A BLIND Blackburn Rovers supporter is top of the league with visually impaired fans after producing match programmes in Braille.

Chris Tattersall, 50, of Chatburn Road, Clitheroe, started losing his sight in his early 20s following a rare virus and was totally blind by the time he was 39.

He plunged into despair after quitting work as an electrician at Castle Cement, Clitheroe, and was housebound for two years while coming to terms with the loss of his sight.

He said: "One day my wife set off for work and it occurred to me that I just had to get on with my life.

"Coming to terms with the loss of my sight was tough but once the grieving process was over it was time to get stuck into life again.

"I've been supporting Rovers since my teens and used to like taking the match programme home and having a good read.

"The idea of producing programmes in Braille came to me at the end of last season and Rovers agreed to send me articles before each match by email, which I convert into Braille using the embosser.

"I Braille about ten programmes a match and hand them out for free to blind supporters, including visitors.

"The club is very accommodating and sets aside 25 seats for blind supporters. We have the services of a steward, who collects us from the Darwen end, shows us to our seats and gets us a cup of tea at half-time."

Chris joined Clitheroe's award-winning Skill Share Scheme, which offers free courses in a variety of subjects to adult learners, then attended Bolton College, where he obtained his Standard English Braille Certificate in 1998.

He continued: "I thought I would lose everything when I lost my sight but I've learned that life can be just as full and in some ways even better."

Chris was named Bolton College Student of the Year and North West Adult Learner of the Year, both in 2000, then returned to Skill Share to set up a Braille-IT scheme.

Chris also teaches Braille at the Resource Centre for the Sensory Impaired in Swallow Street, Blackburn, as well as Bolton College.

He applied for a community grant from Thwaites Brewery to buy an embosser and special software package to enable him to produce Braille teaching sheets.

A Blackburn Rovers spokesman said: "We are delighted to be able to help our visually impaired supporters in this way.

"Our award-winning matchday programme is enjoyed by a large number of fans and the braille version is already growing in popularity.

"We look to offer the complete matchday experience at Ewood Park and making RoverTime accessible to all is very much a part of that."

Jayne McLaughlin, of the Royal National Institute for the Blind, said: "This is a fantastic idea.

"People who have lost their sight often find other ways of doing things and Chris has obviously found a way to continue his love of football in a useful manner."

Anyone interested in attending Braille-IT classes, or who wants printed material transcribing into Braille, can contact Chris on 01200 426063.