Our dear Alberta's funeral will be held on 30th March 2026 at 10am at Peterborough Crematorium, Bretton, Peterborough.
All are welcome to attend the service.
There will be a private intimate gathering following the service — invitation only.
If you would like to leave a donation or share a memory of Alberta, please follow the dedicated memorial link below:
It is with very deep sadness that we let you all know that Alberta Rochester passed away last night.
Alberta was DBE's Awareness Officer, a much-loved member of the DBE family, an Assessor, and a dear friend.
We will all greatly miss her. Much love goes to Dave during this difficult time.
This post was originally shared as a video tribute. You can view the full Reel and the community's touching comments on our Facebook page: Watch the Tribute Reel on Facebook
We wanted to share some great work happening over at Signature Deaf.
It's wonderful to see such impactful progress in the community. You can view the original update and join the conversation via the link below:
Happy New Year to everyone! ❤️
What a wonderful, busy year it has been for all our service users—filled with fun, laughter, and new experiences. Most importantly, it has been a year of our users being in control and making their own choices.
We are so thankful to our valued Communicator-Guides, Interpreter Guides, family members, and friends who help us in so many different ways.
"The smallest thing you do always makes the biggest impact on the lives of vulnerable deafblind people."
We look forward to making a difference to many more deafblind people in 2026!
With love to you all,
Debbie
Our 11th Annual Rally was a great success this year, with over 50 people attending!
It was a wonderful opportunity to bring deafblind friends together from across our UK regions for a lovely carvery meal, fun, and games.
This year, we took a moment to acknowledge our deafblind friends who couldn't attend due to health issues, and we shared fond memories of those who have passed away during the year.
A massive thanks to all our supporters—we continue to grow our deafblind family in a number of new areas.
If you or someone you know requires assistance, we are here to help. We offer:
Get in touch with us today to learn more.
It is with a very heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Pam Watling.
Pam was a caring, lovable, and fiercely independent lady who always looked out for everyone. As a DBE Awareness Officer and Assessor, she promoted deafblindness wherever she went, highlighting the daily struggles of living with limited sight and hearing.
Pam was a vital part of the DBE family, and she loved her own family dearly. We will all miss her presence and her dedication to our community.
We invite you to join us in celebrating Pam's life:
If possible, please RSVP to let us know if you are attending. Kindly include any dietary requirements or if you will be accompanied by a partner, family member, or support worker.
Note: You are still very welcome to join us even if you do not RSVP.
If you wish to honor Pam’s memory, the family suggests a donation to the British Heart Foundation in lieu of flowers.
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Pauline Brown.
Pauline served as DBE's Deafblind Awareness Officer for many years. She was an inspirational, dedicated lady and a truly loving person who cared deeply about everyone she met.
Rest in peace, Pauline. You will be greatly missed, but your legacy lives on in the work we do.
The funeral service for Pauline will be held on:
If you plan on attending the service to pay your respects, please let us know so we can assist with arrangements.
Congratulations to Jonathan and Elizabeth for completing the Signature Level 2 Communicator-Guide Course with us!
It is with sadness that I inform you that Catherine Fields died at home on Monday 28th April 2025.
Catherine, a deafblind lady in Essex was a great inspiration to so many people, locally and nationally. I first met Catherine in 2000 facilitating a Specialist Assessment as she was first starting to loose her vision, providing Catherine with the rehab skills and a Communicator-Guide service, as a deafblind mum to her two daughters, which she was always immensely proud of.
Catherine was a joy to be with, she campaigned for better services for deafblind people, assisted with specialist training and taught us all so much, a determined, strong willed lady who lived life to the full with a good sense of humour, and was so brave. Catherine lost her sight and developed fluent skills using Hands On, Deafblind Manual and Haptic to gain vital access to information to always be in control and have choices. Catherine was happy to be on DBE's Essex leaflet to assist us to identify further deafblind people in need. Thank you RAD team for supporting and being her family. Many of our DBE deafblind family and Interpreter Guides/Communicator-Guides at DBE will remember Catherine as she came to our Annual Rallies and she received our Interpreter Guides service. Taken from us too soon, never forgotten RIP Catherine