Esme's Friends

My name's Richard Hawley and I'm a patron of Esme's Umbrella. I'm an actor and I'm currently working on Coronation Street playing Johnny Connor. When my producer told me that my character was going to develop Charles Bonnet Syndrome I'd never actually heard of the condition, but fortunately Judith Potts and Nina Chesworth of Esme's Umbrella were hand to explain how it manifests itself. It felt incredibly important to use the research and to find out all I could. There's a responsibility to the people who are actually going through it for real to show how distressing it can be to live with CBS if you don't know what's happening to you. Hi, my name is Nina Chesworth. I currently experience Charles Bonnet syndrome. One of One of the things I've found most helpful is Esmee's friends groups. This is where people can come and share their stories and experiences of the condition. Hello, I'm Judith Potts, the founder of Esmee's Umbrella. Charles Bonney Syndrome is a condition which develops when someone of any age has lost over 60% of sight. It causes vivid, silent, visual hallucinations, but it is not a mental health issue. Richard is not the only person who has never heard of CBS, but Esme's Umbrella is working to rectify that and to create support for people who do develop it and their families. We have Esme's friends, telephone and online support groups. There is information on my website or from me at my email address, or from my helpline 0207 391 3299, Esme's Umbrella at the RNIB. Please allow us to help you.