Julie Smethurst

Julie is truly inspirational to everyone she works with and meets. It would be wonderful to see Julie carrying the Olympic torch in Sheffield. One person unable to see the event would be Julie herself, because Julie is totally blind from birth. This has not stopped Julie. She is a self employed braillist and consultant for The Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind; a recent chair of the City Council's Access Liaison Group, promoting talking lifts, Braille signs, tactile pavements and railway platform edges; she had input into the refurbishment of Western Park Museum, The Crucible Theatre, and City of Culture bid. Julie sings with, and is chair of Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus. She galvanises the team, champions inclusivity, maintains the relationship with the twin choir in Bochum and has forged links with the Cultural Olympiad. Julie always acknowledges and praises the achievements of others and deserves similar recognition. I'm a Trustee of Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind, not a consultant for it