline after she lost her eyesight in a car crash.

"It's been a long journey. But I love the fact I can still get up on stage and give people a laugh," she said.

Comedian Lizzy Lenco lost her sight when she was severely injured in a car crash

Ms Lenco, from Derby, became involved with comedy when she met Bristol-based comedian Angie Belcher, who specialises in linking comedy and mental health.

"Comedy is a really important vehicle for getting this message across," said Ms Lenco.

"Through comedy you can relate all the ridiculous things that happen (as a blind or disabled person) without nagging or anyone feeling defensive," she added.

Visually impaired comedian Jake Donaldson headlined the show

The comedy night brought together acts from around the country, including Bristol-based Louise Leigh, Jake Donaldson, David C Johnson and Si Deaves.

Mr Donaldson, 30, was born with a genetic condition called retinal dystrophy, which affects the eye's retina.

"My vision has gotten worse since starting comedy 12 years ago. I've found that comedy definitely helps facilitate easier and more useful conversations about disability," said the Newcastle-based comedian.

"We can normalise our lived experience and help able-bodied folks to look at us as normal people who just happen to have a slightly different experience of day-to-day life than them," he added.

Jane Ibbunson said the comedy night raised awareness in a positive way

Sight Support West of England was established in 2018 to create more services for blind people across Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

Jane Ibbunson, 57, who works for the charity, started her losing her sight 20 years ago through complications with diabetes.

"As a person who's visually impaired, I wanted to make the point that even if you've lost your sight, you still want to do the things that everyone else does, including comedy," she said.