‘We’d be stuck’: alarm as UK’s last braille typewriter repairer ponders retirement

Alan Thorpe is Britain's last certified fixer of the Perkins brailler, a machine vital for teaching blind children to read and write

Alan Thorpe runs his fingers over the braille note attached to the latest repair job to arrive at his doorstep in Sheffield. Reading from the tactile note, he says: The paper won't wind in and the keys are jammed. Good luck."

Thorpe, 60, is the only certified repairer in the UK of Perkins braille typewriters, the world's most widely used braille machines. Despite advances in digital technology, these 6kg analogue machines are still a vital communication tool for blind users and are especially crucial for teaching blind children to read and write.