Our Stories

Peter, born in a quadruplet, has been visually impaired from a very early age. His membership to Calibre has made it possible for him to experience reading, and spurred him to leave a gift in his will.

Read Peter's full story here

Bryan, 91, has been totally blind since 1986 and was extremely short-sighted from birth:

"I discovered Calibre in 1998 and I've listened to more than 1,500 books over the years. They give me a great deal of pleasure, and they've helped me discover the joy of a good story, which I was never able to do at school. Calibre provide a super service, and I'd be lost without them."

Read Bryan's full story here.

Forrest, 28, works in the library and the chaplaincy at the University of Bedfordshire. He has Asperger's and can find text daunting.

"Reading any text can automatically make me feel under pressure. And that makes it even more difficult to process the information and the meaning. I much prefer to combine reading with listening."

Read Forrest's full story here.

Patrice joined Calibre just over a year ago. she has sight and hearing challenges and really appreciates the clarity of her Calibre audiobooks.

"I'm fortunate to still have some sight, but my vision is blurry. I can manage to read large print with a magnifying glass, but it's cumbersome and takes the enjoyment out of reading for me.

“I cannot thank Calibre enough for giving me back the ability to enjoy the written word again. Thank you.” 

 Read Patrice's full story here:

Patricia was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child but only discovered Calibre recently.

“It’s much easier for me to understand a story if I can listen to it, rather than having to read it. The beauty of audiobooks is I don’t miss out. I can still have as good an access to the experience of reading as someone else who can read more easily." 

Read Patricia's full story here.

At 98 years old, Rosamund’s loss of mobility and her sight meant a double blow. She could no longer indulge in either of her passions: gardening or reading. Discovering Calibre has opened up a whole new world for her; she and her daughter, Elizabeth, explain the difference it’s made to their lives.  

Read Rosamund and Elizabeth's full story here:

Linda was born totally blind, but the rest of her family are fully sighted. She first discovered her love of books because her mum read to her so much. In 1979, aged eleven, she joined Calibre and is one of it's longest standing members.

"I don’t know what I would have done without Calibre. In 1979, I missed a year of school. I had no energy to read braille. Pretty much all I could do was listen to audiobooks, so Calibre was a lifesaver! "

Read Linda's full story here:

Chris joined Calibre in October 2007, when his sight – which had been deteriorating for several years – suddenly got much worse.

"I'd never really enjoyed reading. The only books I ever looked at were reference books. Even when my sight was just about OK to read, I'd struggle to distinguish between characters and then lose track of what was going on."

"I listen to a book every day now. Calibre has converted me!"

Read Chris's full story here.

Gareth’s vision has deteriorated over time, but he’s found new ways to keep reading, both for work and pleasure.

“I only became a Calibre member in the last few months, after a friend recommended the service. Previously, I’d used commercial services such as Audible, but it can work out very expensive and those services don’t always have the same range of titles available."

Read Gareth's full story, click here

A serious eye injury and, in subsequent years, a diagnosis of ME, has meant that I now find it very difficult to read printed material or use e-readers for any length of time, and repeated trips to the library to borrow audiobooks are too exhausting.

At a time when I was feeling so isolated and my whole world seemed to be closing in, Calibre Audio was there, providing an invaluable service that has allowed me to access a vast range of audio books across a wide range of categories.

Read Sara's full story here:

Liz Bartlett is a published author and expert on lace making. She enjoyed a full-sighted life which included extensive travelling and lecturing on lace making until she had a stroke in 1998 which started a chain of events that eventually left her in a wheelchair and blind in both eyes. Her progressively worsening sight soon deprived Liz of one of her greatest loves – reading books. Here she tells us of the challenges she faced when she lost her sight and how Calibre Audio helped her overcome the devastating blow of no longer being able to read.

Read Liz's full story here:

Nine-year-old Toby loves books. Ever since he was tiny, he’s adored stories. Fairy tales; legends of pirates, knights and dragons; heroes and villains. He’s especially interested in space and history, soaking up facts about the solar system and intrigued by epic historical battles and social issues from the past. He also loves Lego and plans to be an inventor one day. Toby is bright, intelligent and funny. But he cannot read.

Read Toby's full story here:

12-year-old Zaki, shown above, fundraising for Calibre last year, has been partially sighted since birth.  He has always loved listening to stories with his Mum, Alice, reading to him every night as a child and him keenly sitting next to his kindergarten teacher whenever she would tell a story. 

Read Zaki's full story here: