VIBRATING bank note detectors and talking kitchen equipment are some of the latest gadgets on offer at an event for visually-impaired people in Hartlepool.

The event, organised by Hartlepool Primary Care Trust's Low Vision Service, will be held in Hartlepool Blind Welfare Association, in Avenue Road, next Wednesday, from 11am to 3pm.

People will also be able to visit the Action for Blind People's bus, where there will be demonstrations of the technology and gadgets for people with sight difficulties.

The event follows the trust's success in cutting waiting times for clinical low vision assessments. Seven optometrists from opticians in the town have undergone training, enabling them to carry out the assessments.

This had led to waiting times at the University Hospital of Hartlepool being reduced from four weeks to two. It also means that patients can often be treated nearer to their homes.

Julie King, the trust's service reform manager, said: "This event will hopefully raise awareness of the types of challenges people with sight loss face on a daily basis, and how partnership working between health, local authority and voluntary sector organisations can achieve real service improvement."